MSNBC buried in backlash for ‘sympathetic’ headline addressing Laken Riley’s killer

MSNBC was raked over the coals for publishing a piece that seemed to sympathize with the illegal alien who brutally murdered Laken Riley.

Jose Ibarra was sentenced  Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the death of the 22-year-old nursing student who was attacked by the illegal migrant in February as she was out for a morning run near the University of Georgia campus.

An opinion piece by legal analyst Danny Cevallos was originally headlined, “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance.”

The headline and op-ed ignited fiery outrage and MSNBC appeared to change the headline on Friday morning to: “The guilt of Laken Riley’s killer was never in doubt.”

“Riley’s murder became a political rallying cry at this summer’s Republican National Convention because Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022. But for all the political controversy, the outcome of this trial was never in doubt,” the MSNBC piece read.

“The verdict was going to be guilty. The sentence was going to be life without parole,” Cevallos wrote. “For the defense, this was a hopeless case. The defense did the best it could with bad facts. It almost surely knew it was going to lose.”

“The defense had no chance with a jury,” he continued.

“But it apparently had no chance with the judge, either, since he was convicted anyway. Still, the bench trial was a good call by the defense. Saving the judge from a pointless jury trial might have been Ibarra’s best chance at life with the possibility of parole,” Cevallos wrote.

“Sometimes defense counsel just gets handed a truly awful, unwinnable case,” the op-ed concluded. “The defense’s choice of a bench trial not only saved the state the resources of a wasted jury trial; it also likely avoided unnecessarily prolonging this traumatic experience for the victim’s family.”

Regardless of the legal analyst’s take, the piece and especially the headline set off a backlash.

Donald Trump Jr. accused MSNBC of “depravity.”

“What the f–k is this sh-t,” podcaster Joe Rogan wrote on X.

“Laken Riley’s killer is now the victim, according to MSNBC,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote.

“Do they know who actually never stood a chance? Laken Riley. She was targeted by a vile criminal and fought for her life for 17 agonizing minutes,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) wrote. “This headline is repulsive.”

“This is NUTS. MSNBC should immediately apologize for this headline and to Laken Riley’s family and friends who’ve already been through unimaginable pain,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) wrote. “The last thing they need is mainstream media normalizing her killer.”

And the reactions continued, with Cevallos being buried in attacks on X.

Frieda Powers

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