Current:Home > StocksA man charged in the killing of a Georgia nursing student faces hearing as trial looms -TrueNorth Finance Path
A man charged in the killing of a Georgia nursing student faces hearing as trial looms
View
Date:2025-04-14 16:30:44
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The man accused of killing a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus is due in court Friday for a motions hearing ahead of his scheduled trial next month.
Jose Ibarra is charged with murder and other crimes in the February killing of Laken Hope Riley. A 10-count indictment accuses Ibarra of hitting the 22-year-old Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, asphyxiating her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to sexually assault her. Ibarra pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard said during a hearing in August that he plans to begin jury selection on Nov. 13 and proceed with the trial the following week.
Riley’s killing became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration because Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
Riley’s body was found on Feb. 22 near running trails after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run. Police have said her killing appeared to be a random attack. Ibarra was arrested the next day and continues to be held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.
The indictment charges Ibarra with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.
The indictment says that on the day of Riley’s killing, Ibarra peered into the window of an apartment in a university housing building, which is the basis for the peeping Tom charge.
The judge is set to hear arguments on four motions Friday. Those include a motion by Ibarra’s attorneys to move the trial from Athens because of pretrial publicity and an attempt to have the peeping Tom charge tried separately because it involves a different alleged victim. His attorneys also are seeking to exclude some evidence and expert testimony.
The nation’s broken immigration system has emerged as a major campaign issue after an unprecedented migration surge strained budgets in cities including New York, Chicago and Denver. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has dialed up his anti-immigrant rhetoric by suggesting migrants are committing crimes more often than U.S. citizens even though the evidence does not back up those claims.
In late September, Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris walked a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and called for further tightening of asylum restrictions as she sought to project a tougher stance on illegal migration and address one of her biggest vulnerabilities in the November election. She balanced tough talk on policing the border with calls for a better way to welcome immigrants legally.
veryGood! (41349)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Barkley scores 3 TDs as Eagles beat Packers 34-29 in Brazil. Packers’ Love injured in final minute
- Just how rare is a rare-colored lobster? Scientists say answer could be under the shell
- Evacuations ordered as wildfire burns in foothills of national forest east of LA
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian musician who helped popularize bossa nova, dies at 83
- You can get a free Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut on Saturday. Here's how.
- Talks between Boeing and its biggest union are coming down to the wire - and a possible strike
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Trouble brewing for Colorado, Utah? Bold predictions for Week 2 in college football
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Ella Travolta honors late mom Kelly Preston in new song, shares old home videos
- Dolphins' Tyreek Hill detained by police hours before season opener
- Go inside Kona Stories, a Hawaiian bookstore with an ocean view and three cats
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Which NFL teams could stumble out of the gate this season?
- Scams are in the air this election season: How to spot phony donations, fake news
- Shooting attack at the West Bank-Jordan border crossing kills 3 Israelis
Recommendation
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
Nicole Kidman Announces Death of Her Mom Janelle After Leaving Venice Film Festival
Dorm Room Essentials That Are Actually Hella Convenient for Anyone Living in a Small Space
2-year-old boy fatally stabbed by older brother in Chicago-area home, police say
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
After 26 years, a Border Patrol agent has a new role: helping migrants
‘The Room Next Door’ wins top prize at Venice Film Festival
Which NFL teams could stumble out of the gate this season?