Trial begins for Laken Riley murder suspect: prosecutors are asking for life imprisonment
The young student from Georgia was murdered in February of this year and the investigation has Jose Antonio Ibarra as the main suspect, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant.
The defendant in Riley's crime waived his right to a jury/ Elijah Nouvalage.
The trial began for the crime of Laken Riley, a young nursing student in Georgia who was murdered in February of this year. The investigation points to José Antonio Ibarra as the main suspect, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant. The defendant waived his right to a jury, thus expediting the judicial process that began on the morning of Friday, November 15.
The charges against Ibarra are more than just a few and include three counts of felony murder and malicious murder, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault with intent to rape. This is why prosecutors in the case are asking for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The case will be decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.
The prosecutor in the case, Sheila Ross, assured that she will seek justice for Riley and her family. "When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he hit her skull with a rock repeatedly," she said, adding that the evidence shows the young woman "fought for her life, for her dignity."
For the defense attorney, Dustin Kirby, the facts are disturbing but he denies that the evidence against his client is compelling.
"In this case, the evidence that Laken Riley was murdered is very strong. The evidence that Jose Ibarra killed Laken Riley is circumstantial. The evidence that someone intended or certainly committed sexual assault is pure speculation," he said.
"She was an angel (...) She was only 22 years old. She had a lot of life left to give to the world. If everyone could live like Laken, the world would be a better place," said the victim's father, Jason Riley, weeks after the case became known.
Laken Riley's murder
Riley, 22, was murdered on Feb. 22, 2024, at the University of Georgia, where she was a nursing major. A few hours after she was reported missing, authorities found her body in Oconee Forest Park near the university. According to the coroner, she had trauma and signs of asphyxiation.
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