The trial of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, 22, begins Friday, with prosecutors saying she had a relationship with her alleged killer, undocumented immigrant Jose Ibarra, that Riley told authorities at the time of the attack. The allegedly gruesome 911 call has been released.
Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in February, and Ybarra was arrested on suspicion of murder just one day later. On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Sheila Ross played a 911 call from Riley’s phone, and a muffled sound could be heard in the courtroom as the dispatcher asked if someone could hear her.
“Clark County 911,” the dispatcher said. “Can anyone hear me?”
listen:
The trial has begun for Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Laken Riley, a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus. Riley’s death in February became a rallying cry for some political candidates after it was revealed that Ybarra had participated in the election. pic.twitter.com/fWVElpc6hI
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 15, 2024
Shortly before Riley’s final moments, the nursing student left her home at around 9:03 a.m. and headed for a nearby wooded path she often ran on. According to Go to CBS News. By 9:10 a.m., her watch data showed Riley was running at a fast pace, but something made her “stop midway.” This led to a 911 call at 9:11 a.m., the station reported.
In his opening statement in court, Ross said the 26-year-old undocumented immigrant went on a “woman hunt” on campus, found Riley and repeatedly slammed her in the skull when she “refused” to become a rape victim. insisted. (Related: Left-wing prosecutor in district where Laken Riley was killed suffers big loss at polling place)
“On February 22nd, Jose Ibarra put on a black hat, a hoodie-style jacket, and black kitchen-style disposable gloves and went out looking for women on the University of Georgia campus. While hunting, during a morning jog, “I ran into Laken Riley, who was 20 years old,” Ross said.
clock:
“When Ms. Laken Riley refused to become a rape victim, he repeatedly bashed her skull with a rock. That’s what this case is all about. So the evidence shows that Laken fought. Deaf,” Ross said. “She fought for her life. She fought for her dignity, and in that fight she forced this defendant to leave forensic evidence.”
Riley’s seizure lasted an estimated 17 minutes, and data from her watch showed her heart was still beating as late as 9:28 a.m., CBS News said. In addition to making the 911 call, Ross said security footage showed a man wearing a plaid shirt, identified as Ybarra, in the parking lot of an apartment building throwing an unknown object into the house around 9:44 a.m. A video was also shown. CBS News said it appears he recycled the trash can and threw other items into nearby bushes.
Following Ross’ opening statement, defense attorney Dustin Kirby argued that despite the disturbing evidence, there was no evidence to prove Ybarra was Riley’s killer. According to CBS News, the undocumented immigrant was charged with charges including one count of malicious murder, three counts of felony murder, one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, interfering with emergency calls, tampering with evidence, and peeping tom. CBS News reported. .
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
