Atlanta (AP) A new trial has been requested by the Venezuelan man who was found guilty of the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and given a life sentence without the possibility of release.
Jose Ibarra was convicted guilty of murder and other charges in the February homicide by Judge H. Patrick Haggard of the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. The 26-year-old Ibarra gave up his right to a jury trial, so Haggard heard the case and rendered a decision.
Jose Ibarra’s lawyers submitted a motion for a fresh trial on Monday. According to the filing, the court made more legal errors that call for a fresh trial and the verdict is against the law and the evidence. The attorneys stated that Ibarra retains the right to amend the motion following a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the facts and circumstances surrounding the case’s trial, but they did not go into further detail.
During this year’s presidential campaign, the murder became a focal point of the national immigration debate. Following Ibarra’s arrest, federal immigration officials stated that he had entered the country unlawfully in 2022 and was permitted to remain there while he worked on his immigration case.
Prosecutors said that on February 22, Ibarra killed Riley during a struggle after bumping into her on the University of Georgia campus. Riley, 22, attended Augusta University College of Nursing, which is located roughly 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Atlanta and also has a campus in Athens.
On November 20, Haggard judged Ibarra guilty of all ten charges against him and gave him the longest punishment conceivable for each.
When a conviction becomes final—that is, when a petition for a new trial is denied or sentencing is imposed—a notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days, according to Georgia law. As a result, the deadline for filing an appeal is essentially extended when a move for new trial is filed.
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