article

ATHENS, Ga. – Jose Ibarra, man Charged with murder of nursing student Laken Riley He is due in court Friday on the University of Georgia campus for a hearing on whether DNA evidence can be used in his upcoming trial.

Ibarra is accused murder and other crimes in the murder of Riley in February. A. 10 count indictment Ibarra allegedly hit the 22-year-old Augusta University School of Nursing student in the head, strangled her and stripped her of her clothes in an attempt to sexually assault her. Ibarra He did not admit his guilt to the accusations.

Prosecutors had previously released evidence against Ibarra, including fingerprints taken from Riley’s phone, DNA taken from her fingernails and video footage.

Ibarra’s defense argued that the DNA evidence was unreliable. I submitted a petition in October Trying to remove the information collected from the cheek swab from the evidence by claiming that it was collected by law enforcement without permission.

DNA evidence had to be disputed during the previous hearinghowever, laboratory results were not ready by that date.

Ibarra wants mobile phones thrown away

Riley’s body was found near Lake Herrick in February after he failed to return home after a morning run. Investigators were able to identify Ibarra as a potential suspect when they searched the apartment where his brother lived, he said.

During the search, Jose Ibarra’s two cell phones were seized but were not later searched until a search warrant was obtained. Ibarra was arrested that day on an outstanding warrant before being charged with Riley’s murder.

As with the DNA, Ibarra’s attorney wants to block these cellphones from being introduced as evidence. In a motion granted by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard on Oct. 28, the defense may seek to reopen evidence on a motion to block a previous order filed earlier in the month. The documents do not reveal what evidence would lead to the exclusion of either cellphone.

Ibarra murder case will remain in Athens

Supreme Court Justice H. Patrick Haggard in October denied the defense’s request to move the trial outside of Athens-Clarke County. The defense stated that extensive media coverage would make it difficult for Ibarra to receive a fair trial and that the jury pool could be inherently biased.

While the judge acknowledged that this was a high-profile case, he added that news of the case reached throughout Georgia and even made national news. He said widespread pre-trial publicity alone would not automatically justify a change of venue.

Under Georgia law, a change of venue is allowed only if the promotion is factually false, inflammatory, or creates a hostile environment. The judge ruled that the defendant did not present evidence showing that any of these conditions were met.

The judge added that the venue change would not affect the jurors’ ability to remain objective.

In addition to the DNA hearing, a pretrial motion hearing is also scheduled for Nov. 12. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on November 13. Ibarra’s trial is scheduled to begin with opening statements at 9 a.m. on Nov. 18.