Convicted UGA campus murderer Jose Ibarra files motion for new trial

ATHENS, Ga. - Attorneys for Jose Ibarra, who was convicted last month in the deadly attack on 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on UGA's campus, are asking for a new trial. 

Ibarra chose to waive his right to a jury trial last month, opting instead for the trial to be decided solely by the judge and the evidence. It is that evidence which Ibarra's attorneys are now calling into question with a new motion filed on Monday in the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. 

The motion argues the verdict was "contrary to law" and "contrary to the evidence," but did not go into specifics. The motion also claims, "This Court committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial," but again no specifics were offered. 

Under Georgia law, a motion for a new trial must be made within 30 days after a verdict.

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Jose Ibarra found guilty of Laken Riley’s murder

The 26-year-old Venezuelan national was found guilty on Nov. 20 on all counts after a four-day trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of malice murder; life in prison without the possibility of parole on one count of kidnapping; 20 years on one count of aggravated assault; 12 months for hindrance of an emergency phone call; 12 months for one count of tampering with evidence; and 5 years on a Peeping Tom count. All sentences will be served consecutively.

Ibarra's attorneys previously argued his Peeping Tom charge should not have been included in the list of charges for the trial, citing that it was a separate crime, but the judge sided with the state who argued it was part of a larger crime spree. 

Ibarra did not testify during the trial, but his attorneys painted a picture that investigators could have easily mistaken Ibarra for his brother, with whom he had been living. 

FOX 5 has reached out to the public defender’s office for comment but has not yet heard back.