The illegal immigrant accused of killing 22-year-old Laken Riley has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges, including murder and kidnapping, and prosecutors have said they will not seek the death penalty.
On Friday, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Pleaded He was acquitted of 10 charges related to the murder of Laken Riley, whose brutally beaten body was found on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus on February 22.
The district attorney for the Western Judicial District is not seeking the death penalty against Ibarra, instead seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ibarra was indicted on May 8 on charges of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, interfering with a 911 call and tampering with evidence.
Supporters of former US President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump hold up a photo of Laken Riley as she speaks during a “Get Out To The Vote” rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)
Prosecutors allege that Ibarra abducted Riley while she was out for a morning jog on Feb. 22, preventing her from calling 911. He then allegedly attempted to rape her, before brutally strangling and beating her until she died.
Riley’s body was discovered the same day in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus.
Prosecutors say that on the day Ibarra allegedly killed Riley, he was spying on another University of Georgia student from the student’s apartment window.
Riley’s killing sparked nationwide outrage over the unchecked flow of illegal immigrants into the United States under President Joe Biden’s administration.
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As reported by Breitbart News, case records show Ibarra was first encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on September 8, 2022. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials cited “capacity” as the reason Ibarra was granted parole and released to U.S. soil, despite there being space available.
On July 19, 2023, Ibarra appeared before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York City, scheduled a biometric appointment and had his fingerprints taken. The fingerprints revealed that Ibarra had a criminal history, case records state.
On September 14, 2023, Ibarra was arrested for engaging in conduct likely to injure a child. Despite the charges, Ibarra was not indicted and his arrest record was expunged.
Two months later, in November 2023, Ibarra applied for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On December 9, 2023, Ibarra’s work authorization application was approved.
Less than three months after receiving his work permit, Ibarra was charged with Riley’s murder. Ibarra remains incarcerated without bail in Clark County Jail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. here.
