Shelia Ross, the state prosecutor who successfully prosecuted the man charged in the 2024 killing of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus, was recently honored by the District Attorneys Association of Georgia.
Ross received the President’s Award for Excellence at the statewide conference for district attorneys held recently at the Jekyll Island Convention Center and hosted by the Prosecuting Council of Georgia.
Shelia Ross, a member of the Prosecuting Council, was specially appointed to handle the state’s murder and attempted rape case against Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant who was in the country illegally when he was charged with the crime that garnered nationwide attention.
Shown at the recent convention at Jekyll Island are, from left, Alcovy District Attorney Randy McGinley, prosecutor Shelia Ross, Cordele Circuit DA Brad Rigby and Ocmulgee Circuit DA Wright Barksdale.
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Laken Riley was slain while jogging at the UGA intramural field. In a bench trail before a Clarke County Superior Court judge, Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole.
The award was in recognition of her commitment to justice and the victims of crime, according to a news release from Alcovy Judicial Circuit District Attorney Randy McGinley.
“Shelia Ross exemplifies what a prosecutor should be. She handled the immense pressure of prosecuting one of the most high-profile cases in the last decade with grace, tenacity and the upmost professionalism,” McGinley said.
Ross has also handled a murder case in Oconee County and prosecuted cases in Fulton County, California and Florida, according to McGinty.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia state district attorneys honor prosecutor in Laken Riley case