{"id":2371458,"date":"2024-11-20T18:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-laken-rileys-christian-faith-on-full-display-as-her-stepfather-reads-one-of-her-final-journal-entries-in-court\/"},"modified":"2024-11-20T18:59:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T23:59:06","slug":"watch-laken-rileys-christian-faith-on-full-display-as-her-stepfather-reads-one-of-her-final-journal-entries-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-laken-rileys-christian-faith-on-full-display-as-her-stepfather-reads-one-of-her-final-journal-entries-in-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: Laken Riley&#8217;s Christian Faith on Full Display as Her Stepfather Reads One of Her Final Journal Entries in Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatch-laken-rileys-christian-faith-on-full-display-as-her-stepfather-reads-one-of-her-final-journal-entries-in-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2371458&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student,\u200b was brutally murdered by Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, on February 22 while running on the\u200b University\u200b of Georgia\u2019s campus. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-caves-to-republicans-agrees-to-congressional-deposition\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden agrees to Congressional deposition, yielding to Republicans\">recent \u200bcourt hearing<\/a>, her stepfather, John Phillips, emotionally read one of Laken&#8217;s final journal entries, \u2062revealing her dreams\u200b of marriage and family, grounded in her Christian faith. The entry\u2062 expressed her hopes for a future with her husband and her dedication to embodying the virtues of a devoted Christian wife.<\/p>\n<p>Ibarra was found guilty on\u200c all charges related to Riley&#8217;s attempted rape and murder. During the sentencing, which Judge H. Patrick Haggard conducted, Phillips and other <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">family members delivered impact statements<\/a>, expressing their desire for a life sentence for Ibarra.\u200d The judge \u200csentenced \u200cIbarra \u200dto life\u2063 in prison without the possibility of parole. Phillips concluded his statement by highlighting\u2063 the loss of their beloved Laken, emphasizing the tragic and \u200dbrutal nature of her death. The family finds some solace in the justice served and their belief that \u2062Laken\u2063 is \u2062now in heaven.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Laken Riley&rsquo;s stepfather, John Phillips, became very emotional Wednesday as he read one of her final journal entries to a Georgia judge who decided the fate of the illegal immigrant convicted of murdering her.<\/p>\n<p>The 22-year-old college student&rsquo;s journal entry contained the thoughts of a Christian woman who hoped to one day get married and be the best wife and mother she could be.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard found Venezuelan national Jose Ibarra, 26,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/illegal-immigrant-accused-murdering-laken-riley-learns-fate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> guilty on all 10 counts<\/a> related to the attempted rape and ultimate murder of Riley.<\/p>\n<p>Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University College of Nursing, had gone running on the University of Georgia&rsquo;s campus when Ibarra attacked her on Feb. 22.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly,&rdquo; prosecutor Sheila Ross <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/laken-rileys-mother-sobs-chilling-bodycam-audio-played-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> Haggard on Friday when the trial began.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>After Haggard reached his verdict, Phillips and other members of Riley&rsquo;s family <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3IePA3i9uDA&amp;ab_channel=11Alive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">addressed the court<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-doctor-who-conned-women-into-hysterectomies-sterilizations-for-insurance-money-gets-60-years-in-prison\/\" title=\"Virginia Doctor Who Conned Women Into Hysterectomies, Sterilizations For Insurance Money Gets 60 Years In Prison\">victim impact statements<\/a> before the judge sentenced Ibarra. Riley&rsquo;s family wanted him to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, the stiffest sentence available to the judge.<\/p>\n<p>Phillips said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so proud of Laken and the beautiful person that she was.&rdquo; He then read words she wrote in her journal about two months before her death.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think one of her last journal entries dated 12\/17\/23 says it best, so here we go: &lsquo;To my future husband, as silly as I feel writing this, my old small group leader once recommended it, so here I am,&#8217;&rdquo; Phillips began.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HEARTBREAKING: Laken Riley&rsquo;s stepfather reads one of her final journal entries where she wrote to her future husband and talked about her Christian faith &#10084;&#65039;&zwj;&#129657; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pvK7xCa4q9\">pic.twitter.com\/pvK7xCa4q9<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Breaking911\/status\/1859299755626803201?