Laken Riley: Migrant accused of killing nursing student stands trial

The trial of an undocumented immigrant accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley – whose name became a rallying cry in the border security debate during the US election – has begun in the US state of Georgia.

During opening statements, prosecutors said they had digital, forensic and video evidence to prove Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan, killed the 22-year-old university student.

Mr Ibarra “went hunting for females” and – when Ms Riley fought back – “he bashed her skull in with a rock”, the lead prosecutor alleged.

The defence team argued that the evidence linking Mr Ibarra to Ms Riley’s death was “circumstantial”.

Ms Riley – a nursing student in the city of Athens, north-east Georgia – was found dead in a wooded area of the University of Georgia (UGA) campus after she did not return from her morning run on 22 February this year.

Mr Ibarra was arrested the next day. He faces 10 criminal charges, including felony murder, aggravated assault and other alleged crimes.

He has waived his right to a jury trial, which means his case is being heard and decided by a county judge, H Patrick Haggard.

Court records show that prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without parole.

As the trial opened on Friday in an Athens courtroom, lead prosecutor Sheila Ross said data from Ms Riley’s smartwatch showed she had “fought for her life, fought for her dignity” only minutes after departing on her run.

The victim’s struggle was “fierce”, the prosecutor said. Ms Riley called police at 09:11 that morning and her heart stopped at 09:28, with no more movement from her device, the court heard.

The prosecution also shared video evidence, including security camera footage that allegedly showed Mr Ibarra throwing away bloodied clothes and gloves into bins – which were emptied before police could search them.

Ms Ross said her team would present further proof that would link Mr Ibarra to the murder.

She said they had found Mr Ibarra’s DNA under one of Ms Riley’s fingernails and his thumbprint on her mobile phone.

Ibarra’s defence attorney, Dustin Kirby, conceded during his opening statement that “the evidence in this case is very good that Laken Riley was murdered”.

But he said proof connecting his client to Ms Riley’s death was “lacking”. He argued that it did not convince beyond a reasonable doubt – the evidence threshold required to find Mr Ibarra guilty.

Judge Haggard also heard from two witnesses: police Sgt Kenneth Maxwell, who discovered the body, and Ms Riley’s roommate – Lily Steiner.

Prosecutors played Mr Maxwell’s body-camera footage, which graphically showed his attempts at resuscitating the young woman.

Ms Steiner, 22, testified that she, Ms Riley and their other roommates shared their locations with one another via a mobile app.

The roommates went looking for Ms Riley when she had “been in the woods a while”, but only found one of her headphones. They called police.

Ms Riley’s death and Mr Ibarra’s criminal and immigration history became a central topic in the immigration debate that defined the 2024 presidential election.

In March, President Joe Biden. a Democrat, was heckled over Ms Riley’s murder during his State of the Union address.

Republican lawmakers blamed the Biden-Harris administration for Ms Riley’s death. They said it was the fault of the White House that Mr Ibarra, who entered the US unlawfully in 2022, was able to remain in the country despite his criminal record.

In the race for the White House, President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, invoked Ms Riley’s name on the campaign trail.

A National Institute of Justice study suggests that undocumented migrants in the US are arrested for violent and drug crimes at less than half the rate of native-born citizens.