Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national accused of killing Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday ahead of his trial next week.
Ybarra, 26, is accused of attacking and killing Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, as she jogged along a busy sidewalk on UGA's campus on the morning of Feb. 22.
Ibarra and his brother also entered the country illegally from Venezuela and lived in an apartment on the edge of the park on campus where Riley ran. Ybarra is accused of killing the woman, an aspiring nurse, in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.”
In May, a Georgia grand jury indicted Ybarra on charges of malicious murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit rape, and two counts of aggravated assault with impediment or obstruction of a 911 call. Tampering with evidence and being a “peeping tom”.
Laken Riley murder suspect asks for certain evidence to be suppressed as trial date is set
Jose Ibarra will appear in court for a pretrial evidentiary hearing on Friday, November 1, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. Ybarra is charged in the death of University of Georgia student Laken Riley. (Robin Lane, Fox News Digital)
Tom's voyeurism charge stems from a separate incident on February 22, when the suspect allegedly went to the hospital. Residence on the UGA campus in Athens“peeped” through windows and “sniffed” on university staff, the indictment alleges.
Ybarra recently tried to have the “peeping tom” charge dropped from his case, but prosecutors argued the two cases were “inextricably intertwined” and an Athens-Clarke County judge decided against the final decision. The decision was made not to dismiss the charges.
Laken Riley Murder: Illegal Immigrant Suspect in Georgia College Student Killing Requests Certain Evidence Be Suppressed
Laken Riley poses for a photo to post on Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Alison Phillips/Facebook)
The judge also admitted DNA and cell phone evidence that Ybarra's defense wanted to suppress.
The 26-year-old suspect is scheduled to reappear in court for trial on November 18th. Jury selection for his trial is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, November 13th.
Jose Ibarra was arrested on February 23rd in connection with the February 22nd murder of Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia. (Clark County Sheriff's Office)
Ybarra entered the United States illegally. El Paso, Texas They will be released on parole to the United States in September 2022, ICE and DHS officials previously told Fox News.
His older brother, Diego Ibarra, is charged with green card fraud and has ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan gang known in the United States, according to federal court documents.
An overview of the area where Laken Riley's body was found near Herrick Lake on the University of Georgia campus on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Athens, Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra was charged with Riley's murder. (Mark Sims, Fox News Digital)
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Riley's death has been a frequent topic throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, as Republicans and Democrats debate the impact of record numbers of illegal immigrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border over the past four years.
Rachel Morin of Maryland, Joselyn Nangaray of Texas, Lizbeth Medina of Texas, Ruby Garcia of Michigan, and Maria Gonzalez of Texas are among the women allegedly killed by illegal immigrants in the past two years. It is us.
