ATHENS, Ga. — Attorneys for the man convicted of killing nursing student Laken Riley while she was out for a run on the University of Georgia campus have filed a motion for a new trial.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was found guilty on all charges after a four-day bench trial. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard sentenced Ibarra to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In the motion, attorneys claim the "verdict is contrary to law," it's "contrary to the evidence," and that the court "committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial." The motion was filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Dec. 2.
Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial; his fate was left in the hands of Judge Haggard.
On Feb. 22, Riley was killed while on a run on a popular, well-traveled trail near Lake Herrick and the UGA campus intramural fields. It was the first murder on UGA's campus in 30 years. Ibarra was arrested the following day. Riley, 22, was a nursing student in the Augusta University College of Nursing program at Athens and a former UGA student who was still involved with the campus.
During the trial, prosecutors claimed Ibarra was “out prowling and hunting females." Defense attorneys told the judge that the evidence was circumstantial and did not definitively prove Ibarra's guilt.
However, the judge ultimately found Ibarra guilty of all 10 counts last month: one count of malice murder; three counts of felony murder; and one count each of kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing an emergency call, evidence tampering and being a peeping Tom.
The case made national headlines, sparking debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022. President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans blamed Riley’s death on the policies of Democratic President Joe Biden.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.