Laken Riley fought for her life against the monster who killed her.
Now that monster is back in court claiming he didn't understand what was happening when a judge convicted him and sentenced him to life in prison.
Jose Ibarra returns to an Athens, Georgia courtroom Friday with lawyers arguing he deserves a new trial because he supposedly wasn't mentally competent to stand trial in the first place.
Jose Ibarra's Defense Claims Mental Competency Issues and Language Barriers
Ibarra's new defense team claims the 28-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant is "a slow learner" who may have faced language barriers during his original trial last November.
They're arguing he didn't understand the consequences when he waived his right to a jury trial.
The same judge who convicted him – Judge Patrick Haggard – will hear these arguments Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Haggard already ordered a mental evaluation last July after defense attorneys claimed Ibarra suffered from "congenital deficiency" that made him incapable of mounting a defense.
Prosecutors said there were "no challenges or concerns" about Ibarra's competency before trial began.
Special prosecutor Sheila Ross noted there's nothing in the trial record suggesting Ibarra wasn't competent during proceedings.
But she didn't oppose the evaluation request, leaving the decision to Judge Haggard.
The Evidence That Convicted Him Was Overwhelming
The original trial lasted four days in November 2024.
Judge Haggard found Ibarra guilty on all 10 counts – including murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
The evidence was devastating.
Riley's DNA was found under Ibarra's fingernails, his DNA and hers were both on a jacket police pulled from a trash bin at his apartment complex, and surveillance footage showed him throwing it away.
His left thumbprint was on Riley's iPhone – left there during the struggle when she tried to call 911.
Her smartwatch data showed her heart kept beating for 18 minutes after the attack started at 9:10 a.m. on February 22, 2024.
When they found her body, her running clothes had been pulled down and her jacket and sports bra pulled up – evidence of attempted sexual assault.
Before attacking Riley, Ibarra spent an hour outside a female graduate student's apartment that same morning, trying to open her door while she showered and peering through her window.
Venezuelan Illegal Immigrant's Murder Conviction Under Appeal in Athens Georgia Court
Media outlets covering Friday's hearing cannot show Ibarra entering or exiting the courtroom or photograph him in shackles.
The restrictions protect the image of a man who bashed a 22-year-old nursing student's skull in with a rock because she refused to let him rape her.
Trump Signed Laken Riley Act Into Law After Immigration Policy Became Campaign Issue
Riley's murder became central to Trump's 2024 campaign on illegal immigration and violent crime.
Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on January 29, 2025 – the first bill of his new presidency.
The law requires detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft, burglary, assault on law enforcement, or crimes causing death or serious bodily injury.
It also gives states the right to sue the federal government if an illegal immigrant who was paroled into the country commits crimes that harm the state or its residents.
As of December 2025, over 17,500 illegal immigrants had been detained under the Act's provisions.
Ibarra entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was allowed to remain while his immigration case was pending.
He had already been arrested in October 2023 for shoplifting from a Walmart near the University of Georgia campus.
A bench warrant was issued in December 2023 when he failed to appear in court for that theft case.
Then he murdered Laken Riley two months later.
Riley Family Sees Hope After Trump Immigration Enforcement Changes Under New Administration
Riley's sister told reporters after Trump took office that the family has "hope" because of the new administration's immigration enforcement policies.
But she added there's "still a lot to be done."
Riley's mother Allyson Phillips said during sentencing that Ibarra "took away our chances to see Laken graduate from nursing school."
"He took away our ability to meet our future son-in-law. He destroyed our chances of meeting our grandchildren. And he took my best friend," Phillips said while sobbing in court.
"He ripped away every beautiful memory we will ever be able to make with her again."
Riley was a student at Augusta University's College of Nursing.
She was 22 years old.
She was out for her morning run on trails she used regularly near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia campus when Ibarra attacked her.
Judge Haggard called the evidence against Ibarra "overwhelming and powerful" when he sentenced him to life without parole.
Now Ibarra's lawyers want that conviction thrown out.
They claim he didn't understand the trial where all that overwhelming evidence was presented against him.
Friday's hearing will determine if Judge Haggard buys that argument – or if Laken Riley's killer stays exactly where he belongs for the rest of his life.
Sources:
- Stepheny Price, "Laken Riley's killer Jose Ibarra returns to court as illegal immigrant requests new trial in student's murder," Fox News, January 30, 2026.
- "Man convicted of murdering Laken Riley returning to court to ask for new trial," CBS Atlanta, January 30, 2026.
- "Judge to hear arguments as the man convicted of killing Laken Riley seeks a new trial," ABC News, January 30, 2026.
- "Laken Riley's killer Jose Ibarra wins court order for mental evaluation," Fox News, July 8, 2025.
- "President Trump Signs the Laken Riley Act into Law," U.S. Department of Homeland Security, January 29, 2025.
- "Laken Riley Act," Wikipedia, January 2026.
