Murder trial judge Laken Riley rejects requests by migrant suspect’s lawyers to delay and suppress evidence

Illegal immigrant accused of murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley will appear in court later this month – after his lawyers tried to delay the proceedings and remove key evidence collected in the investigation.

Judge Patrick Haggard rejected requests to exclude evidence related to DNA, fingerprints and cellphone data during a preliminary hearing Friday in Athens-Clark Superior Court, after defense attorneys for Jose Ibarra argued that the items were unlawfully collected by law enforcement , local media report.

Defense attorney Dustin Kirby also tried to delay the trial – which is scheduled to start on November 13 – by questioning the reliability of the DNA evidence and that the data squeeze was so “extensive and technical” that it could take up to six weeks for an expert review.

“I tried to understand the data, but I couldn’t,” Kirby told the trial judge, citing DNA evidence provided by genetics company TruAllele Casework Software. – reports the Athens Banner-Herald.

Haggard advised that he would not delay the trial, but instead allow the accused murderer’s defense to call a systems expert at the trial, according to the website.

Ibarra, a Venezuelan migrant whose family has links with the dangerous Tren de Aragua gangis accused of murdering a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student during a morning run on the nearby campus of the University of Georgia in Athens in February.

Ibarra, 26, allegedly pulled up her clothes to sexually assault her, then hit her in the head and choked her, prosecutors say.

Riley was found near her apartment after a friend called police when she didn’t come home from a jog.

Police arrested the suspect the next day at his South Milledge Avenue apartment, who has since pleaded not guilty to ten counts of mind murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and related crimes.

The case has sparked nationwide debate since Ibarra’s time entered the country illegally through El Paso, Texas, and was released by immigration authorities due to lack of space.

He was then arrested in New York in August 2023 for driving a combustion moped with a 5-year-old on the back without a helmet or seat belt.

He was released in that case and then fled to Georgia to stay with his brother Diego, one of the family members linked to the now-notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, officials said.

Defense of the alleged killer he had previously asked for a change of venue due to widespread media coverage of the case – a request the judge rejected last month.

Ibarra is being held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bail pending trial.