Jury selection in Laken Riley's murder trial begins Wednesday

ATHENS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Jury selection in Jose Ibarra's murder trial begins Wednesday.

Ibarra, 26, is charged with the Feb. 22 killing of Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus.

He is charged with one count of premeditated murder, three counts of aggravated murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, obstructing an emergency call, tampering with evidence and espionage.

Jury selection begins Wednesday with opening statements in his trial, which begins shortly thereafter.

The case quickly became a major talking point in the immigration debate after investigators discovered that Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022. Republicans seized on the killing, leading to a tense exchange during President Biden's State of the Union address.

Criminal defense attorney and civil rights attorney Joshua Schiffer said, “This case became quite political during the last election cycle. We all heard major candidates talking about the issue of illegal immigration.”

Schiffer expects the process to move quickly.

“The prosecution of Jose Ibarra was very efficient, especially when we compare other cases across the country,” Schiffer said. “[Special prosecutor] Sheila Ross seems very well equipped for this case, she prepared it in a relatively short period of time, but it's not the most complex murder case.”

“In a case where life without parole is on the table, you want to make sure you’ve done all your due diligence,” Schiffer said. “I don’t expect a particularly long process. It's a very serious case. They will take their time, but I don’t think this process will take more than a few weeks at most.”

Ibarra's attorney filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case, but the motion was denied Friday.

Prosecutors are demanding life in prison without parole for Ibarra. His brother Diego pleaded guilty to possession of a false immigration document and was scheduled to be sentenced in October, but sentencing was postponed.

FULL COVERAGE:

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.