The Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is seeking a new trial
The Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is set to appear in court Friday, where a judge will hear arguments on his request for a new trial.
Jose Ibarra was convicted in November 2024 of murder and other crimes in Riley’s death nine months earlier. Ibarra, 28, had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay while he pursued his immigration case. Riley’s killing heightened tensions in the national debate over immigration.
The first bill President Donald Trump signed upon taking office last year, the Laken Riley Act, was inspired by the 22-year-old’s killing. It requires the detention of people who are in the country without authorization and are accused of theft and violent crimes.
Prosecutors said Ibarra encountered Riley while she was running on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Feb. 22, 2024, and killed her during a struggle.
