Trial continues in death of Georgia student Laken Riley

ATHENS, GA. — Prosecutors finished calling witnesses on Tuesday Trial of man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Rileyand began to present his defense defense but soon encountered obstacles.

Jose Ibarra, 26, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s death in February. He waived his right to a jury trial; That means the case will be decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard alone.

The Feb. 22 murder on the University of Georgia campus sparked a national debate over immigration, with federal authorities saying 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 60 miles east of Atlanta.

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.

Defense attorneys planned to call Ibarra’s brother, Diego, to testify. Throughout the trial, prosecution witnesses asked questions intended to cast doubt on Ibarra’s guilt by suggesting that his brother could not be excluded as a suspect.

Diego Ibarra pleaded guilty in July to federal charges of possessing a fraudulent green card and remains in federal immigration detention awaiting sentencing. Dressed in an orange prison gown, his wrists and ankles shackled, he walked into the courtroom and took the stand Tuesday afternoon.

But then one of Ibarra’s defense attorneys, John Donnelly, told the judge that he learned Diego Ibarra had found a new attorney for his immigration case. He said he spoke on the phone with the lawyer, who was two hours away, and would advise his client not to testify.

Donnelly said he may call another immigration detainee who can testify about statements Diego Ibarra made while in custody. But the judge said this could lead to rumors. Since it was already late in the day, he decided to let the lawyers handle things overnight and continue the hearing on Wednesday morning.

Early Tuesday, University of Georgia police Sgt. Examining data on Riley’s phone, Sophie Raboud examined a timeline of activity on Riley’s phone the morning of his death and read text messages aloud.

Riley called her mother at 9:03 that morning, and when her mother called again about 20 minutes later, the student had encountered Jose Ibarra on a jogging trail in the woods, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Ibarra killed Riley after a struggle, and data from Riley’s smartwatch showed his heart stopped beating at 9:28 a.m.

When Riley couldn’t answer the phone, her mother, Allyson Phillips, texted her repeatedly, at first casually but later with increasing concern, according to data obtained from Riley’s phone.

After more calls went unanswered, she texted her daughter again at 9:58 a.m.: “Not answering while running makes me nervous. Are you okay?” Phillips texted again at 11:47 a.m., writing: “Please call me. I’m so worried about you.” He and other family members continued to search for Riley.

Raboud also testified about video from security cameras near the trail, and Phillips and other family members and friends cried as video played showing Riley running on the trail in his final moments.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross said in her opening statement that Ibarra went “on a woman hunt” that morning in February and killed Riley after a struggle because she “refused to be a rape victim.” Law enforcement officials testified that there was no evidence that Riley was sexually assaulted.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner 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 bureau expert testified that Riley’s DNA was found on two rocks at the scene.

DNA expert Ashley Hinkle also testified that police found a blood-stained blue jacket from a trash can at Ibarra’s apartment complex that tested positive for Riley’s DNA and that also had Ibarra’s DNA on it. Ibarra’s DNA was also found under the fingernails of Riley’s right hand.

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.

Defense attorneys called three more witnesses before trying to put Diego Ibarra on the stand. One was a woman who lived next door to Ibarras. Stephanie Slaton testified that on the evening of the day Riley was killed, Diego Ibarra asked her what was going on because there were a lot of police around.

Slaton testified that he told her that someone had been killed nearby and asked her to tell the police everything she knew. He said he spoke to a translation app on his phone and showed her the screen: “If you tell them, I’ll tell them you did this, and then I’ll kill you too.”

But under questioning by Ross, Slaton said Diego Ibarra never told him that he or his brother killed Riley. She also admitted that she had been drinking that day, had an intimate relationship with Diego Ibarra, and was angry at him because she thought he was having an affair with another woman.

A police officer called to testify by the defense said he found a pile of discarded clothing near Ibarras’ apartment complex the day after the murder, but that it appeared to have been there for some time. The defense also called a man who was outside the day Riley was killed and saw a suspicious man, but said he was taller and thinner than Jose Ibarra.

Brumback writes for the Associated Press.