ATHENS, Ga. — The illegal Venezuelan immigrant charged with murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley went out “hunting for females” when he preyed upon the 22-year-old jogger — who “fought for her life” as he beat and choked her to death, prosecutors said Friday.
Opening statements got underway in the highly anticipated bench trial against Jose Ibarra, the Tren de Aragua-linked migrant accused of killing Riley on Feb. 22 in what cops have called a crime of opportunity in Athens.
“He went hunting for females on the University of Georgia campus and on his hunt he encountered 22-year-old Laken Riley on her morning jog,” said prosecutor Sheila Ross, with Riley’s family in the gallery. “When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly.
“The evidence will show that Laken fought. She fought for her life, she fought for her dignity and in that fight, she caused this defendant to leave forensic evidence behind. She also marked her killer for the entire world to see.”
Ross alleged that Ibarra, 26, left behind his left thumbprint on Riley’s iPhone, and DNA under her fingernails.
He sat in court listening placidly while the trial is translated for him through headphones.
Ibarra allegedly attacked the Augusta University nursing student with the plan to sexually assault her.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of malice murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and related crimes and faces up to life in prison without parole if convicted. He also faces one count of peeping at a University of Georgia staffer the same day as the killing.
Prosecutors have opted not to push for the death penalty in Ibarra’s case.
On Tuesday, Ibarra waived his right to a trial by 12 of his peers, instead opting to have the case decided by Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.
Ibarra’s defense team lost a bid earlier this month to delay the trial and to bar evidence including DNA, fingerprints and cellphone data on the grounds they were allegedly wrongfully collected by investigators and that the defense needed more time to review the case.
The case against Ibarra, whose family has connections to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, grabbed the national spotlight because Ibarra was released by immigration authorities after illegally entering the US through El Paso, Texas, because of a lack of space.
He was arrested in the Big Apple in August 2023 for illegally riding a gas-powered moped with a 5-year-old on the back without a helmet or seatbelt but was again released.
Ibarra then fled to Georgia to join his brother, Diego, one of his family members with ties to the dangerous gang, where he lives.
The brothers were arrested in Georgia for allegedly stealing from a Walmart in September 2023.
Riley’s body was found near her apartment after her friend alerted authorities that she’d failed to return home from her morning jog. Cops say Ibarra’s attack on Riley appeared to be a random crime of opportunity.
He was arrested a day later and has been jailed without bail since.
Prosecutors plan to present at trial a slew of evidence tying Ibarra to the crime, including fingerprints taken off of Riley’s phone and DNA evidence taken from her fingernails.
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