Jose Ibarra, accused of killing a Georgia nursing student earlier this year, listens through an interpreter during his hearing in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in Athens, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution AP via Pool)

Athens, Ga. — A Venezuelan man “preyed on women on the University of Georgia campus” earlier this year and eventually Killed nursing student Laken Riley A prosecutor said Friday after a struggle. A defense lawyer said the evidence was circumstantial and did not prove his client guilty.

Jose Ibarra, who entered the United States illegally two years ago, was arrested charged with murder and other crimes Riley’s killing in February helped fuel the immigration debate during this year’s presidential campaign. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trialThis means his case will be heard and decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge that Ibarra was jogging on Feb. 22 when he encountered Riley, a 22-year-old student at the Augusta University School of Nursing.

“Laken Riley repeatedly threw rocks at her skull when she refused to be the victim of rape,” Ross said, adding that the evidence would show Riley “fought for her life and dignity.”

Ross said Ibarra’s DNA was left under his fingernails as a result of that fight. Riley called 911 and said during a struggle over her phone, Ibarra’s fingerprint was left on the screen.

The prosecutor said forensic evidence was sufficient to prove Ibarra’s guilt, but digital and video evidence would also show Ibarra killed Riley.

Defense attorney Dustin Kirby said the evidence in the case was striking and disturbing, but said none of it proved his client killed Riley.

“The evidence in this case is very good that Laken Riley was murdered,” he said. “The evidence that José Ibarra killed Laken Riley is circumstantial. Evidence that anyone intended to sexually assault, or certainly committed sexual assault, is speculation.”

The murder sparked a national debate over immigration after federal authorities said Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay there to pursue his immigration case.

Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blame Democratic President Joe Biden border policies for his death. Biden spoke about border security in his State of the Union speech weeks after the murder. He mentioned Riley by name.

Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, and other family members filled the courtroom Friday. Phillips buried her face in her hands and cried frequently, especially when shown photos of her daughter and testifying about what happened to her.

Ibarra was sitting at the defense table wearing a plaid shirt, his hands and feet chained. He was wearing headphones to listen to a Spanish-speaking interpreter and appeared attentive; Sometimes he would look up when the photo or video was shown, and sometimes he would look down at his lap.

During his opening statement, Ross laid out a timeline for the judge, using doorbell and security camera footage, as well as data from Riley’s phone and watch, to piece together Riley’s final moments.

Riley left home at 9:03 a.m. and headed toward the wooded trails he often runs. Data from his watch shows that he was running quickly at 9:10 a.m., when something happened that caused him to “stop dead in his tracks” and called 911 at 9:11 a.m.

The 911 dispatcher responded, but when he called repeatedly for a response, no one answered and the call was then terminated by the caller. The dispatcher immediately called back, but no one answered.

“It took a long time to meet him. “His fight with her was intense,” Ross said, noting that Riley’s watch data showed his heart was still beating at 9:28 a.m.

Ross also played surveillance video of a man he said was Ibarra appearing in the apartment complex parking lot at 9:44 a.m. The man threw something into the recycling bin and then appeared to throw something into nearby bushes. In the recycling bin, officers found a dark hooded jacket with blood on it, apparently belonging to Riley, and long strands of black hair caught in a button. They found disposable black kitchen gloves in the bushes, one of which had a hole in the tip of the thumb.

Another video, about 35 minutes later, shows the same man wearing different clothes, walking towards a trash can with a bag in his hand, and then returning empty-handed. That bin was emptied before the police had a chance to search.

One of Riley’s three roommates testified that he became concerned when Riley did not return from a run. The four friends used a phone app to track each other’s whereabouts, and Lilly Steiner testified that she became even more concerned when she saw Riley’s phone appear to her in the same location for long periods of time.

Riley talked to her mother on the phone frequently while she was running, and her mother was worried when her daughter didn’t answer her calls that morning.

Steiner and another roommate, Sofia Magana, walked toward the path where the phone app showed Riley was located. Along the way, they found what they believed to be one of Riley’s AirPod headphones and returned to the house to call the police.

One of the responding officers found Riley’s body partially covered in leaves, 80 feet from the road. Although his shirt and underwear were removed, Ross said there was no evidence that Riley had been sexually assaulted.

Before playing Maxwell’s body camera video in court, Ross warned Riley’s family that video of her body would be shown. Riley’s mother left the courtroom, but other family members and friends remained in the courtroom; some cried or covered their faces.

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.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross speaks before Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard during the hearing of Jose Ibarra, who is accused of killing a Georgia nursing student earlier this year, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. , Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AP, Pool)

Jose Ibarra (right), accused of killing a nursing student in Georgia earlier this year, listens through a translator as he sits with attorneys Dustin Kirby (second from left) and Kaitlyn Beck (left) during his arraignment in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday. , November 15, 2024, Athens, GA. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

CORRECTS IDENTIFICATION OF LAKEN RILEY’S FAMILY – Allyson Phillips, second from left, is Laken Riley’s mother, as Laken Riley’s stepfather, John Phillips, stands in Athens during the trial of Jose Ibarra, who is accused of killing the Georgia nursing student earlier this year. reacts to relief -Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, November 15, 2024, Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

CORRECTS IDENTIFICATION OF LAKEN RILEY’S FAMILY – Allyson Phillips, second from left, is Laken Riley’s mother, as Laken Riley’s stepfather, John Phillips, stood in Athens during the trial of Jose Ibarra, who is accused of killing the Georgia nursing student earlier this year. reacts to relief -Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, November 15, 2024, Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard hears the trial of Jose Ibarra, accused of murdering a Georgia nursing student earlier this year, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens, GA. (Hyosub Shin) /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Repository)

Lilly Steiner, Laken Riley’s roommate, testifies at the trial of Jose Ibarra, who is accused of murdering the Georgia nursing student earlier this year, on Friday, November 15, 2024, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in Athens, GA. (Hyosub Shin) /Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Repository)

Laken Riley’s father, Jason Riley, background, attends the hearing of Jose Ibarra, accused of murdering a Georgia nursing student earlier this year, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, November 15, 2024, in Athens, GA. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Magazine-Constitution, AP, Pool)

Jose Ibarra, accused of killing a Georgia nursing student earlier this year, listens through a translator as he sits with his attorney, Dustin Kirby, left, during his arraignment in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens. , Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AP, Pool)