Attorneys representing Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus, on Tuesday formally requested a new trial for their client.
Ibarra was found guilty of all charges related to his murder of Riley by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard on November 20. The judge rendered his verdict after Ibarra waived his right to a trial by jury and instead allowed the judge to determine his fate at a bench trial.
Despite calls for the death penalty from conservatives and Riley’s family, Ibarra was ultimately convicted on three counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, one count of kidnapping with bodily injury, one count of aggravated assault with intent to rape, and one “peeping Tom” charge, which prosecutors used in order to argue the killer was “hunting for females.” Ibarra’s sentence does not include the possibility of early release.
His attorneys argued in a Tuesday legal filing that the bench trial was defective. Haggard rendered a verdict both “contrary to law” and “contrary to the evidence,” which was also rife with “other errors of law that necessitate a new trial.”
The legal filing asserts that Ibarra’s attorneys maintain “the right to amend and supplement” the filing “after a full and thorough review of the facts and circumstances” related to their client’s conviction.
No specifics of the trial’s alleged defects were specified in the legal filing, which his attorneys incorrectly dated November 2 despite being filed in December. Criminal defendants in Georgia are granted 30 days to request a new trial after a verdict is rendered, meaning the killer only had until December 20 to request a new trial.
Prosecutors revealed prior to the trial that Ibarra illegally entered the United States and was paroled into the country by the Biden-Harris administration through policies enacted by Secretary of State Alejandro Mayorkas.
At trial, jurors additionally heard that Ibarra initially lived in New York after being let into the country but was able to obtain a humanitarian flight that allowed him to travel to Georgia.
It was also revealed at trial that Ibarra is linked to Tren de Aragua, the violent Venezuelan prison gang. In a leaked internal document, authorities warned last month that Tren de Aragua has now established a presence in 16 U.S. states, including Georgia.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
