Testimony Resumes in Trial of Illegal Immigrant Accused of Killing Georgia Student Laken Riley
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) – Testimony resumed Monday in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, a case that became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration during this year’s presidential campaign.
Jose Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February killing. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard will hear and decide his case.
The trial began Friday with testimony from Riley’s roommates and from law enforcement officers.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross used security and doorbell camera video, as well as data from Riley’s watch and phone, to establish a timeline of the 22-year-old student’s final moments.
Ross said during her opening statement that Ibarra encountered Riley while she was running on the University of Georgia campus and killed her during a struggle. Riley was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) east of Atlanta.
Defense attorney Dustin Kirby said in his opening that Riley’s death was a tragedy and called the evidence in the case graphic and disturbing. But he said there is not sufficient evidence to prove that his client killed Riley.
The killing added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.
Riley’s parents, roommates and other friends and family packed the courtroom on Friday and again on Monday.
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