The illegal immigrant accused of murdering nursing student Laken Riley had several suspicious scratches on his body at the time of his arrest, his criminal trial heard.
Photographs of Jose Antonio Ibarra’s arms, neck and back were displayed in court on Friday afternoon as he stands trial accused of murder and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
Scratches of varying lengths were identified by officers, pictured and submitted as evidence in the case against him.
Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented migrant, denies murdering Riley, 22, on February 22 as she went for a run near her home at the University of Georgia.
The unusual markings on his body were not explained in court on Friday. The first scratch officers noted was a four centimeter cut on his lower forearm.
Separately, there was a darker scratch behind his ear at the back of his neck, near his hairline. Another marking was noted down the middle of his back.
Prosecutors had earlier said Riley ‘fought for her life’ and had forensic evidence which linked to Ibarra on her body at the time of her death.
This included DNA under the fingernails of her right hand.
The illegal immigrant accused of murdering nursing student Laken Riley had several suspicious scratches on his body at the time of his arrest, his criminal trial heard
Scratches of varying lengths were identified by officers, pictured and submitted as evidence in the case against him
The unusual markings on his body were not explained in court on Friday
Another marking was noted down the middle of his back. Prosecutors had earlier said Riley ‘fought for her life’ and had forensic evidence which linked to Ibarra on her body at the time of her death
‘She marked her killer for the entire world to see. It is his DNA. Only his DNA, underneath Laken’s right fingernails,’ Georgia special prosecutor Sheila Ross said.
‘He left behind his thumbprint on her iPhone, which was found near her body at the crime scene.’
Ross said the forensic evidence alone should be enough to warrant a guilty verdict.
The court heard that Ibarra’s DNA was a direct match to the DNA under Riley’s fingernails, and was ’10 billion times more probable than a coincidental match.’
Ibarra, from Venezuela, arrived in the United States from via El Paso, Texas, illegally in 2022 but was paroled for ‘further processing.’ His arrest in this case sparked renewed debate about the border crisis and illegal migration.
On Friday morning, Ibarra sat motionless as Ross flashed the last known photograph of 22-year-old Riley across the screen, taken just minutes before her death.
The picture was taken on CCTV cameras near her home on the University of Georgia campus at 9.05am on the day of her death.
She was holding her iPhone in her left hand, wearing activewear and her noise-canceling AirPods.
The picture was taken on CCTV cameras near her home on the University of Georgia campus at 9.05am on the day of her death. She was holding her iPhone in her left hand, wearing all black activewear and her noise-canceling AirPods
Ibarra, from Venezuela, arrived in the United States from via El Paso, Texas, illegally in 2022 but was paroled for ‘further processing
Just six minutes later, Riley activated the SOS function of her cell phone, connecting her to 911. She did not speak during the call, which lasted just one minute. Authorities attempted to call her back, but did not get any response.
According to data collected by a smartwatch she was wearing on the run, Riley’s heart stopped at 9.28am.
‘The evidence will show that Laken fought,’ Ross said. ‘She fought for her life. She fought for her dignity.’
In opening statements on Friday morning, she said: ‘When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock, repeatedly.’
Ross claimed there was significant forensic evidence left behind tying the crime to Ibarra.
Beyond that, she revealed there is digital and video evidence tying Ibarra to the crime.
In particular, CCTV footage identified Ibarra as he dumped a bloody jacket in a dumpster near his home, 15 minutes after Riley’s heart stopped.
That jacket was later seized and taken for forensic testing, revealing a mixture of Riley’s DNA and Ibarra’s DNA.
Riley’s body was found less than an hour after she was reported missing, near a lake on the University of Georgia campus. She’d been a student there until 2023, when she transferred to Augusta
He is accused of killing Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the Augusta University College, on February 22 as she was out for a run
The court heard that Ibarra’s DNA was a direct match to the DNA under Riley’s fingernails, and was ’10 billion times more probable than a coincidental match’
CCTV footage identified Ibarra as he dumped a bloody jacket in a dumpster near his home, 15 minutes after Riley’s heart stopped
Long, brunette strands of hair were wrapped around a button on the jacket which were ‘consistent with Riley’s hair and forcibly removed from her head.’
Riley’s body was found less than an hour after she was reported missing, near a lake on the University of Georgia campus. She’d been a student there until 2023, when she transferred to Augusta.
Her roommates reported her missing after becoming concerned that she had been out for longer than usual.
They begin walking her usual running route, using Find My Friends to track where she may be. It was while walking the route they noticed that, according to the tracking data, she had not moved for hours.
They reached the location where her last location had pinged, and found one of her Airpods on the ground.
The duo took a photo to note where they found it, and then picked it up, returned home to reconnect to WiFi and called police to report Riley missing.
‘Even with her digital profile… it took about 25 minutes for [the officer] to locate her,’ Ross said.
‘This is a very forested area, she was off the running trail… She was hidden under a tree’ and covered in foliage.
Riley’s parents Allyson and John Phillips (center and right) were filled with emotion as the trial kicked off on Friday
Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies
The court heard that her breasts were exposed and her underwear was forcibly torn. A sexual assault and rape kit returned a negative result.
She had suffeed ‘severe injuries’ to her head, and the officer ‘could tell she was dead. She was cold.’
First responders performed CPR regardless, but Riley was tragically declared dead.
There is no evidence the duo knew one another, police allege. They described the crime as one of ‘opportunity.’
But Ibarra’s defense maintain there is not enough evidence to convict him beyond a reasonable doubt.
Attorney for Ibarra Dustin Kirby began his opening statements by accepting that Riley’s death was a horrible tragedy.
‘The evidence in this case is very good that Laken Riley was murdered,’ he said. ‘
The evidence that Jose Ibarra killed Laken Riley is circumstantial. The evidence that anyone had any intent or certainly committed any sexual assault is speculation.’
Kirby said evidence linking Ibarra to Riley in particular ‘is lacking’ and could not be proven beyond doubt.
If ‘the presumption of innocence is respected, there should not be enough evidence to convince [the judge] beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Ibarra is guilty of the crimes charged,’ he said.
Ibarra had previous run-ins with law enforcement since arriving in the United States via El Paso, Texas, illegally
This jacket was seized from a dumpster and taken for forensic testing, revealing a mixture of Riley’s DNA and Ibarra’s DNA. Long, brunette strands of hair were wrapped around a button on the jacket which were ‘consistent with Riley’s hair and forcibly removed from her head’
The court saw images of Ibarra with scratches on his neck (pictured) after Riley’s death
Ibarra had previous run-ins with law enforcement since arriving in the United States illegally.
He was paroled in 2022 for ‘further processing’ after entering America, and was then arrested in New York City in September 2013. Police allegedly released him ‘before a detainer could be issued.’
New York officials claimed there was no record of Ibarra’s arrest.
His older brother, who also entered the United States illegally, has ties to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
Ibarra required a translator during court proceedings. Earlier this week, he requested a judge-only trial, which was approved.
He was indicted on 10 counts, including charges of murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
Ibarra’s legal team had sought to have certain evidence suppressed, but the request was denied.