Laken Riley murder suspect Jose Ibarra chooses trial by judge over jury

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Illegal immigrant accused of killing Laken Riley to appear in court

Fox News’ Chanley Painter on the details of the illegal immigrant from Venezuela to appear in court after being accused of murdering the Georgia nursing student.

Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan national charged with murdering Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February, has chosen a trial by judge over jury.

Ibarra, 26, is accused of attacking and murdering Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was jogging along highly frequented pedestrian trails on UGA’s campus on the morning of Feb. 22.

He appeared in court Tuesday, when his defense team and state prosecutors asked Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard for a bench trial rather than a trial by jury, which Haggard granted. The bench trial will begin on Friday.

Ibarra and his brothers, also in the United States illegally from Venezuela, lived in an apartment building that sits on the edge of the on-campus park where Riley was running. Ibarra allegedly murdered the aspiring nurse in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.”

LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT WANTS CERTAIN EVIDENCE SUPPRESSED WITH TRIAL DATE SET

Jose Ibarra appears in court for a pretrial evidence hearing in Athens, Georgia, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Ibarra is charged in the death of University of Georgia student Laken Riley. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)

In May, a Georgia grand jury indicted Ibarra on counts of malice murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence and being a “peeping Tom.”

The peeping Tom charge stems from another Feb. 22 incident during which the suspect allegedly went to a residence on UGA’s campus in Athens, where he “peeped through” a window and “spied upon” a university staff member, the indictment alleges.

Ibarra recently tried to have the “peeping Tom” charge removed from his case, but prosecutors argued that the two incidents are “inextricably intertwined,” and an Athens-Clarke County judge ultimately decided not to sever the charge. 

LAKEN RILEY MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT SLAYING ASKS TO HIDE CERTAIN EVIDENCE

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)

The judge is also permitting DNA and cellphone evidence that Ibarra’s defense wanted to suppress.

The 26-year-old suspect is due back in court on Nov. 15 for his trial. Jury selection for his trial was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 13, before he requested a bench trial.

Jose Ibarra was arrested on Feb. 23 in connection with Laken Riley’s Feb. 22 murder in Athens, Georgia. (Clarke County Sheriff’s Office)

Ibarra illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, ICE and DHS sources previously told Fox News.

His older brother, Diego Ibarra, is charged with green card fraud and had ties to a known Venezuelan gang in the U.S. called Tren de Aragua, according to federal court documents.

A general view of the area where Laken Riley’s body was found near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Jose Antonio Ibarra has been charged with the murder of Riley. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

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Riley’s death was frequently mentioned throughout the 2024 presidential election as Republicans and Democrats debated the implications of record illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border over the last four years.

Rachel Morin of Maryland, Jocelyn Nungaray of Texas, Lizbeth Medina of Texas, Ruby Garcia of Michigan and Maria Gonzalez of Texas are females allegedly killed by illegal immigrants over the past two years.

Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.