Laken Riley murder case: Jose Ibarra back in court for hearing on DNA evidence

ATHENS, Ga. — The man accused of murdering Laken Riley on the University of Georgia’s campus in February is expected back in court Friday morning for a hearing on the use of genetic evidence at trial.

Attorneys representing Jose Antonio Ibarra are contesting the use of DNA evidence collected during the investigation into Riley’s death. They have questions about the “underlying data concerning DNA testing in this case.”

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Channel 2 Action News reported in early October that Ibarra’s attorneys previously argued in court documents filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court that neither the defense counsel, nor state prosecutors, had been provided with the DNA evidence in question, despite “repeated requests” from both legal teams.

“Without that data, Defendant, cannot properly evaluate whether scientific methods were properly applied to this case. The State does not oppose a continuance,” the motion from Ibarra’s attorneys reads.

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The genetic evidence itself consists of materials taken from under Riley’s fingernails and a sample taken from Ibarra.

According to documents filed by Ibarra’s defense team, the DNA testing performed by a forensic biologist on behalf of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation using TrueAllele Casework Software “did not exclude Defendant, but also did not exclude another known individual associated with the case.”

Further, the defense argued in their motion to exclude the DNA evidence that the results of the tests “gave various probabilities of whether or not the sample in question was more or less likely to be a particular individual or a coincidental match,” as a reason to not allow its use at trial.

Court proceedings for Ibarra’s hearing on DNA evidence is expected Friday morning at the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court.

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