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The individual charged with the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley is attempting to overturn his conviction by highlighting alleged procedural errors and disputing the evidence presented against him.
On Friday, a hearing took place in Clarke County Superior Court, where Judge H. Patrick Haggard considered the arguments for dismissing 28-year-old Jose Ibarra’s conviction. The session included insights from a DNA specialist whose findings play a critical role in the defense’s push for a retrial, as reported by FOX News Digital.
According to CrimeOnline, Ibarra was found guilty on November 20, 2025, of multiple offenses, including malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, among others. This verdict followed the discovery of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University, who was found dead after jogging around the University of Georgia campus in Athens.
Rather than opting for a jury, Ibarra chose a bench trial, which resulted in Judge Haggard sentencing him to two consecutive life terms, plus additional consecutive sentences for lesser charges, all without the possibility of parole.
Ibarra’s defense argues that his constitutional rights were violated when the court denied a request to postpone the trial. DNA expert Ruth Ballard had sought the delay to ensure the thorough completion of her analysis.
Haggard denied the request, and the trial proceeded as planned.
During Friday’s hearing, Ballard took the stand to discuss forensic evidence she analyzed. Ballard could not entirely dismiss the theory that Ibarra’s DNA ended up on the evidence through indirect transfer.
Ballard had previously written that Ibarra’s killing of Riley served as a “reasonable explanation” for why his DNA had been found on the evidence.
Attorneys also argued that the search warrants used to seize and analyze two cellphones linked to Ibarra “lacked probable cause,” and should have been suppressed. The arguments were rejected by Haggard, according to KWTX.
The defense is seeking to exclude testimony derived from TrueAllele Casework, a sophisticated software used to parse complex DNA mixtures.
Haggard did not issue a ruling after Friday’s testimony. Instead, he has granted both the defense and the prosecution until March 2 to submit their responses and supplemental filings.
Under Georgia law, the window to appeal a conviction is strictly timed. However, the motion filing for a new trial effectively pauses the clock until a final decision is reached on the motion itself.
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[Feature Photo: Laken Hope Riley/Facebook]