GUILTY: Jose Ibarra found guilty in killing Laken Riley on UGA campus

ATHENS, Georgia – Jose Ibarra, 26, was found guilty Wednesday of all counts in the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley. The verdict was handed down late in the morning by Judge H. Patrick Haggard after a high-profile trial that spanned several days of testimony and closing arguments.

The court adjourned after the verdict and will reconvene at 12:30 p.m., when the judge is expected to announce Ibarra’s sentence.

The trial, which was conducted as a trial, concluded with the prosecution presenting arguments focusing on physical, digital and testimonial evidence.

Ibarra’s DNA was found on Riley’s body, and surveillance footage shows Riley running near the University of Georgia’s school fields on the morning of her death. Additional video evidence allegedly captured Ibarra throwing the jacket with Riley’s DNA in the trash.

Data from Riley’s phone and Garmin watch helped prosecutors establish a timeline of events leading up to her death. They also shared her last text message to her mother, sent on the morning of February 22: “Good morning. I’m going for a run, if you’re free to talk.” Her mother sent a follow-up message 20 minutes later, which went unanswered.

Special Agent Lucas Beyer of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called as a rebuttal witness to respond to defense claims that the person in the surveillance video may have been Ibarra Diego’s brother. Beyer testified that there was no evidence that Riley Diego was anywhere other than home on the morning of the murder.

The defense closed its case without calling Ybarra to testify, and closing arguments ended Wednesday morning.

Sentencing is due this afternoon. Ibarri faces a minimum sentence of life with the possibility of parole.

Laken Riley’s death became a rallying cry for immigration reform in the 2024 election for former President Donald Trump and many others. Ibarra and his brothers are undocumented migrants from Venezuela.

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The defense in the high-profile murder trial of 26-year-old Jose Ybarra is set to continue presenting witnesses today. It came after the state closed its case Tuesday night after several days of emotional testimony.

The case centers around the slaying of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, whose body was found on February 22 on a wooded jogging track near the University of Georgia campus.

RELATED: Jose Ibarra murder trial Day 3: Laken Riley’s family sees surveillance video

Prosecutors closed the case shortly before 4:00 p.m. Tuesday after calling dozens of witnesses. Among the evidence presented was surveillance video showing Riley running near the university’s fields on the morning of his death. Another video allegedly shows Ibarra trying to break into a graduate student’s apartment and then throwing a jacket with Riley’s DNA in the trash.

In court, prosecutors read the last text message Riley sent to her mother on the morning of her murder: “Good morning. I’m going to run if you’re free to talk.” About 20 minutes later, her mother sent the following message: “Please call me. I’m really worried about you.” Riley never answered.

Key evidence included strands of Riley’s hair found at the crime scene.

A witness testified that two hairs were found on one rock and 27 more on a second rock, all of which matched the hair on Riley’s head. Also, the Adidas hat that prosecutors say Ibarra was wearing in the surveillance footage was shown in court for the first time.

On Tuesday, the defense presented three witnesses. However, a significant development may affect their strategy. Diego Ybarra, Jose Ybarra’s brother, was expected to testify, potentially challenging the state’s case. However, Diego, who is involved in a separate immigration case, recently hired a new attorney and has been advised not to testify. Its absence may affect the defense’s ability to challenge the prosecution’s story.

The defendant, Jose Ibarra, said he would not testify in his own defense. The trial continues today.