ATHENS, Ga. – Murder trial of Adam Jose Ibarra Charged with murder of Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley The hearing on the University of Georgia campus in Athens will begin Friday with opening statements in an Athens courtroom.

who is ibarra He faces multiple charges, including malice murderHe won’t let his fate be decided by a jury. Earlier this week, waived his right to a jury trial, that is, his case will be heard and decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.

Prosecutors are expected to try to prove that Ibarra hit the 22-year-old Augusta University School of Nursing student in the head, strangled her and intended to sexually assault her. They chose not to seek the death penalty, but said in a court filing that they planned to seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Riley’s body was found near the running trails at Herrick Lake on the UGA campus on Feb. 22 after a friend notified police. I didn’t come back from my morning run. Police said his murder appeared to be a random attack. Ibarra was arrested the next day and is being held without bail in the Athens-Clarke County Jail.

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Ibarra is charged with one count of premeditated murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, interfering with an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and spying Tom.

Prosecutors say that on the day Riley was killed, Ibarra was peering into the window of an apartment in the university housing building, which formed the basis of Tom’s surveillance charge.

The case gained national attention after it was revealed that Ibarra and his Venezuelan brothers were in the country illegally at the time of Laken Riley’s murder.

What is bench trial?

During a court hearing, the judge acts both as a finder of fact and rules on questions of law and procedure. Some defendants and attorneys believe that a judge will be less emotionally affected by certain evidence than a jury. One disadvantage, however, is that the judge knows the law better than the jury and is less likely to ignore evidence.

A bench trial is faster and less expensive than a jury trial.

MORE: Progressive prosecutor in county where Laken Riley was found dead at the hands of illegal immigrant loses re-election

“I’ve been through this a few times, especially in criminal cases where something is potentially politically charged,” said Jessica Cino, Krevolin and Horst’s attorney and partner.

Cino, who has no involvement in the case, said defendants can opt for bench trials if they are concerned about finding an impartial jury.

“Someone’s life is at stake, they could go to jail for the rest. You really want this to be decided based on evidence, not emotion,” he said. “It also changes your opening argument. It also changes some of the questions you might ask the jury or witnesses, depending on the objections you’re going to raise.”

The judge ruled that the evidence could be used, the request to postpone the case was rejected

Multiple lawsuits have been filed regarding this high-profile case over the past few months.

In September, Ibarra’s defense attorneys filed a motion to suppress some evidence collected after Riley’s death. The defense argued that some evidence was obtained illegally. But last week, a judge ruled that evidence, including fingerprints found on Ibarra’s phones, could be used in court, confirming that the search warrants were properly executed.

The judge also ruled that the seizure of the mobile phone fell within the scope of the search warrant’s “Any article or article that may be used in the commission of a crime.” He also wrote that the date was not overly broad, as it was September 2022, when the FBI believes the brothers entered the United States illegally.

Last month, the judge denied the defense’s request to move the case out 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.