GA v. Jose Ibarra: The Murder of Laken Riley (2024)

ATHENS, Ga. (Court TV) — The man accused of murdering Laken Riley has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted at trial.

Jose Ibarra, 26, was convicted of all charges for the death of 22-year-old Riley. The nursing student was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in February. Ibarra requested a bench trial, meaning a judge decided his fate.

Ibarra was found guilty of 10 charges: malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.

At trial, the judge heard testimony that Ibarra attempted to rape Riley, “asphyxiate her” and “seriously disfigured her head by striking her head multiple times with a rock.” Ibarra also disposed of his jacket and gloves to conceal the crime, according to testimony.

Separate from Riley’s murder, Ibarra was also convicted of spying on a woman at an apartment at the UGA Village Housing complex the day Riley was killed.

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 4 – 11/20/24

• Both sides deliver closing arguments.
  • WATCH: The Murder of Laken Riley | Prosecution Closing Arguments
  • WATCH: The Murder of Laken Riley | Defense Closing Arguments
• Judge H. Patrick Haggard finds Ibarra guilty of charges.
  • WATCH: Jose Ibarra Guilty of All Charges in Murder of Laken Riley
• Ibarra is given the maximum sentence on each count:
  • Count 1 (Malice Murder) – Life without the possibility of parole
  • Count 2 (Felony Murder) – Vacated as a matter of law
  • Count 3 (Felony Murder) – Vacated as a matter of law
  • Count 4 (Felony Murder) – Vacated as a matter of law
  • Count 5 (Kidnapping with Bodily Injury) – Life in prison, consecutive to count 1
  • Count 6 (Aggravated Assault with Intent to Rape) – 20 years to serve, consecutive to count 5
  • Count 7 (Aggravated Battery) – Merges with count 1
  • Count 8 (Obstruction or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call) – 12 months, consecutive to all the other time
  • Count 9 (Tampering with Evidence) – 12 months, consecutive to all the other time
  • Count 10 (peeping Tom) – 5 years, consecutive to count 6.

DAY 3 – 11/19/24

• Prosecutors rested their case Tuesday.
  • WATCH: State Rests Its Case-In-Chief in the Murder of Laken Riley Trial
• Crime lab scientist Ashley Hinkle said that the DNA from a blue jacket and found under Laken Riley’s fingernails matched Jose Ibarra.
  • WATCH: Laken Riley and Jose Ibarra’s DNA Found on Jacket
• Dr. Michelle DiMarco said that a portion of Laken Riley’s skull had broken and noted lacerations and contusions to her body.
  • WATCH: Medical Examiner: Laken Riley Suffered Blunt Force Trauma, Asphyxia

DAY 2 – 11/18/24

• Bodycam video is played in court that shows police officers questioning Jose Ibarra about scratches on his body.
  • WATCH: Officer: Jose Ibarra Would Not Give Clear Answers For Wounds
  • WATCH: Arrest Video Shown of Laken Riley’s Alleged Killer
• Data collected from Riley’s iPhone showed her heart rate reached reached 170 bpm, slowed, came to a dramatic stop, hit zero, then spiked, indicating she underwent CPR.
  • WATCH: What Laken Riley’s iPhone and Smartwatch Reveal About Her Last Moments

DAY 1 – 11/15/24

• Special Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge Laken Riley “fought for her life” and “her dignity” when Jose Ibarra attempted to rape her. Defense attorney Dustin Kirby said the evidence against Ibarra is circumstantial.
  • WATCH: Prosecutor: Laken Riley ‘Fought For Her Life, For Her Dignity’
• Laken Riley’s roommates each took the stand to testify.
  • Lilly Steiner described growing concerned about the victim and using the ‘Find My Friends’ app to find her phone. Steiner became emotional on the stand when her 911 call was played.
    • WATCH: ‘I Had My Own Concerns’: Laken Riley’s Roommate Testifies
  • Sofia Magana said that she took her dog on a walk toward the location where the ‘Find My Friends’ app showed Riley’s last location.
    • While on the trail, Magana found a single white AirPod on the ground, which she said she identified as Riley’s because of noticeable earwax on it.
    • WATCH: Laken Riley’s Roommate Describes Finding AirPod
  • Connolly Huth described Riley as an avid runner who was good with both speed and distance. Her testimony focused on the victim’s tendency to wear form-fitting running tights above her navel.
• Kenneth McGreevy, a training coordinator for the Athens-Clarke County 911 center, testified to a 911 call from Riley’s phone on Feb. 22, 2024.
  • The enhanced audio featured noises in the background, but no voices. The call was ended by the caller’s phone, and when dispatchers attempted to call back they got no answer.
• University of Georgia Police Sgt. Kenneth Maxwell took the stand and described finding Laken Riley’s body using the screenshots of where the victim’s roommates had tracked her phone. Her body was found at least 50 feet away from the trail.
  • Maxwell said that the victim had clear trauma to her head and was stiff when he found her. He said it appeared her shirt had been pushed up above her breasts. The waistband of her pants was below her navel and her underwear was bunched above it.
    • WATCH: UGA Police Officer Testifies to Finding Laken Riley’s Body

• Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Daniella Stuart, a crime scene specialist, spoke to bloody rocks and a bloody tree cutting that were taken from the scene as evidence. The judge was also shown the clothes that were cut off of Riley’s body.
  • Stuart said after approximately five hours, they found Riley’s phone, which had a fingerprint ridge detail on it.
  • Photos of Jose Ibarra after he was taken into custody on Feb. 23, 2024, show that he had injuries to his hands and scratches to his neck and upper body.
    • WATCH: Bloody Tree Cutting, Cut Clothing Entered into Evidence
• Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Zachary Davis described taking part in the search for evidence after Riley’s body was found. Bodyworn camera video showed Davis retrieving a jacket with blood on it from a dumpster.
• University of Georgia Police Lt. Daniel Saunders testified that he recovered a white styrofoam cup off the main road with liquid inside that smelled like alcohol.