Trial continues in death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia nursing student laken riley She texted and called her mother when she went for a run to see if she had time to talk — but then she didn’t respond to her mother’s calls or increasingly frantic text messages.

Riley called her mother at 9:03 a.m. on Feb. 22, and when her mother called again about 20 minutes later, the student had encountered Jose Ibarra on a wooded running track at the University of Georgia, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Ibarra killed Riley after a struggle and that Riley’s heart stopped beating at 9:28 a.m., according to data from Riley’s smartwatch.

According to data from Riley’s phone, when Riley couldn’t answer the phone, her mother, Allyson Phillips, texted her several times; Casual at first, but then with increasing anxiety.

At 9:37 a.m., her mother texted, “Call me when you can.” Phillips called twice, and when her calls went unanswered, she texted her daughter at 9:58 a.m.: “Not answering while I’m running makes me nervous. Phillips texted again at 11:47 a.m., saying, “Please call me. I’m so worried about you.” he said. He and other family members continued to search for Riley.

Phillips cried in court when the text messages were read aloud by Georgia police Sgt. Sophie Raboud examining the data on Riley’s phone. Raboud also testified about the video from security cameras near the wooded road, and Phillips and several other family members and friends cried as video was played showing Riley running on the road the morning of her death.

Ibarra, 26 years old is accused of murder and other crimes in Riley’s death in February were investigated, and his trial began Friday. HE waived his right to a jury trialThat means the case will be decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard alone.

The prosecution rested its case Tuesday afternoon after calling more than a dozen law enforcement officials, Riley’s roommate and a woman who lived in the same apartment as Ibarra to testify. The judge then asked Ibarra if he wanted to testify, and he said no.

Kill added fuel to the national debate There was a controversy over the immigration issue when federal officials said Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to remain in the country while his immigration case was pending. Riley, 22, was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Atlanta.

Surveillance video also showed a man who prosecutors said was Ibarra wandering around an apartment complex while a female graduate student said someone tried to break into her apartment earlier on the day Riley was killed and peered through the window. Raboud testified that the man went to the door of the apartment six times in a period of about an hour and opened the outer glass door twice.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lucas Breyer testified that he reviewed body camera video of the officer who found Riley’s body in the woods. She testified that her clothing had been “heavily altered,” stating that the waistband of her running tights had been pulled down slightly and her jacket, shirt and sports bra had been pulled up.

GBI medical doctor Dr. Michelle DiMarco performed an autopsy of Riley’s body and testified that Riley had injuries including abrasions, bruises and cuts to her head, neck, torso, abdomen, left hand and left leg. His injuries included eight cuts to his head, including one that fractured his skull, DiMarco said.

Prosecutors say Ibarra hit Riley in the head with a rock, while DiMarco said the injuries “may have been consistent with a rock.” A GBI expert testified that Riley’s DNA was found on two rocks at the scene. The DNA expert also said Riley’s DNA and Ibarra’s DNA were found on a jacket taken from a trash can at Ibarra’s apartment complex.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross In his opening speech he said: She said Ibarra went “on a woman hunt” that morning in February and killed Riley after a struggle in which she “refused to be a rape victim.” Law enforcement officials testified that there was no evidence that Riley was sexually assaulted.

Defense attorney Dustin Kirby said in his opening statement that Riley’s death was a tragedy and said the evidence in the case was striking and disturbing. But he said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove his client killed Riley.

Throughout the prosecution’s case, defense attorneys asked witnesses questions intended to create doubt, arguing that Ibarra’s brother, Diego, could not be excluded as a suspect.

Riley’s parents, roommates and other friends and family filled the courtroom Friday and Monday and Tuesday.