Prosecutors say DNA and fingerprints found Jose Ibarra killed Laken Riley

The man accused of killing Laken Riley was “on a woman hunt” the day the Georgia nursing student was killed, prosecutors told the judge Friday during the first day of Jose Antonio Ibarra’s trial.

“When Laken Riley refused to be the victim of rape, he repeatedly threw rocks at her skull,” prosecutor Sheila Ross said in her opening statement. he said.

A medical examiner said Riley died of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, with a complex skull fracture and eight other lacerations on the left side of his head.

Riley’s killing became a flashpoint in the immigration debate. Ibarra, 26, is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the United States illegally in 2022, authorities said. Republicans, including Donald Trump, who met with Riley’s parents before a campaign rally in March, used the case to call for stricter border policies.

Ross said the prosecution’s forensic, digital and video evidence “will point to an individual named Jose Ibarra as Laken Riley’s killer.”

Ibarra faces multiple charges, including three counts of felony murder and malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and “spying on Tom.” He is accused of attacking Riley while she was out jogging on the morning of February 22. Riley was found dead in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus in Athens later that day after his roommates called the police when he did not return. House. Three of Riley’s roommates testified Friday.

Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard will evaluate the evidence and decide whether Ibarra is guilty.

Ross told the judge Friday that prosecutors will show Ibarra’s DNA was found under Riley’s fingernails and his fingerprint was also found on her iPhone.

He said police also found a jacket in a dumpster near where Ibarra lived and was determined to have both Ibarra’s and Riley’s blood on it. Riley’s blood was also found on discarded black gloves near Ibarra’s home.

Ibarra’s defense attorneys said the evidence against him was circumstantial.

“The evidence that Jose Ibarra killed someone is circumstantial,” defense attorney Dustin Kirby said, adding that upon closer examination, “evidence linking Mr. Ibarra to that incident was missing.”

Kirby said there was not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ibarra was guilty of the crimes charged against him.

Police have previously said there was no indication the suspect knew the victim and that Ibarra did not have an extensive criminal history.