Caring daughter, good friend and devout Christian: Heartbroken loved ones paint portrait of Laken Riley after her killing

Laken Riley’s name was heard in court countless times and repeated by politicians around the country who described her brutal killing. But to those who really knew her, she was much more than a victim.

Laken Riley’s name was heard in court countless times and repeated by politicians around the country who described her brutal killing. But to those who really knew her, she was much more than a victim. Months after family and friends mourned the nursing student at her funeral service on a cold and rainy day in Woodstock, Georgia, they reunited for days inside a courtroom. They listened carefully and often sobbed as witnesses described how the last moments of Riley’s life unfolded. How Riley’s morning jog at the University of Georgia’s campus came to a halt on February 22. How she fought for her life, collecting beneath her fingernails crucial DNA evidence and eventually leading authorities to her killer. And how a police officer later discovered her body. Some of them gasped as her killer, Jose Ibarra, was convicted Wednesday of murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and a spate of other crimes. Then, they appeared relieved when Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As they sought justice at the Georgia courtroom, her roommate Lilly Steiner said she knew the “trial focused on the death of Laken, which has overshadowed the life that she lived, the life that was stolen from this community.” So when given the chance and despite their heartbreak, each of them spoke about Riley’s joy, her devotion to God and helping others, and the future their daughter, sister and friend dreamed about.