Progressive prosecutor in county where Laken Riley was found dead at the hands of illegal immigrant loses re-election

A progressive prosecutor in Georgia The county where Laken Riley was found murdered by an illegal immigrant lost his bid for re-election.

Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez died in a mudslide on Tuesday. The incumbent president lost to Republican Kalki Yalamanchili with 75 percent of the vote.

Gonzalez was elected in 2020 in a bid funded by progressive donors pushing for criminal justice reform in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests. defunding the police movement.

Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University and was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus on February 22. An illegal immigrant was accused of his murder.

LAKEN RILEY MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT MASSACRE, WANTS CERTAIN EVIDENCE WITHDRAWAL

Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez speaks at a Georgia Bureau of Investigation news conference on May 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted on Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a campus lake on Feb. 22. An illegal immigrant was accused of his murder. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

Gonzalez argued that he was “unrepentantly” progressive when he was elected to the criminal justice’s top office.

“I think part of it is because I’m upfront and unapologetic.” a Democratand I consider myself a progressive prosecutor,” Gonzalez said of the criticism.

SUSPECT IN LAKEN RILEY MURDER ALLEGEDLY

“There are a lot of prosecutors who don’t like the word progressive, but to me that means we have to look at it differently. … We always have to ask ourselves: ‘Is this in the interest of justice?'” he said.

University of Georgia murder suspect Jose Ibarra lived a five-minute walk from the scene where he allegedly killed 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on Feb. 22. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital/ Laken Riley/ Jose Ibarra)

After Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with murder, residents turned to elected officials for answers.

The Georgia legislature proposed HB 1105 following his death, and Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed it into law in May 2024.

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“Georgians have witnessed the disastrous impact lawlessness has had on communities across the country,” Kemp said during the signing. he said.

“Thanks to the work of our legislative partners in the General Assembly, we are able to send the message that this type of lawlessness will occur once again. no safe harbor “I’m proud to sign legislation that increases law enforcement employment, makes our communities safer, and gives our judicial system even tougher tools to bring violent criminals to justice,” he said in Georgia.

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump are seen in a composite of file photos taken on October 10, 2024, in Chandler, Arizona, and on October 4, 2024, in Evans, Georgia. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein and Octavio Jones/File Photo)

Laken Riley Murder and the 2024 Presidential Election:

Former President Donald Trump accused Biden-Harris administration and border policies regarding the murder of an Augusta University student.

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In response, Harris criticized Republicans for opposing the bipartisan border security agreement after Trump condemned it.

Get the latest updates on 2024 campaign history, exclusive interviews and more from our Fox News Digital election hub.