Current:Home > ScamsAttorneys for man charged with killing Georgia nursing student ask judge to move trial -Summit Capital Strategies
Attorneys for man charged with killing Georgia nursing student ask judge to move trial
View
Date:2025-04-15 00:01:51
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Attorneys for a man accused of killing a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus have asked a judge to move the case to another county.
Finding an impartial jury in Athens-Clarke County to consider the murder and other charges against Jose Ibarra for the killing of Laken Hope Riley is impossible, attorneys John Donnelly and Kaitlyn Beck said in a court filing. A shackled Ibarra appeared in court on Friday dressed in a button-front shirt and slacks.
Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard said during the brief hearing that he was planning to start jury selection on Nov. 13 and then proceed with the trial the following week.
He gave prosecutors 10 days to respond to the request for a change of venue, which was filed on Thursday.
In the filing, Donnelly and Beck noted Riley was killed on the campus of the University of Georgia, a “prominent institution” in Athens, and said the case had received extensive media coverage locally.
A 2013 Georgia court decision found that a change of venue is proper in cases where media coverage is “‘unduly extensive, factually incorrect, inflammatory, or reflective of an atmosphere of hostility,’” according to the filing.
A grand jury in early May returned an indictment charging Ibarra, 26, with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other crimes in the February killing of Riley. The 10-count indictment accuses him of hitting the 22-year-old Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, asphyxiating her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her.
He pleaded not guilty in May.
The killing immediately became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration because Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
Riley’s body was found Feb. 22 near running trails after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run, and police have said her killing appeared to be a random attack. Ibarra was arrested the next day and has been held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond since then.
The indictment charges Ibarra with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.
The indictment says that on the day of Riley’s killing, Ibarra had peered into the window of an apartment in a university housing building, which is the basis for the peeping Tom charge.
In a separate filing on Thursday, Ibarra’s attorneys said that charge should be tried separately from the others because the alleged victim is different.
veryGood! (3364)
Related
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- ABC’s rules for the Harris-Trump debate include muted mics when candidates aren’t speaking
- Horoscopes Today, August 29, 2024
- CIA: Taylor Swift concert suspects plotted to kill 'tens of thousands’ in Vienna
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Nikki Garcia's Husband Artem Chigvintsev Arrested for Domestic Violence
- Heather Graham Reveals Why She Hasn’t Spoken to Her Parents in Nearly 30 Years
- The 15 games that will decide the College Football Playoff field
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Promises to Be a Hauntingly Good Time
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Toby Keith's Nashville legacy reflected in new NBC tribute special
- Newborn rattlesnakes at a Colorado ‘mega den’ are making their live debut
- Hiker left on Colorado mountain by coworkers stranded overnight in freezing rain, high winds
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Nordstrom Rack Clear the Rack Sale: $9 Heels, $11 Shorts + Up to 94% Off Marc Jacobs, Draper James & More
- 'Yellowstone' First Look Week: Rainmaker has plans, Rip Wheeler's family grows (photos)
- AP Week in Pictures
Recommendation
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
Is job growth just slowing from post-pandemic highs? Or headed for a crash?
Police fatally shoot man on New Hampshire-Maine bridge along I-95; child, 8, found dead in vehicle
When the US left Kabul, these Americans tried to help Afghans left behind. It still haunts them
Bodycam footage shows high
Travis Kelce Professing His Love for Taylor Swift Proves He’s Down Bad
Bettors banking on Eagles resurgence, Cowboys regression as NFL season begins
Amazon’s Epic Labor Day 2024 Sale Includes 80% Off Deals, $6.99 Dresses, 40% Off Waterpik & 48 More Finds