The District Attorney’s Office for the Western Judicial District in Georgia will not pursue the death penalty against the defendant accused of murdering a nursing student at University of Georgia’s campus.
As previously reported by CrimeOnline, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, allegedly attacked and killed 22-year-old Laken Riley in February while she was out for a jog in Athens.
According to Atlanta News First, during Ibarra’s arraignment hearing on Friday, he pled not guilty to malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Police do not believe Ibarra had any relationship with or knew Riley before he encountered her. He lived in the community, but he was not a college student nor a U.S. citizen.
On the day of her death, Riley set out on a morning run. She grabbed her phone and told her roommate she would return after a half run at the UGA Campus intramural fields. When Riley failed to return, her roommate called campus police 911 at 12:07 p.m.
Less than 45 minutes later, officers found the Riley’s body behind Lake Herrick. She was unconscious, not breathing, and had visible injuries.
An arrest indictment alleged that Ibarra was a “Peeping Tom” who engaged in voyeuristic behavior at UGA’s University Village Housing Building S on the day of Riley’s death.
Ibarra is from Venezuela and was reportedly in the US illegally. He arrived in El Paso, Texas, with his wife and her 5-year-old son.
Due to overcrowding at the Texas center, the family was sent by bus to New York City a week after crossing the border. Ibarra then allegedly began posting pictures on social media about living the high life in New York City.
Ibarra was working Door Dash and Uber Eats, when police arrested him for carrying his wife’s 5-year-old son without a helmet or protection of any kind on his scooter.
Ibarra and his allegedly wife split up, and he moved to Athens, Georgia, with his brother, Diego. Her apartment is a 5-minute walk from where the body of Laken Riley was found.
The Western Judicial District Attorney’s Office will seek life in prison without parole with The Superior Court Judge looking to schedule the trial for this fall.
“Our utmost duty is to ensure that justice is served and that the victim’s family is an integral part of the deliberation process,” DA Deborah Gonzalez said.
“We understand that there will be those outside this office who will disagree with our decision and seek to exploit this case for political gain. However, the integrity of our judicial process and the pursuit of justice must always transcend political considerations.”
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[Feature Photo: Laken Riley/Facebook]
