CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — Attorneys for the man convicted of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus earlier this year are asking for a new trial.
According to a court document filed on Monday, Jose Ibarra’s attorneys are requesting another trial.
The motion claimed that the verdict goes against the law and evidence and that the “Court committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial.”
They did not comment on what those errors are.
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Last month, Ibarra opted for a bench trial instead of facing a jury, meaning the judge alone would determine guilt or innocence.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard found him guilty on all charges and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to Georgia law, Ibarra had 30 days to appeal the verdict or request a new trial.
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On Feb. 22, 2024, Riley, 22, was found dead after going for a jog, on the university’s intramural fields and never returned. Police found her unconscious and injured in a wooded area behind the fields. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators arrested Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant who was in the country illegally. His brother, Diego, pleaded guilty to possession of a fraudulent green card.
The prosecution said Ibarra attacked Riley, asphyxiated her and tried to sexually assault her. An autopsy determined that Riley died of blunt force trauma to her head and asphyxia.
During the trial, the prosecution showed the judge surveillance video of Riley jogging just minutes before she was killed.
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