By Joe Johnson
A trial date has been scheduled for the suspect who is accused of murdering nursing student Laken Riley.
During a status hearing Friday morning in Clarke County Superior Court, Judge H. Patrick Haggard scheduled Jose Ibarra to stand trial beginning on November 18.
An indictment alleges that on the morning of Feb. 22, Ibarra murdered Riley during a sexual assault on a University of Georgia running trail.
The 22-year-old victim had been beaten in the head with a rock and strangled.
The indictment charges Ibarra with malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to commit rape, aggravated battery, interference with a 911 emergency call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom.
The peeping charge stems from Ibarra allegedly peering through the window of an apartment at University Village, a student housing complex next door to where Ibarra lived at Argo Apartments on South Milledge Avenue. That incident happened earlier in the morning of Riley’s murder.
Judge Haggard said the trial could start on Nov. 18, provided that there are no motions that delay the case.
Defense attorneys said they expect to file additional pretrial motions after having received more evidence in the case on Friday morning.
Commenti