The mother of a nursing student who was allegedly murdered by an illegal migrant in Georgia broke into heartbreaking tears when her daughter’s accused killer appeared at a court hearing.
Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University in Athens, was allegedly murdered by José Ibarra in February.
On Friday, Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, was seen emotional in the courtroom as she put a tissue to her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.
At one point, Phillips was seen covering his eyes with bandanas while a video was played in court.
Ibarra was in court for a motions hearing ahead of his trial scheduled for next month. Jury selection is expected to begin Nov. 13.
He sat somberly in court while wearing translation headphones and a white button-down shirt.
On Friday, Laken Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, was seen emotional in the courtroom as she put a tissue to her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.
Phillips was seen covering his eyes with the scarf as a video was played in court.
Riley’s murder 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 continue his immigration case.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
A 10-count indictment accuses Ibarra of hitting the 22-year-old student in the head, choking her and lifting her clothing with the intent to sexually assault her.
Ibarra, who has family ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Riley’s body was found Feb. 22 near running trails after a friend told police she hadn’t returned from a morning run. Police have said his murder appeared to be a random attack.
Ibarra was arrested the next day and remains held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.
The judge began hearing arguments on four motions on Friday. They include a motion by Ibarra’s attorneys to move the trial from Athens because of pretrial publicity and an attempt to have the voyeurism charge against him be tried separately because it involves a different alleged victim.
Jose Ibarra is accused of killing Riley in February. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Ibarra’s lawyers also seek to exclude some evidence and expert testimony.
Phillips took to Facebook in March, a day after her 22-year-old daughter was buried, to write a heartbreaking post detailing the loss.
The devastated mother said the ordeal was an “avoidable tragedy”, adding: “As I sat down to write this message, I truly have no words.”
‘My family has faced the most devastating and unimaginable loss anyone could be forced to endure. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for being with me and my family during this heartbreaking time.
Riley, who grew up in Woodstock, Georgia, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2023.
A 10-count indictment accuses Ibarra of hitting the 22-year-old student in the head, choking her and lifting her clothing with the intent to sexually assault her.
Riley’s murder 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 continue his immigration case.
He graduated from River Ridge High School in 2020 and was a member of his high school’s track and cross country teams. Cherokee County School District Superintendent Brian Hightower described her as “an outstanding academic athlete.”
The country’s broken immigration system has become a major campaign issue after an unprecedented immigration surge hit the budgets of cities including New York, Chicago and Denver.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, has escalated his anti-immigrant rhetoric by suggesting that immigrants commit crimes more often than American citizens, although evidence does not support those claims.
In late September, Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris toured a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and called for further tightening of asylum restrictions as she sought to project a tougher stance on illegal migration and address one of its greater vulnerabilities in the November elections. choice.
She balanced tough talk about border enforcement with calls for a better way to receive immigrants legally.
