MSNBC Caves, Changes Headline Appearing To Empathize With Illegal Alien Murderer

On Wednesday, the tragic case of 22-year-old University of Georgia student Laken Riley reached its conclusion as Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant, was convicted of her brutal murder. Sentenced to life in prison without parole, Ibarra’s trial presented harrowing evidence of the killing, including DNA under her fingernails and surveillance footage linking him to the crime.

However, instead of focusing on the verdict or the loss of a young life, MSNBC sparked outrage with a headline many found indefensible. The original title of their online article read, “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance,” which critics lambasted for appearing to humanize Ibarra rather than mourning Riley’s tragic death. The headline quickly made the rounds on social media, prompting accusations of tone-deafness and bias.

WATCH:

MSNBC’s legal analyst Danny Cevallos authored the piece, which examined the overwhelming evidence against Ibarra. He argued that the trial’s outcome was essentially a foregone conclusion due to the strength of the case. Critics, however, seized on the language, accusing the network of downplaying the murder and framing Ibarra as a victim of the judicial system.

Delete. Delete. Delete. This was the actual headline from msnbc this morning. They changed it after the internet freaked out. pic.twitter.com/g4kzYnNSzM

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 22, 2024

Donald Trump Jr. was among the first to respond, tweeting, “These people are sick. The guy is a murderer… but MSNBC would rather go to bat for him.” Many others echoed similar sentiments, slamming the network for its perceived insensitivity to Riley’s family.

You literally can’t make up this level of depravity. These people are sick. The guy is a murderer. He’s an illegal alien that killed an innocent young woman but MSNBC would rather go to bat for him.
However, much you hate MSNBC it’s not enough! pic.twitter.com/3YSVmbbVBD

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 22, 2024

“The verdict was going to be guilty,” MSNBC reported. “The sentence was going to be life without parole. 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. That’s probably why it requested a bench (judge-only) trial instead of a jury trial.”

Faced with mounting criticism, MSNBC quietly altered the headline later in the day to read: “The guilt of Laken Riley’s killer was never in doubt.” But the damage was already done. Screenshots of the original headline spread across social media, fueling accusations of bias and misplaced priorities.

Laken Riley’s murder was a case that gripped the country. A nursing student with a bright future ahead of her, Riley was attacked during a morning jog near the University of Georgia campus in February. Her desperate 911 call lasted 18 minutes as she tried to evade her attacker. Riley was ultimately abducted, assaulted, and strangled to death. Her body was discovered in a wooded area hours later.

Prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence against Ibarra, a known gang member who was living in the United States illegally. DNA found under Riley’s fingernails and footage of Ibarra discarding a bloodstained jacket left little room for doubt in the case. Judge H. Patrick Haggard convicted Ibarra on 10 counts, including malice murder and aggravated assault with intent to rape.

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