Judge denies motion to suppress evidence for Laken Riley’s accused killer ahead of trial

ATLANTA — The judge overseeing the Laken Riley murder case denied a motion from her accused killer’s attorneys asking that some evidence in the case be suppressed ahead of trial.

Laken Riley was jogging on the university’s campus on Feb. 22 when she was attacked and killed. Police arrested and charged Jose Ibarra, who a grand jury indicted on 10 counts, including murder.

Defense attorneys representing Ibarra filed a motion in September to suppress evidence collected in the days and months after Riley’s death. The motion claims some evidence seized by authorities was collected in “an unlawful manner.”

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The attorneys specifically mentioned two cell phones that belonged to Ibarra, DNA samples taken from Ibarra, the contents of his social media accounts, including Snapchat, and Google location data.

The motion accused law enforcement officers of entering Ibarra’s apartment without a proper warrant the day after Riley was killed. The motion claims that other search warrants issued in March weren’t based on probable cause and were “fruit of the poisonous tree.”

In his conclusion, the judge said that Ibarra was “lawfully detained and arrested” and that the “search warrants were valid and properly executed” in the case.

Jury selection for the Ibarra trial is currently set for Wednesday with opening statements scheduled on Nov. 18.

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