A man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while she was out for a run earlier this year was found guilty Wednesday and sentenced to life without parole in a case that reignited the national debate over immigration and crime.

Laken Riley‘s mother and stepfather begged the judge to have “no mercy” ahead of the sentencing of Jose Ibarra, who was convicted Wednesday morning of killing the nursing student. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole following testimony from Allyson and John Phillips.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was found guilty Wednesday of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley in Athens, Ga., in February.

Riley called her mother at 9:03 a.m. that morning, and by the time her mother called back about 20 minutes later, the student had encountered Jose Ibarra on a wooded running trail, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors have said Ibarra killed Riley after a struggle, and data from Riley’s smartwatch shows her heart stopped beating at 9:28 a.m.

Outrage grows over MSNBC opinion piece sympathizing Laken Riley’s convicted killer

When Deborah Gonzalez ran to be elected District Attorney of Georgia’s Western Judicial Circuit in 2020, she made no bones about her position on capital punishment.