ATHENS, Ga. — The gruesome 911 call that captured the gruesome end of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was played in court Friday, and his grieving mother burst into tears during the first day of opening statements.
Riley, 22, was running on the University of Georgia campus around 9:11 a.m. on February 22 when he activated the emergency function on his cell phone and called 911, prosecutor Sheila Ross said. said in Athens-Clarke County court.
Only the man's voice could be heard in the short, muffled audio played in court.
Those in the courtroom heard the operator repeatedly say, “Clark County 911. Hello, Clark County 911. Can anyone hear me?”
The call went off at 9:12 a.m., and the operator tried to call back, but there was no answer, Ross said.
Riley's mother, Alison Phillips, was seen crying during the 911 call.
Suspect Jose Ibarra sat expressionless during the phone call in court.
At the beginning of opening statements, prosecutors detailed how Riley fought for his life for an astonishing 18 minutes.
The state argued that Ybarra met Riley while “looking for a woman” on the picturesque Athens campus.
“When Laken Riley refused to become a rape victim, he repeatedly smashed her skull in with a rock,” Sheila Ross claimed.
“The evidence will show that Laken fought. She fought for her life, she fought for her dignity, and in that fight she forced this defendant to leave forensic evidence. She also committed I marked my killer for the world to see.”
One of Riley's friends alerted authorities that Riley had failed to return home from a run later that morning.
The nursing student's body was found in a wooded area off the running course just after noon on the 22nd.
When the Post first contacted the Athens-Clarke County Coroner the day after Riley was killed, the office said there was “evidence of foul play” at the scene and that Riley was violently murdered. He said it was obvious.
