ATHENS, Ga.—Prosecutors finished calling witnesses Tuesday in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, and the defense began presenting its case but quickly ran into snags.
Jose Ibarra, 26, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s February death. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning the case will be decided alone by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.
The Feb. 22 killing on the University of Georgia campus added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the United States in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case. Riley, 22, was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, about 70 miles east of Atlanta….