ATHENS — Jose Ibarra was found guilty of murder Wednesday for the February killing of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus.
Superior Judge H. Patrick Haggard delivered the verdict just 15 minutes after closing arguments were completed.
Ibarra, 26, was convicted of felony murder, malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call and tampering with evidence. He was also found guilty of a Peeping Tom charge.
Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and opted instead for a bench trial.
The judge said he wrote down two things during closing arguments on Wednesday morning: a statement from the prosecution that “the evidence was overwhelming and powerful,” and a statement made by the defense that he “was required to set aside his emotions,” in making a decision.
“Both are true,” he said.
Riley’s violent death became a flashpoint in the national debate over illegal immigration. Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who authorities say entered the country illegally in 2022, was arrested the day after Riley’s death. The 22-year-old’s body was found just before 1 p.m. on Feb. 22 in a wooded area near the University of Georgia intramural fields. She had been asphyxiated and struck in the head several times with a rock, authorities said.
“Open border policies failed Laken Riley, and today’s verdict is a reminder that the safety of our communities must remain our number one priority,” Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a statement.
The prosecution and the defense delivered closing arguments Wednesday after three days of testimony.
Special prosecutor Sheila Ross spent 45 minutes painting Ibarra as a man on the prowl, “looking for victims, looking for females,” on Feb. 22 when Riley was killed. The physical evidence that Ross pointed to included Ibarra’s DNA under Riley’s right fingernails and a thumbprint on Riley’s phone that matched Ibarra. Ross also showed photos taken by police that documented scratches on Ibarra the day after 22-year-old Riley was killed.
Data, from Riley’s Garmin watch and Ibarra’s cellphone, proves they encountered each other on the running trails of the University of Georgia, said Ross. Her blood and hair were present on a jacket discarded by Ibarra, Ross argued.
“The three forms of evidence — physical, video and digital — twist this very powerful knot that this defendant can not get out of,” Ross said. “There is no way out for him.”
Defense attorney Kaitlyn Beck tried to poke holes in the state’s argument, questioning the reliability of the DNA evidence, asserting that cross contamination could have occurred and offering up Diego Ibarra, Jose Ibarra’s brother, as a suspect.
“While the evidence is voluminous, it is circumstantial,” Beck told the court before the ruling.
This story will be updated.
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