Laken Riley, Jose Ibarra murder trial could be used as blueprint for future cases
Jose Ibarra murder trial could be a blueprint
Experts say the murder trial against Jose Ibarra could become a blueprint for how cases are argued in the future. Ibarra was convicted in the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered while jogging on UGA's campus. He was sentenced to life in prison.
ATHENS, Ga. - Experts say the murder trial against Jose Ibarra could help change the way that cases are argued in the future. Last week, a judge convicted him in the death of nursing student Laken Riley on UGA's campus, and sentenced him to life in prison.
During her closing arguments Wednesday, Special Prosecutor Sheila Ross told Judge H. Patrick Haggard evidence like Ibarra's DNA under Riley's fingernails, surveillance video of him in the same spot Riley went for her run in February, and data from her Garmin watch showing the struggle between the two clearly ties him to her death.
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"The physical evidence, the video evidence, and the digital evidence combined twist this very powerful knot that this defendant cannot get out of," Ross said.
"Some of it was things we've had for years: surveillance camera footage, telephone calls, calls to 911. Others are groundbreaking: the fact that we were able to see the victim's last minutes," John Acevedo, Associate Dean of Academic Program and Students at Emory University School of Law, said.
Acevedo said arguments around new digital evidence, like garmin watch data, will be key for future cases.
"Much like DNA was thought to be this unassailable silver bullet, that once you had it, the defendant was always convicted, OJ showed that you could undermine the labs. You can undermine the processes, and I think that's what we're going to see," he explained.
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He expects defense attorneys for future cases to call experts to find flaws in evidence like watch data to raise doubt in jurors or judges' minds.
"That day is not yet here, so I think we're a few years off. But, attorneys, I'm sure, are working on ways to undermine this information," Acevedo added.
He also said the speed of the trial set it apart, taking only four days. He said that was due in part to the state's strong evidence.