Laken Riley's Stepfather Reads Her Heartbreaking Final Journal Entry Before Her Brutal Murder

Laken Riley's stepfather shared her final journal entry with the court during the conclusion of the trial for her heartbreaking murder.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was accused of killing the 22-year-old nursing student on February 22 after she went out for a run at the University of Georgia in Athens. His trial began on Friday, November 15.

"To my future husband," her stepfather John Phillips read from a December 2023 entry in her journal. "As silly as I feel writing this, my old small group leader once recommended it so here I am. To my future husband, I want you to know that I'm thinking about you. I'm working every day to become the best wife I can be by working through my current relationships to best prepare me for our and our kids one day."

"I can't wait to love you in the best way I know how for the rest of our lives I pray you know and feel the importance of my love and hopes for our relationship no matter what challenges we face," he concluded the entry.

Phillips then addressed the judge, saying: "Your Honor, that was our beautiful Laken. That is just a glimpse of what was tragically and brutally taken from her and us that day: the best daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, overall person that you could ever hope to meet."

"While it's true that none of our lives will ever be the same, we refuse to let this person rob Laken of the hope she gave to her family, loved ones, friends and the world as a whole," he continued. "We will proudly carry this hope on in her name in the days ahead, and for the rest of our lives."

Her mother, Allyson Phillips, also spoke about her daughter and what her untimely death meant to their family.

"This monster took away our chances to see Laken graduate from nursing school," she told the court, referring to Ibarra. "He took away our ability to meet our future son-in-law. He destroyed our chances of meeting our grandchildren, and he took my best friend. He took away every beautiful memory we won’t ever be able to make with her again."

As OK! previously reported, Riley's body was discovered in February in the woods near her Georgia college. Her body was covered in injuries on her head, neck, limbs and her torso. Medical examiners later confirmed she had a skull fracture that "could be consistent with a rock." Her cause of death was determined to be the "combined effects of blunt force head trauma and asphyxia."

On November 20, Ibarra was found guilty of three counts of felony murder and counts of malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault with intent to rape. He was sentenced to serve life behind bars without the possibility of parole.