Trial begins for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley
A prosecutor says the man on trial in the killing of nursing student Laken Riley “went hunting for females” on the University of Georgia campus that February day
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A Venezuelan man "went hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus” earlier this year and ended up killing nursing student Laken Riley after a struggle, a prosecutor said Friday. A defense attorney said the evidence is circumstantial and doesn't prove his client is guilty.
Jose Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley's February killing, which helped fan the immigration debate during this year's presidential campaign. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, meaning his case is being will be heard and decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge that Ibarra encountered Riley, a 22-year-old student at Augusta University College of Nursing, while she was out running on Feb. 22.
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly,” Ross said, adding that the evidence will show that Riley “fought for her life, for her dignity.”
