Jose Ibarra Archives

Man convicted of murder in killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — A Venezuelan man has been convicted of murder in the killing of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra was charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February death, and the guilty verdict was reached Wednesday by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard. Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial, meaning that Haggard alone heard and decided the case. The killing added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.… Continue Reading

Prosecution rests in trial over death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors have rested their case in the trial against the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s death in February. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning the case will decided by a judge alone. Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, testified Tuesday about how she texted and called her daughter with increasing concern after Riley didn’t call her back. Phillips cried while watching surveillance footage showing Riley running on the morning of her death. Defense attorneys have asked questions of witnesses that seem designed to create doubt by suggesting that Ibarra’s brother could not be excluded as a suspect.… Continue Reading

Testimony resumes in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Testimony is resuming in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. Jose Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February killing. The case became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration during this…… Continue Reading

Trial begins for the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — 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. Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge Tuesday at the outset of Jose Ibarra’s trial that the Venezuelan man encountered Riley while she was out for a run and killed her when “she refused to be his rape victim.” Her body was found on the campus. Ibarra’s attorney, Dustin Kirby, called the evidence in the case graphic and disturbing, but he said none of it proves that Ibarra killed Riley. Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally two years ago, and the case helped fan the immigration debate during this year’s presidential race.… Continue Reading