\">November 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Riley apparently was referring to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christian-leader-foresaw-2007-trump-elected-two-terms-vindicated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian<\/a> small group she attended through church or another Christian ministry.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To my future husband, I want you to know that I&rsquo;m thinking about you and working every day to become the best wife I can be by working through my current relationships to best prepare me for ours and our kids one day. I&rsquo;m focusing on God and what he defines as a faithful, Christian wife and so that I can best embody those characteristics,&rdquo; Phillips said as he continued to read from Riley&rsquo;s journal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I pray that you know that it is with my full faith and trust in God that I know that this relationship has been handcrafted by Him. I pray that we continue to glorify the Lord, prioritizing him in every aspect of our lives, and raise our family, our future family, to be God-fearing Christians as well,&rdquo; Riley wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I pray God is the center of our relationship as it is a gift from Him, I thank Him for you before I even know you. I can&rsquo;t wait to love you in the best way I know how for the rest of our lives,&rdquo; her stepfather read.<\/p>\n<p>Phillips finished reading the entry saying, &ldquo;I pray you know and feel the importance of our love and hopes for our relationship. No matter what challenges we face, I pray that our trust in God and love for one another overrules the obstacle. May our relationship last forever, Your future wife, Laken.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Phillips then addressed the judge directly, with his voice cracking. &ldquo;That, your Honor, was our beautiful Laken. That, your Honor, is just a glimpse of what was tragically and brutally taken from her and us that day.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It sounds like she was seeking to be a woman of virtue like that described in the Bible&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Proverbs%2031%3A10-&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Proverbs 31<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Haggard did sentence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/illegal-immigrant-accused-killing-laken-riley-gets-indicted-slapped-new-accusation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ibarra<\/a> to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The man convicted in the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n<p>Jose Ibarra was charged with murder and other crimes in Riley&rsquo;s February death. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XHVQaOLIiU\">pic.twitter.com\/XHVQaOLIiU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Associated Press (@AP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\/status\/1859350324793778178?\">November 20, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Laken&rsquo;s family can take some solace in knowing justice was served, and she is now in heaven, safe with Jesus Christ and the Father.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\"> \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t<script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Laken Riley&#8217;s stepfather, John Phillips, became very emotional on Wednesday while reading one of her last journal entries to a Georgia judge overseeing the case of the illegal immigrant convicted of her murder. The 22-year-old college student&#8217;s entry expressed her aspirations as a Christian woman who dreamed of marrying and being an exemplary wife and mother. On that day, Judge H. Patrick Haggard found Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, guilty on all counts related to Riley&#8217;s attempted rape and murder. Riley was attacked while jogging on the University of Georgia campus on February 22. Prosecutor Sheila Ross described how Ibarra violently assaulted her when she resisted his advances.<\/p>\n<p>After the verdict was delivered, Phillips and other family members shared victim impact statements before Ibarra was sentenced. They requested life imprisonment without parole for him\u2014the harshest sentence available. Phillips expressed pride in Laken\u2019s character and read from her journal about two months prior to her death: \u201cTo my future husband&#8230; I&#8217;m working every day to become the best wife I can be.\u201d He continued reading about how she prayed for their future relationship to be centered around God.<\/p>\n<p>Phillips concluded by emphasizing Laken\u2019s hopes for love despite challenges they might face together. He addressed the judge with emotion, stating that this glimpse into Laken\u2019s life showed what had been tragically taken from them that day. Ultimately, Judge Haggard sentenced Ibarra to life in prison without parole for his crimes against Riley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2371459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Laken-Riley-family.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41666,45255,45415,42983],"class_list":["post-2371458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-christian-faith","tag-court-hearing","tag-journal-entries","tag-laken-riley"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Laken-Riley-family.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371458"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2371462,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371458\/revisions\/2371462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2371459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}