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Laken Riley murder: Prosecution reveals evidence against Jose Ibarra

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  September 24, 2024 11:14pm EDT
UGA campus murder
FOX 5 Atlanta

DNA, video connect Ibarra to Laken Riley murder, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say they have DNA and video evidence that ties Jose Ibarra to the murder of Laken Riley, an Augusta nursing student who was killed on the campus of UGA.

In brief:

    • Court documents allege Jose Ibarra was involved in a peeping Tom incident at a UGA dormitory shortly before Laken Riley's body was discovered.
    • Prosecutors claim Ibarra was wearing distinctive clothing and plastic gloves, was caught on camera near the crime scene, and is linked to physical evidence including a thumbprint on the victim's phone and DNA from her fingernails.
    • Evidence suggests Ibarra may have attempted to sexually assault Riley before murdering her; prosecutors argue this as part of a continuous scheme.
    • Surveillance footage reportedly shows an individual resembling Ibarra disposing of bloody gloves and a bloody jacket near the murder site.
    • Ibarra's defense seeks to exclude evidence obtained without a warrant and challenges the reliability of the DNA evidence; the murder trial is scheduled to start on November 13 in Athens.

ATHENS, Ga. - Prosecutors have revealed more about the evidence they say they have against accused killer Jose Antonio Ibarra and the events leading to the death of Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley. 

In court filings, Special Assistant District Attorney Sheila Ross revealed Ibarra had peeped through the windows of a UGA student's dormitory 73 minutes before the discovery of Riley's body, which was found 1,000 feet away along a trail near UGA’s Intramural Fields.

Peeping Tom incident linked to Laken Riley murder 

Those court documents state the UGA student called 911 at 7:57 a.m. after spotting the person peering through her window at her front door. UGA police responded, but the suspect took off. Police say the man, who prosecutors have identified as Ibarra, attempted to open her front door. 

At 9:10 a.m., UGA police received another 911 call, this time from Riley. Prosecutors say Ibarra disconnected that call. 

Just 14 minutes later, her mother tried multiple times to reach her daughter by phone, court records revealed. Alarmed by the lack of response, she called her friends to see if they had heard from her. They began searching and at 12:07 p.m., they called 911 to report Riley was missing. 

According to court documents, it was 31 minutes later when her "lifeless, beaten, and partially unclothed body" was found in a wooded area 65 feet off the running trail. 

JOSE ANTONIO IBARRA

The brief goes on to describe the suspect: 

"At the time of both incidents described above, Defendant Ibarra was wearing the same clothing; the same plastic gloves; and the same facial hair. These details are important because Defendant Ibarra was captured on various video cameras around [UGA student’s] dormitory and near the Milledge Avenue Extension that leads to the running trails that Laken Riley utilized." 

Ibarra’s attorney argues the peeping Tom charge should be severed from the other nine charges, but the prosecution disagrees: 

"Because these incidents are connected by time, location, motive, and items of evidence, Defendant’s motion should be denied." 

The prosecution argues that Ibarra’s actions the morning of Feb. 22, 2024, was "part of a continuous single scheme" which ultimately led to the murder of Riley. 

"He encountered Laken Riley approximately 60 minutes later where, the evidence will show, he attempted to sexually assault her. When Laken Riley fought the Defendant’s attempt to sexually assault her, he murdered her," the court document reveals. 

Evidence against Jose Ibarra 

Investigators say a man who looks like Ibarra was seen throwing bloody gloves and a bloody jacket with long dark hair into a dumpster less than a half hour after her death. That dumpster was located about a half mile away from the murder site. 

The documents also reveal prosecutors have a thumbprint from Riley’s phone, DNA from her fingernails, and video footage. Prosecutors say the thumbprint on Riley's phone belongs to Ibarra. 

Ibarra's attorneys filed a motion earlier this month to try to remove two cell phones, a cheek swab, and several social media accounts from the evidence, arguing that they were collected by law enforcement without a warrant. They also claim the DNA evidence collected is unreliable, something the prosecution disputes. 

Ibarra's murder trial is set to begin on Nov. 13 in Athens.  

Source:

  • Athens-Clarke County Superior Court records