Suspect in Laken Riley slaying goes to trial Friday in Georgia

ATHENS, Georgia − The morning of Thursday, Feb. 22 was a typical one for a large college town. But a brutal attack sent shockwaves throughout the city and state.

Laken Hope Riley, a former University of Georgia student enrolled in an Athens-based nursing program run by Augusta College, went for a run on that cool and cloudy morning. The outing ended with her violent death on a campus intramural fields complex.

On Friday, the man charged with her murder will have a bench trial before a judge in Clarke County Superior Court. Bench trial verdicts are decided by a judge and not a jury.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, the 26-year-old suspect, requested the bench trial. Jury selection was just a day away when it was announced in court on Tuesday that Ibarra had waived his right to a jury trial and would submit himself the decision of Judge Patrick Haggard.

The charges against Ibarra are numerous. They include malice and felony murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, hindering a person making a 911 call and being a peeping tom.

Ibarra, who uses a translator to understand court proceedings and communicate with the court, is a Venezuelan citizen who came to the U.S. unlawfully. That fact added fuel to the debate over U.S. immigration policy, with both President Joe Biden and now President-Elect Donald Trump mentioning Ibarra’s immigration status in campaign speeches.

Western Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez filed a document on May 31 noting that her office would seek a sentence of life without parole and not pursue the death penalty.

In the bench trial, the judge is expected to hear the state’s evidence presented by special prosecutor Sheila Ross, who comes from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council in Atlanta. Ibarra’s case will be presented by his team of attorneys − Kaitlyn Beck, Dustin Kirby and John Donnelly.

What happened to Laken Riley?

After the 22-year-old nursing student left for a jog on campus, University of Georgia police reported that a friend became concerned when she didn’t return and called police.

Police found Riley unconscious, not breathing and with "visible injuries" shortly after 12 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the woods near Lake Herrick in Athens. Lifesaving measures were taken by police, but paramedics determined she was deceased at the scene.

Court documents and authorities revealed that Riley had suffered extreme injuries to her head after having been beaten with a blunt object. She died of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, according to the Athens-Clarke County coroner.

As the investigation progressed, University of Georgia police, Athens-Clarke County officials and others identified a possible suspect after a man was seen putting a jacket and latex gloves smeared with blood in a trash bin near an apartment complex.

The day after the slaying, an Athens-Clarke County police officer spotted a man wearing a baseball cap, matching the description of the unidentified suspect at the dumpster. That man was Jose Ibarra's 28-year-old brother. Police later tracked down Jose Ibarra, who was arrested after an officer reported seeing wounds on the suspect.

In the wake of Riley's death, the University of Georgia announced $7.3 million would be spent in safety upgrades on campus and the city of Athens announced $500,000 would be spent on security enhancements within the city.

Laken Riley's death sparks national debate on immigration

Riley's death shattered the local community and prompted intense debate on violent crimes and U.S. immigration policies. Georgia Republicans blamed President Joe Biden for the suspect's presence in the country while Democrats and Riley's father have decried the politicization of her death.

Gov. Brian Kemp and former President Donald Trump also both laid the blame on Biden, accusing him of "failed policies" that allowed violent crime to persist in the country. Their claims tied unlawful immigration to the increase of violent crimes, despite studies that have suggest native-born U.S. residents are more likely to be arrested for violent crimes than undocumented immigrants.

In an interview with NBC News in March, Riley's father — Jason Riley — said he feared his daughter's death was being exploited ahead of the November election.

"I feel like she’s being used somewhat politically ... It makes me angry," Jason Riley told NBC News. "She was much better than that. She should be raised up for the person that she is."

"I'd rather her not be such a political, how you say — it started a storm in our country," he added. "And it's incited a lot of people."

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Trial of suspected Laken Riley killer starts Friday