The high-profile trial of Jose Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant accused of murdering Georgia college student Laken Riley. got underway Friday in Athens, Ga. File Photo by St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office/Wikimedia Commons
A bench trial for slain college student Laken Riley, allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant, got underway in Athens, Ga., Friday with the playing of a graphic video depicting when her body was discovered.
Riley, 22, a student at Augusta University, was killed in February. Her body was found in a wooded area of the nearby University of Georgia campus in Athens. Advertisement
Jose Ibarra, a native of Venezuela who entered the country illegally, has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts including malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injuries, and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
The accusations against Ibarra became highly politicized during this year’s presidential campaign as President-elect Donald Trump highlighted the case in attacking President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern U.S. border, while Democrats accused Trump of exploiting a tragedy for political gain.
Riley’s killing also spawned several new state laws cracking down on illegal immigration, including a measure in Georgia requiring local sheriffs to verify the immigration status of anyone over age 18 who has been arrested, detained or even suspected of committing a crime. Advertisement
On Friday, prosecutors presented their first pieces of evidence against Ibarra, including dramatic video footage taken from the bodycam of the officer who discovered Riley’s body near an on-campus hiking trail, Sgt. Kenneth Maxwell of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
Amid audible gasps and cries coming from courtroom attendees, the video showed Maxwell administering CPR to the student’s body and calling for University of Georgia campus police to establish a perimeter around the crime scene.
Prosecutors also played audio of a 911 emergency call placed by Riley around the time she was slain, as well as another from a female UGA student related to accusations that Ibarra also attempted to break into a student housing complex prior to the killing.
During their opening statements, prosecutors outlined the timetable of Riley’s death.
They said her roommates went out looking for her after she didn’t return home from jogging and, after finding her AirPods on the trail, called police and reported her missing.
Police used “pings” from Riley’s cellphone to find her body under a tree covered up with leaves, about 65 feet away from a running trail in the woods. Nearby were rocks covered with her blood. Her phone was then found, allegedly marked with Ibarra’s left thumbprint. Advertisement
The victim’s Apple Watch showed she made a 911 call after stopping her run, and while Riley’s voice is not heard on the audio, experts said enhancements revealed a man’s voice is audible on the digital recording.
