November trial looms for suspect in AU student Laken Riley’s murder

ATHENS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The man accused of killing a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus faced a court hearing Friday as his trial looms next month.

The hearing focused on motions in the case against Jose Ibarra, who’s charged with murder and other crimes in the February killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia.

“He had scratches on his forearms, his bicep, and I believe on the inside of his left wrist there was a puncture mark consistent with the width of a fingernail,” UGA Police Officer Joshua Epps said on the witness stand.

Riley’s body was found on Feb. 22 near running trails after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run. Police have said her killing appeared to be a random attack. Ibarra was arrested the next day and continues to be held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.

“There was a lot of dirt and mulch located on Laken Riley’s body when we located her,” Epps said.

Ibarra is in the country illegally. Earlier this week, his brother Diego was set to be sentenced for a separate crime. However, that court hearing was canceled.

Riley’s killing became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.

The indictment charges Ibarra with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.

MORE ON THE LAKEN RILEY CASE:

• November trial set in murder of AU nursing student Laken Riley
• UGA students see safety enhancements after Laken Riley slaying
• Laken Riley’s phone called 911 during her murder, officials say
• AU student’s slaying sends shockwaves from Athens to CSRA

The indictment says that on the day of Riley’s killing, Ibarra peered into the window of an apartment in a university housing building, which is the basis for the peeping Tom charge.

The judge began hearing arguments on four motions Friday. Those include a motion by Ibarra’s attorneys to move the trial from Athens because of pretrial publicity and an attempt to have the peeping Tom charge tried separately because it involves a different alleged victim. His attorneys also are seeking to exclude some evidence and expert testimony.

“Our officers were able to capture an image from the video surveillance of the suspect placing the items in a dumpster,” Athens Clarke County Sgt. Timothy Christopher Johnson said.

The nation’s broken immigration system has emerged as a major campaign issue after an unprecedented migration surge strained budgets in cities including New York, Chicago and Denver. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has dialed up his anti-immigrant rhetoric by suggesting migrants are committing crimes more often than U.S. citizens even though the evidence does not back up those claims.

In late September, Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris walked a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and called for further tightening of asylum restrictions as she sought to project a tougher stance on illegal migration and address one of her biggest vulnerabilities in the November election. She balanced tough talk on policing the border with calls for a better way to welcome immigrants legally.

The judge says jury selection in Jose Ibarra’s trial will begin on Nov. 13. The judge said Friday he will see how jury selection goes in regards to a change of venue.

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