Trial to begin for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. — (AP) — Opening statements are expected Friday in the trial of the man accused of killing a Georgia nursing student, in a case that helped fan the immigration debate during the last election cycle.

Jose Ibarra is charged with murder and other crimes in the February killing of Laken Hope Riley, whose body was found on the University of Georgia Campus. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, meaning his case will be heard and decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.

Prosecutors are expected to try to prove that Ibarra hit the 22-year-old Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, asphyxiated her and intended to sexually assault her. They have chosen not to seek the death penalty, but they said in a court filing that they intended to seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The killing added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra, who is Venezuelan, illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case.

Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blamed Democratic President Joe Biden's border policies for her death. As he spoke about border security during his State of the Union address just weeks after the killing, Biden mentioned Riley by name.

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 is being held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.

Ibarra is charged 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 being a peeping Tom.

Prosecutors say 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.

Ahead of the trial, defense attorneys unsuccessfully tried to have the proceedings moved out of Athens, a city of about 130,000 people in northeastern Georgia. They also wanted to have the peeping Tom charge handled separately and to exclude some evidence and expert testimony.

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