Jose Ibarra, the man accused of fatally attacking Augusta University student Laken Riley during her morning jog in February, appeared in court on Monday for the second day of his trial.
Ibarra, wearing a striped shirt and black pants, was escorted into the courtroom at the Athens-Clarke County courthouse by security guards. His wrists were bound in handcuffs as he entered the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard around 7:15 a.m.
According to prosecutors, Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan immigrant living illegally in the U.S., attacked 22-year-old nursing student Riley as she jogged along trails near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on the morning of February 22.
Ibarra faces a total of 10 charges, including malice murder, felony murder (three counts), kidnapping, attempted rape, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and being a “peeping Tom.” He has pleaded not guilty to all of these charges.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross, in her opening statement on Friday, stated: “On Feb. 22, Jose Ibarra put on a black hat, a hoodie-style jacket, and some black kitchen-style disposable gloves, and he went hunting for females on the University of Georgia campus.” She went on to say that Ibarra encountered Riley during her usual morning jog and attacked her.
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her head in with a rock repeatedly,” Ross continued. “…The evidence will show that Laken fought. She fought for her life. She fought for her dignity. And in that fight, she caused this defendant to leave evidence behind. She also marked her killer for the entire world to see. The forensic evidence that he left behind in this fight is his DNA, and only his DNA.”
Investigators discovered that Riley, using her Garmin watch and iPhone, made a 911 call at 9:11 a.m. just minutes after starting her run at 9:03. Her fight for survival lasted for 17 minutes before her heart stopped at 9:28 a.m.
Ibarra and his brothers, who also entered the U.S. illegally from Venezuela, lived in an apartment less than half a mile from the park where Riley was running.
During Monday’s court proceedings, defense attorney Dustin Kirby argued that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ibarra killed Riley. He claimed that the prosecution would need to rely on “gymnastics” to link Ibarra to the murder based on what he called “circumstantial evidence.”
Kirby stated on Monday, “If that happens and the presumption of innocence is respected, there should not be enough evidence to convince you beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Ibarra is guilty of the crimes charged.”
The first witness on Monday, UGA PD Sgt. Joshua Epps, testified about his visit to Ibarra’s apartment in Athens on February 23, where he lived with his two brothers and other roommates. Sgt. Epps described how Ibarra’s brothers, Diego and Argenis Ibarra, were detained and questioned that morning around 8:30 a.m. with the assistance of Spanish-speaking officers. Bodycam footage of the interaction was shown in court.
The questioning began with Diego Ibarra, who was wearing a black Adidas hat, similar to the one seen in security footage of a suspicious individual on the day of Riley’s murder. This footage, shown in court on Friday, showed the individual discarding an item in a dumpster near the crime scene. Authorities had recovered a dark jacket with long, brown hair entangled in its buttons from the area.
Sgt. Epps mentioned that Diego’s Adidas hat had dirt on it when he wore it on February 23. Diego also presented a false ID with two different birthdates.
During the questioning of Diego, Argenis was seen leaving the apartment carrying a five-gallon white garbage bag, prompting officers to seek a search warrant for the apartment.
“Well, based on the fact that he was wearing that hat, the time frame that … [UGA PD Sgt.] Tim Johnson encountered him was within 24 hours of the murder,” Sgt. Epps explained. “He was walking back towards the general direction of campus, which was concerning as well.”
Later in the bodycam footage, officers entered the apartment and found Jose Ibarra sleeping near the entrance. Upon identifying themselves and saying “hola” to wake him up, the officers began questioning him. They also asked to examine his body for any signs of injury.
Sgt. Epps testified, “I noticed on his right arm — his bicep — there was a scratch, which I identified as a potential defensive line. On his left arm, he had a forearm scratch that was very similar, which in my mind, looked like fingernail scratches to me. While he was sitting there speaking to us. I also noticed on his left wrist just below the palm, he had a puncture, maybe half an inch wide. … I could see, like, wet flesh … almost like it was fresh. It wasn’t very old.”
UGA PD Cpl. Rafael Sayan, who speaks Spanish, testified on Wednesday, describing his observation of a red mark on Jose’s head, which Jose claimed was from a hat he had worn. When questioned about the hat, Jose pointed to Diego, suggesting it was similar to the one Diego had worn.
Diego and Argenis, however, did not show any visible injuries during the police inspection that day.
GBI Special Agent Annie Moorman testified about a search of the Ibarra brothers’ apartment on February 23, during which investigators discovered three black plastic gloves in the kitchen drawer. Moorman said these gloves resembled those found earlier that day in a bush near a dumpster, where officers had previously recovered the black jacket with the long hair.
Rosbeli Flores-Bello, a former roommate of the Ibarra brothers, took the stand and explained how she had met Jose in Queens, New York, in 2023, before moving with him to Athens. She identified Jose from security footage as the suspicious individual seen throwing an item into the dumpster.
FBI analyst Abeisis Ramirez testified about a phone call between Jose and his wife Layling Ibarra, played aloud in court. During the conversation, Layling questioned Jose about Riley’s murder, asking, “She said that she thinks it’s crazy that they don’t have anyone else’s DNA. They only have his. And she says she doesn’t understand how someone can see someone dying and not calling 911,” Ramirez translated.
The 16th witness for the prosecution, UGA PD Officer Wesley Durkit, testified about Riley’s final moments based on her phone data. Durkit explained that Riley initiated an SOS call shortly before stopping her run at 9:10:44 a.m., and the 911 call went out six seconds later at 9:11:06 a.m. Riley’s mother broke down in tears as the events leading to her daughter’s death were described in court.
The prosecution’s 17th witness, a UGA graduate student, testified about an incident related to the “peeping Tom” charge against Ibarra. The student described hearing sounds outside her door while she was showering and later saw a man matching Ibarra’s description looking into her apartment window. The man was wearing black clothing and gloves.
The court had already heard testimony from nine witnesses on Friday, including Riley’s roommates and law enforcement officers. Evidence presented included screenshots from the Find My Friends app, Riley’s AirPods, police bodycam footage, and security footage of a suspicious individual near the crime scene.
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark had previously referred to Riley’s murder as a “crime of opportunity.”
Ibarra entered the United States illegally in September 2022 through El Paso, Texas, and was later released into the U.S. under parole, according to sources from ICE and DHS.
Diego Ibarra, who briefly worked at a UGA cafeteria before his arrest, is facing charges of green card fraud and is allegedly linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The defense subpoenaed Diego and Argenis Ibarra to testify on Wednesday during Jose’s trial. ICE had previously confirmed that Jose was arrested in August 2023 for charges related to child endangerment and a motor vehicle violation.
{Matzav.com}