Prosecutors say cellphone data and bloody jacket link Jose Ibarra to Laken Riley on day of murder
A former roommate of the man charged with murder in the death of Laken Riley — the Georgia nursing student whose killing set off a political firestorm over immigration — testified Monday that he is the man seen in a video throwing away a jacket that prosecutors say had Riley’s blood on it.
A former roommate of the man charged with murder in the death of Laken Riley — the Georgia nursing student whose killing set off a political firestorm over immigration — testified Monday that he is the man seen in a video throwing away a jacket that prosecutors say had Riley’s blood on it.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, is accused of killing Riley, 22, on the morning of Feb. 22 while she was out for a jog near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. He is charged with three counts of felony murder, malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape and “peeping Tom.” Ibarra, whose trial began Friday, has waived his right to a jury trial, meaning a judge will determine his fate. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted.
Riley’s death became a talking point for stricter immigration policies for Republicans, including Donald Trump, after it was determined that Ibarra was a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.
Laken Riley.Courtesy Riley familyProsecutors have said a variety of forensic, digital and video evidence presented during the trial will point to Ibarra as Riley’s killer.
The evidence includes a jacket police found in a dumpster near where Ibarra lived, which prosecutors say had both Ibarra’s and Riley’s blood on it.
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