Surveillance footage captured the suspected killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley throwing a bloody jacket and gloves into a dumpster shortly after her murder, prosecutors say.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, is charged with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other crimes in the killing of the 22-year-old in February.
Last month, her lawyers requested a hearing to suppress a list of evidence alleging that police entered her apartment illegally, she said. Fox News.
Prosecutors responded by saying they feared people in Ibarra’s apartment would destroy evidence and have video of a man discarding bloody clothing outside the complex.
“(The video) shows a Latino man discarding a bloody jacket with long, dark hair and bloody gloves less than 30 minutes after Laken Riley was killed and half a mile from her body,” prosecutors said.
Laken Riley (pictured), 22, was killed while on the run in February.
Jose Ibarra (pictured), a 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan immigrant, has been charged with her death.
‘The dumpster video further shows the Latino man was wearing a black baseball cap with a white Adidas logo, white writing below the logo, and a sticker on the bill of the cap.’
Nearly 12 hours later, an Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office sergeant patrolling Ibarra’s apartment complex “saw in public, in plain view, walking in the apartment complex in broad daylight, a Latino male wearing the “identical” hat to the one seen in the dumpster video.”
The man in the hat identified himself as Diego Ibarra, José Ibarra’s older brother, and allegedly gave police a fake green card.
Prosecutors said they have images of a man discarding bloody clothing outside Ibarra’s apartment complex 30 minutes after Riley was killed.
“(At the time) there was probable cause to believe that evidence of the crime of murder could be located within the apartment and they decided that urgency required them to secure the apartment pending the execution of a search warrant for fear of further destruction of evidence,” prosecutors wrote in court documents viewed by Fox News.
‘This decision was reasonable and does not violate the Fourth Amendment.’
Riley’s body was found Feb. 22 near jogging trails after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run, and police said her killing appeared to be a random attack.
Ibarra is accused of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, choking her and lifting her clothing with the intent to rape her.
Ibarra is accused of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, choking her and lifting her clothing with the intent to rape her.
The indictment charges Ibarra with one count of malicious homicide, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, obstructing an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping tom.
Riley’s killing immediately became a flashpoint in the national immigration debate because Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
