A Georgia defense attorney is pushing for a change of venue for the proposed November trial of Jose Ibarra, accused of killing University of Georgia nursing student, Laken Riley.
In a court filing on Thursday, Ibarra’s attorneys, John Donnelly and Kaitlyn Beck, argued it would be nearly impossible to find an impartial jury in the Athens-Clarke County area for Ibarra, who is accused of murdering 22-year-old Riley.
A 2013 Georgia court decision found that a change of venue is appropriate in cases where media coverage is “unduly extensive, factually incorrect, inflammatory, or reflective of an atmosphere of hostility,” according to the filing.
During Friday’s court appearance, Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard ordered prosecutors to respond to the change of venue request within ten days, as reported by WABE.
Judge Haggard set the trial start date for November 18, with jury selection beginning on November 13. He also scheduled a hearing for any motions in late September and early October, according to Fox 5.
As previously reported by CrimeOnline, Ibarraq allegedly attacked and killed Riley in February while she was jogging in Athens.
According to Atlanta News First, during Ibarra’s arraignment hearing on May 31, he pleaded not guilty to charges including 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 prior relationship with or knowledge of Riley before the incident. Although he lived in the community, he was not a college student nor a U.S. citizen.
On the day of her death, Riley set out for a morning run, telling her roommate she would return after a run at the UGA Campus intramural fields. When Riley failed to return, her roommate called campus police at 12:07 p.m.
Less than 45 minutes later, officers found Riley’s body behind Lake Herrick. She was unconscious, not breathing, and had visible injuries.
An 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, originally from Venezuela, was reportedly in the U.S. 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 and his wife then separated, and he moved to Athens, Georgia, with his brother Diego.
Riley’s death led to the passing of the Laken Riley Act in March, which requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.
The District Attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit is seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole for Ibarra.
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[Feature Photo: Laken Riley/Facebook]
