Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, faces 10 charges, including malice murder, three counts of felony murder,
kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a person making an emergency call, tampering with evidence, and Peeping Tom.
On the eve of jury selection for his murder trial, Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial during a pre-trial hearing and requested a bench trial. A judge will now hear the case and render a verdict instead of a jury. The presiding judge, Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard, is known for his no-nonsense approach.
Haggard has personal experience with violent crime, as his father, a salesman, was fatally shot during a gunfire exchange with two men attempting to rob him in a Georgia apartment complex in 1992.
Special Prosecutor Sheila Ross alleges that Ibarra was “hunting for women” on the day of Laken Riley’s murder. Ross stated that Riley fought fiercely against her attacker, leaving marks on Ibarra and securing his DNA under her fingernails.
She highlighted video evidence allegedly showing Ibarra disposing of a black jacket in a dumpster.
The same jacket, according to Ross, contained both Riley’s and Ibarra’s blood. Additionally, Ibarra is accused of leaving a fingerprint on Riley’s iPhone while attempting to stop her from calling 911.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
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