Attorneys for Jose Ibarra seek new trial in slaying of Laken Riley

Fletcher Page, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Dec 4, 2024

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ATHENS, Ga. — Less than two weeks after he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Laken Riley, Jose Ibarra’s defense is seeking a new trial.

In a motion filed this week in Athens Superior Court, attorneys John Donnelly and Kaitlyn Beck argue that the verdict is contrary to law and evidence and that the court “committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial.”

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was found dead Feb. 22 in a wooded area near the University of Georgia’s intramural fields after she went out for a morning jog.

Ibarra was found guilty on Nov. 20 after a bench trial in front of Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard. The judge found the 26-year-old Venezuelan guilty of felony murder, malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence. He was also convicted of a Peeping Tom charge.

Haggard came to his decision 15 minutes after closing arguments ended. Before that, he listened to three days of testimony during which the prosecution called more than 20 witnesses and entered more than 300 items into evidence. Physical evidence that special prosecutor Sheila Ross cited included Ibarra’s DNA under Riley’s right fingernails and a thumbprint on Riley’s phone that matched Ibarra. Ross also showed photos taken by police that documented scratches on Ibarra the day after 22-year-old Riley was killed.

The defense called just two witnesses. Beck tried to poke holes in the state’s argument, questioning the reliability of the DNA evidence, asserting that cross contamination could have occurred and offering up Diego Ibarra, Jose Ibarra’s brother, as a suspect.

Attorneys for Ibarra did not share new evidence in Monday’s court filing to support their request for a new trial.

The violent death of Riley became a flashpoint in the national debate over illegal immigration. Authorities say Ibarra — arrested the day after the slaying — entered the country illegally in 2022. He lived in Athens with his two brothers, who also entered the U.S. without authorization.