Murder Trial Begins for Illegal Immigrant Accused of Killing Laken Riley

Suspect Jose Ibarra, from Venezuela, was 26 when he entered the country 18 months before the February 2024 killing of the 22-year-old at Augusta University.

Jose Ibarra, accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley earlier this year, listens through an interpreter during his trial at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in Athens, Ga., on Nov. 15, 2024. Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool

A Georgia Superior Court judge heard opening statements from attorneys on Friday in an ongoing bench trial over an illegal immigrant alleged to have killed Athens, Georgia, nursing student Laken Riley.

Suspect Jose Ibarra, from Venezuela, was 26 when he entered the country 18 months before the February 2024 killing of the 22-year-old at Augusta University.