Timeline: Laken Riley’s Last Moments Traced During Georgia Nursing Student’s Murder Trial

The last moments before the murder of Laken Riley while jogging on the University of Georgia campus appeared in court Tuesday, the third day of a trial in the slaying of a 22-year-old nursing student.

An Augusta University student was found dead in the woods on the Athens campus on February 22.

26-year-old Jose Ibarra admitted “not guilty” in May on charges of first degree murder and aggravated murder in connection with her death, and he waived his right to a jury trial. His case was then transferred to the Athens-Clarke County Courtroom under Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard.

On Wednesday, Ibarra was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors said Riley “refused to be his rape victim.”

Ibarra was an undocumented migrant, accused of a rallying cry for immigration reform from many conservatives, including President-elect Donald Trump.

Timeline of Riley’s last moments

On the morning of the murder, at 8:55 a.m., Riley texted her mother, Allison Phillips: “Good morning, going to go for a run if you’re free to talk,” said University of Georgia Police Sgt. Sophie Raboud, one of the lead investigators in the case, testified Tuesday about Riley’s cell phones.

Riley called her mother at 9:03 a.m. and then started listening to music, Raboud said. At 9:05 a.m., she was caught on surveillance camera running with her iPhone in her left hand toward the infield, Raboud said. She ran away from the camera at 9:06 am

Raboud said she called 911 at 9:11 a.m. Witnesses previously testified that Riley initiated the call through the SOS app on her phone. According to witnesses, the dispatcher was unable to speak to anyone before the call was hung up and called back twice with no answer.

Raboud said Riley received a call from her mother at 9:24 a.m., which she did not answer.

At 9:38 a.m., her mother texted, “Call me when you can,” Raboud said.

Raboud said Riley’s mother continued to try to reach Riley, but calls went unanswered and at 9:58 a.m. texted, “You’re making me nervous, you don’t answer when you’re running. Are you all right?”

Riley received subsequent calls from her mother and sister that went unanswered, Raboud said.

At 11:47 a.m., her mother texted, “Please call me, I’m really worried about you,” Raboud said.

Subsequent calls, including from her stepfather, also went unanswered, Raboud said.

Surveillance video, which was played later in the morning in court, captured Riley’s roommates, Lilly Steiner and Sophia Magana, searching for her.

Riley’s roommates reported her missing at 12:05 p.m., and a University of Georgia police officer found her body 65 feet from the trail at 12:38 p.m., witnesses previously testified. Data from the Garmin watch she wore during the run showed her heart stopped at 9:28 a.m., witnesses previously testified.

Dr. Michelle DiMarco, who performed her autopsy, testified Tuesday that Riley suffered significant head trauma, including eight wounds to the left side of her skull and an injury just above her right temple. One of the injuries was so severe it caused a brain hemorrhage and could have been fatal, she said.

There was also evidence of asphyxiation, although DiMarco said she could not determine how that happened. According to Dimarco, the cause of her death was “combined effects of craniocerebral trauma and asphyxiation.”

Ibarra’s DNA evidence matches, expert says

On February 23, Ibarra was interviewed in connection with her death numerous scratches are visible on the handspolice officers testify.

The suspect’s DNA was found under a fingernail on Riley’s right hand, according to Ashley Hinkle, a crime lab scientist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who examined the evidence. The odds of the DNA belonging to someone other than Ybarra are one in 10 billion, she said during her testimony Tuesday. Two of Ibarra’s brothers were ruled out as matches, she said.

According to Raboud, on the morning of the murder, a man was caught on camera heading towards the inland fields shortly before 8am. Prosecutors said the person was wearing similar clothing to what Ibarra was wearing in a Snapchat selfie posted earlier that morning, including a black Adidas cap.

Ibarra was also seen dumping a bloody jacket and disposable gloves outside his apartment at 9:44 a.m. on Feb. 22, prosecutors said.

Hair removed from the jacket was identified as either Riley or “someone with hair that has the same distinctive characteristics,” Ann Kiesler-Rao of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab testified Tuesday.

Riley and Ybarra’s DNA profiles were found on the jacket, Hinkle testified. Two of Ibarra’s brothers were ruled out as matches, she said.

Riley’s DNA was also found on the gloves, Hinkle said. The odds of it not being her are 1 in 500 octillion, she says. The gloves contained the DNA profile of at least one other person, she said, although no one has determined who that person might be.

The defense sought to discredit some of the DNA tests, which included a relatively new method called TrueAllele, and questioned how the statistical probabilities of matches could change so dramatically. Hinkle said the GBI has validated the TrueAllele program and that the probabilities vary depending on the subject being tested.

Gloves found in the bushes near Ybarra’s apartment were determined to match gloves found in a drawer in his apartment, GBI Specialist Oleksandr Kovin said Tuesday. Under questioning from defense counsel, Cowin acknowledged that the gloves could have been the same, but also could have come from different sources.

Ibarra waives the right to testify in his own defense

On Tuesday, the state completed its review of the case.

Ibarra waived his right to testify in his own defense.

One of the defense’s witnesses included a woman who lived in the same apartment complex as Ibarra, who shared his apartment with several people, including his two brothers, Diego and Argenis.

A witness, Stephanie Slayton, testified that Diego Ybarra had threatened her the night of Riley’s murder. She said he asked her about police activity near their apartment complex’s dumpster, and she told him someone “died deep inside our apartment.”

She said she told him if you saw or heard anything unusual, you needed to tell the police now. Using an app to translate his words from Spanish to English, she said he texted her: “If you tell them, I’ll tell them you did it and then I’ll kill you too.”

On cross-examination, Slayton said she told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about that interaction with Diego Ibarra. Asked what he meant when he said “tell them,” Slayton said, “I can’t guess what his intentions were.”

Diego Ybarra was scheduled to be called as a defense witness Tuesday, though defense attorney John Donnelly told the judge that his brother’s attorney plans to advise him not to testify because he is due to be sentenced on the federal charges.

Diego Ibarra was there arrested for possessing an illegal visa after police questioning in the Riley case. He pleaded guilty to possession of a fake green card. He faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release.

Haggard said if the attorney doesn’t want Diego Ybarra to testify, there’s no reason to try to pursue the case with him.

Donnelly also noted that there is another federal inmate the defense would like to call as a witness if Diego Ybarra does not testify.

“Then we ask that we call our next witness and allow him to testify about the statements he heard from Mr. Diego Ybarra, as Diego Ybarra is unavailable at this time,” Donnelly said.

The court was adjourned for the day.

Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced

On Wednesday, the trial continued for the fourth day.

Haggard found Ybarra guilty of all charges and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, following the request of Riley’s family and friends.

“Today, the integrity of our judicial process and our pursuit of justice have transcended political considerations,” said District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez.

“No sentence can undo the damage caused by Jose Ibarra’s actions, but we hope it brings justice to the Laken family and the community,” she added. “Our hearts go out to Laken’s family and friends as they continue to grieve this tragic loss.”

Police said they believe Ibarra — a migrant from Venezuela who officials say entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 — did not know Riley and that it was a “crime of opportunity.”

ABC News’ Janice McDonald contributed to this report.