ATHENS, Ga. — The man accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia’s campus earlier this year appeared in court on Friday morning.
Jose Ibarra and his attorneys appeared for a status hearing in a Clarke County courtroom.
Channel 2′s Christian Jennings was in the courtroom and will bring you all the latest updates on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4:00 p.m.
During the hearing, the judge said she is looking to start Jose Ibarra’s trial on November 18 with jury selection to begin on November 13.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Riley was jogging on the university’s campus in February when she was attacked and killed.
Her death gained national attention and has been a talking point for Republican lawmakers after it was confirmed that Jose Ibarra was in the country illegally from Venezuela.
In May, a grand jury indicted Ibarra on 10 counts, including Riley’s murder. The indictment say Jose Ibarra asphyxiated Riley and inflicted blunt force trauma to her head.
RELATED STORIES:
- Athens DA bringing in top trial attorney for Laken Riley’s murder case after criticism from lawyers
- Laken Riley murder: Immigration attorney explains suspect’s path from Venezuela to Georgia
- Jose and Diego Ibarra: Court documents reveal immigration, criminal past in the United States
- Laken Riley murder: Affidavits reveal disturbing details about death of 22-year-old nursing student
Prosecutors have announced that they will not seek the death penalty against Jose Ibarra.
According to court documents, investigators initially approached Jose Ibarra’s older brother, Diego Ibarra, because he matched the suspect’s description. Diego Ibarra gave authorities a fake green card and has since pleaded guilty to possession of counterfeit immigration documents. He’s set to be sentenced in October.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/05-31-2024/t_95cbd40bb67841489ab425e5f2fa23f2_name_RAW_UGA_DEATH_ATHENS_01_frame_44710.jpeg)
©2024 Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/5LUDEIPHDJBYFOJTD6U2BVIEVY.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/CYZOVNYPVTLGREF74TX2XJUBII.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/ENMHG3LKYRHHHK4H2Q3EILMDEY.jpeg)
:quality(70)/d1hfln2sfez66z.cloudfront.net/09-06-2024/t_282d1f7302864aae81fce7eb4a59bbd1_name_T5C_QUAN_DEATH_ATL_frame_1212.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/R6I3ZHDRHJZEIQKEEHH3X7P24I.jpg)