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MSNBC faces intense criticism after their legal analyst published an article expressing sympathy towards Jose Ibarra, the undocumented immigrant convicted of murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.
Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst specializing in wrongful convictions, wrote an article titled “Laken Riley’s killer never stood a chance,” which primarily focused on the defense’s challenges rather than the victim’s tragedy.
Some days, I think I've seen it all with regards to MSNBC's credibility. Equivocating the MSG rally to a Nazi, and showing footage, was pathetic.
But no, they are blowing me away at just how far down the well of incredulity they continue to fall.#maga #LakenRiley pic.twitter.com/6xMuSDNHMf— JP Vargas (@JPReactsAttacks) November 22, 2024
While briefly acknowledging the overwhelming evidence and emotional testimony from Riley’s family, Cevallos devoted most of his analysis to portraying the case as an inevitable defeat for the defense team.
“For the defense, this was a hopeless case,” Cevallos wrote, adding, “The verdict was going to be guilty.”
The article praised Ibarra’s attorneys for their handling of “bad facts” and commended the defendant for avoiding a lengthy jury trial.
“While you probably won’t see that written in any rules or law books, in my experience as a defense attorney, judges (and prosecutors) appreciate defendants who don’t waste the court’s time,” Cevallos said.
Cevallos criticized Judge Haggard’s decision to impose consecutive sentences, suggesting it revealed the judge’s harsh stance toward the defendant, despite the minimal practical impact on a life sentence without parole.
The analysis seemingly downplayed crucial facts about Ibarra’s background as an illegal immigrant with ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, and the brutal nature of Riley’s murder, where she was killed with a rock after resisting his advances.
Cevallos suggested the case became politically charged, noting, “Riley’s murder became a political rallying cry at this summer’s Republican National Convention because Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022.”
The article concluded with a final defense-oriented statement:
Sometimes defense counsel just gets handed a truly awful, unwinnable case. 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.
The piece sparked immediate outrage on social media. Donald Trump Jr. responded, “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!”
Conservative commentator Steve Guest questioned, “Ask yourself: Why is MSNBC writing sympathetic headlines for an illegal alien monster and killer? Why is MSNBC’s ‘legal analyst’ Danny Cevallos ok with this headline?”
This is why MSNBC is being canceled. They widespread backlash after publishing an opinion piece sympathizing with the killer of Laken Riley.
Legal analyst Cevallos came under fire for his take of Georgia nursing student brutal murder, saying that Ibarra "never stood a chance." pic.twitter.com/K3SMSWevze
— Sam Ghannoum (@Sam230560) November 22, 2024
Additional criticism came from The Federalist contributor Adam Johnston, who called the headline “absolutely sickening,” while columnist Joe Concha labeled the piece “infuriating garbage.”
John LeFevre expressed widespread sentiment by tweeting, “WTF is wrong with you, @MSNBC?”
Representative Mary Miller joined the criticism, stating, “This is why Americans stopped watching the liberal media and will never turn it on again. MSNBC is a disgrace.”
