Laken Riley murder trial updates: Court ends for the day; Suspect Jose Ibarra’s brother expected to testify Wednesday
Jose Ibarra could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted in the February killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley
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Laken Riley’s accused killerJose Ibarra will not testify in his own defense as his murder trial begans to wind down after just three days of testimony.
Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan native who entered the US illegally, is charged with murder in the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was found dead on the Athens campus running trails in February.
The state rested its case on Tuesday afternoon after presenting 29 witnesses. Two witnesses for the defense took the stand and two more are expected tomorrow, including Ibarra’s brother, Diego.
Prosecutors say that on February 22, Ibarra hit Riley in the head with a rock while he was out “hunting for females” on campus. Dr. Michelle DiMarco, a GBI medical examiner who conducted the autopsy, testified that Riley’s injuries “could be consistent with a rock.”
A GBI specialist testified Riley’s DNA was found on two rocks at the scene. Riley’s DNA and Ibarra’s DNA were both found on a jacket that was retrieved from a dumster at Ibarra’s apartment comlex.
The murder case became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration during this year’s presidential campaign.
What we know about Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man on trial for murdering a Georgia student Laken Riley
As her alleged killer goes on trial, how Laken Riley’s brutal murder became a bitterly divisive political issue- Everything we know about the Laken Riley case as murder trial under way
Laken Riley ‘fought for her life’ against killer who was ‘hunting for females’ on day of murder, trial hears
Jose Ibarra’s roommate takes the stand
Jose Ibarra’s roommate Rosbeli Elisber Flores-Bello is now testifying on the stand in his murder case.
She shared an apartment with Jose Ibarra and his brothers in Athens, Georgia at the time of the murder.
She recalled identifyingIbarra in surveillance video to officers when she was questioned on February 23.
Jose Ibarra had no reaction when told about murder, suspect’s roommate says
Ibarra’s roommate said he had no reaction when he was told about the murder that happened not far from their home.
Flores-Bello told the court that she heard about Laken Riley’s murder from a neighbor on February 22, the day of the killing.
She told Ibarra’s brother Argenis Ibarra about the news and it was shared with the other brothers, but no one reacted to it, she said.
When asked about the surveillance video of Ibarra, she admitted that she thought it was strange that he was throwing away his jacket.
Laken Riley’s mom sobs as photos of ‘fingernail scratches’ are shown in court
Laken Riley’s mom Allyson Phillips sobbed in court on Monday as photos were shown of what appeared to be fingernail scratches on the suspect’s arms.
Video footage showed the moment officers confronted him about the scratches on his arms, but Ibarra did not have an explanation, Cpl. Rafael Sayan testified.
“First he says, ‘I don’t have anything there … there’s nothing there,’” Sayan said over the video. “Then he starts pointing at it again, saying that, ‘Oh, it’s just a scratch.’”
Who is Jose Ibarra?
Jose Ibarra, who is from Venezuela and is not a US citizen, has no known connection to Laken Riley and no known violent criminal history. Instead, investigators described Riley’s violent death as a “crime of opportunity.”
Ibarra’s status as a non-US citizen sparked conflicting reports from law enforcement agencies about his criminal past on American soil – and during an election year spurred Republican lawmakers to seize on the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the hour to push offensive theories about migrants online.
President Joe Biden also sparked a backlash among some Democrats after referring to him as “an illegal” during his fiery State of the Union speech this year.
Now, Ibarra is on trial for murder.
Here’s what we know about Jose Antonio Ibarra:
Here’s what we know about the suspect in Laken Riley’s murder
Shortly after his arrest, federal immigration officials said Jose Ibarra illegally entered the US in 2022 – a revelation that turned the case into a political football
Court on lunch break
Court is on a lunch break and will resume att 1:30 ET.
FBI agent testifies about what was found on suspect’s phone
FBI special agent Jamie Hipkiss testified Monday that there were selfies on Jose Ibarra’s phone that showed him wearing the same clothes as the suspect.
Ibarra was wearing a white-and-black shirt, black Adidas hat and navy blue jacket, according to Hipkiss.
He said the clothes are “consistent with” the suspect who was seen on video tossing out the jacket in a dumpster. The jacket was collected by investigators and was later determined to contain DNA from both Ibarra and Laken Riley.
“We see him removing the navy blue jacket and stuffing it into the recycling bin in his apartment complex, he appears to be wearing that exact same shirt there,” Hipkiss said on the stand.
His testimony will resume after the lunch break.
Ibarra’s brothers subpoenaed to testify
Ibarra’s brothers have been subpoenaed to testify, according to a court filing Monday.
Jose Ibarra’s brothers, Diego and Argenis, lived in the same apartment. They face federal charges for allegedly having false immigration documents.
It’s not clear when they will take the stand.
Ibarra’s wife asks ‘What happened with the girl’ in jail phone call
In a recorded jail phone call played in court on Monday, Jose Ibarra’s wife, Layling Franco, urged him to tell the truth following his arrest for the brutal murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year.
FBI specialist Abeisis Ramirez testified about the call, providing a Spanish to English translation of the conversation.
“She continues to ask him: What happened with the girl?” Ramirez testified. “She tells him that he has to know something, and he just continues to tell her like, ‘Layling enough, Layling enough.’”
Ramirez said Layling then “said that she thinks it’s crazy that they don’t have anyone else’s DNA – they only have his. And she said she doesn’t understand how someone can see someone dying and not call 911.”
“I know you know something,” she added on the call.
Jose Ibarra took selfies in clothes matching clothes seen in a surveillance video
An image displayed in court shows Jose Ibarra who was seen wearing a hat that led the police to his arrest.
The selfies were found on Ibarra’s phone.
Ibarra’s roommate testified they took ‘humanitarian flight’ from NYC to Georgia
Jose Ibarra’s roommate Rosbeli Elisber Flores-Bello testified through an interpreter that she moved with him from New York City to Athens, Georgia, in September of 2023.
Flores-Bello was living in Queens when they met through his mother-in-law.
She said they moved to Georgia because Ibarra’s brother talked about the many work opportunities in Athens.
When asked by the state how they got to Athens, Flores-Bello said they requested a “humanitarian flight” in September.
“In Manhattan, at The Roosevelt Hotel, we asked for a humanitarian flight to come here to Atlanta, to come here to Manhattan,” she said.
The hotel was used as a temporary in-take center for migrants.