Accused Laken Riley Killer Won't Testify; Prosecution Wraps Up

ATHENS, GA — The Venezuelan man accused of asphyxiating and killing 22-year-old Laken Riley in February on the University of Georgia's campus on Tuesday declined his right to testify in the days-long murder trial.

Jose Ibarra, 26, last week refused his right to a jury trial and opted instead for a bench trial, currently being overseen by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who will determine Ibarra's fate.

The state rested its case against Ibarra on Tuesday. Authorities previously said Ibarra, 26, entered the U.S. illegally two years ago.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge that Ibarra encountered Riley while she was out running on Feb. 22. She died of asphyxiation of an unknown manner and blunt force trauma to the head, according to trial testimony.

Ibarra was accused of asphyxiating Riley and hitting her in the head, the Associated Press reported, adding he was accused of planning to sexually assault her. State prosecutors are requesting a sentence of life in prison without parole rather than the death penalty.

Local authorities previously said Ibarra "woke up and chose violence" the day Riley was killed. A prosecutor argued the suspect "went hunting for females” on school grounds.

“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly,” Ross said, adding that the evidence will show that Riley “fought for her life, for her dignity.”

As a result of that fight, Ibarra's DNA was left under her fingernails, Ross said. Riley called 911 and, in a struggle over her phone, Ibarra's thumbprint was left on the screen, she said.

Riley's fingernails and attire were part of the evidence presented Tuesday through staffers in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Medical Examiner's Office and other personnel.

A cap with blood allegedly belonging to Ibarra was also admitted as evidence.

Riley's mother unsuccessfully and repeatedly attempted to contact her daughter the day Riley died, the Associated Press reported.

"Riley called her mother at 9:03 a.m. on Feb. 22, and by the time her mother (Allyson Phillips) called back about 20 minutes later, the student had encountered Jose Ibarra on a wooded running trail at the University of Georgia, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Ibarra killed Riley after a struggle, and data from Riley’s smartwatch shows her heart stopped beating at 9:28 a.m.," the Associated Press reported.

Text messages from Phillips were read aloud in cry as Phillips wept, the Associated Press reported. They read:

“Call me when you can.”

“You’re making me nervous not answering while you’re out running. Are you OK?”

“Please call me. I’m worried sick about you.”

Other members also tried to reach Riley, the news outlet reported.

Clarke County Jail records showed Ibarra was charged on suspicion of:

• Second-degree murder
• Aggravated battery
• Aggravated assault
• False imprisonment
• Kidnapping
• Obstruction/hindering person making emergency telephone call
• Concealing death of another person
• Failure to appear for fingerprintable charge
• Tampering with evidence
• Peeping Tom

He is being held for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, jail records showed.

The murder trial continued Tuesday afternoon with the defense calling its witnesses.

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