As the trial continues for Jose Ibarra, accused of brutally murdering University of Georgia student Laken Riley, police reveal his alleged demeanor as they initially questioned him about apparent scratches on his body — and claimed Jose and his brother were “laughing” throughout.
Two police officers took the stand on Monday in the Laken Riley murder trial, each of them opening up about accused killer Jose Ibarra’s alleged behavior as authorities first spoke with him after the college student’s body was discovered.
Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who entered the country illegally, stands accused of killing the 22-year-old University of Georgia college student earlier this year. Riley’s body was found on February 22, after she failed to return home from a run.
Ibarra, 26, was arrested the following morning and charged with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and being a peeping Tom.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The first to take the stand on Monday was University of Georgia police officer Sgt. Joshua Epps, who testified about seeing injuries on Ibarra he said “looked like fingernail scratches” the day after the murder.
Officers “dumpster diving” found a black hoodie with “long, dark hair on it” and blood stains inside the trash bin for an apartment complex where Ibarra lived. Security footage showed a man holding onto an Adidas hat walking up to the dumpster and throwing something away; while searching the area, they came across Ibarra’s brother, Diego — who was wearing what appeared to be the same Adidas hat.
Police began speaking with Diego, before waking up Jose and another roommate inside the apartment to speak with them as well. Bodycam footage played for the court Monday showed officers wake the pair, telling them to come outside.
Law&Crime
“I noticed on his right arm, his bicep there was a scratch, which I identified as a potential defensive wound,” said Epps when asked about markings he said he saw on Ibarra. He also said he noticed what looked like fingernail marks on his left forearm, as well as a “puncture” he also thought came from a fingernail.
“I could see like wet flesh, almost like it was fresh. It wasn’t very old, possibly still irritated … I could see the liquid or body fluids that would be in that cut reflecting with light.”
He also testified to seeing bruising to the thumb and palm area.
A second officer, Cpl. Rafael Sayan, was brought to the scene after initial responders couldn’t communicate with the Ibarras, who speak Spanish. Asked about the “vibe” between the brothers at the scene, Sayan said, “They were speaking to one another, laughing.”
“It seemed very relaxed. There was a lot of laughing, giggling, especially when they were talking about how they were woken up, pulled out of the apartment,” he said. “I would say the vibe or atmosphere was very relaxed.”
Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool/Law&Crime/Augusta University
Laken Riley Murder Trial: Last Moments of College Student Who Put Up ‘Fierce’ Fight with Killer Revealed
View Story
Additional bodycam footage showed Sayan asking Jose about redness he saw on his knuckles. Per Sayan, Ibarra said the coloring was due to the cold. Ibarra was also asked about a cut on his right bicep, with the suspect allegedly saying he “had a scratch but he didn’t exactly explain from where or how.”
Asked about additional cuts on his arm, Ibarra at first allegedly said he didn’t have anything on them. When it was pointed out, he again said it was “just a scratch.” Sayan said the cut “didn’t look very old.”
Police also had Ibarra hold back his hair, with Sayan saying he could see “a red mark going across” his forehead — “as if he had been wearing a hat.” Sayan said Ibarra told authorities he did wear a hat similar to the one Diego had on his head.
The Prosecution’s Case
While Ibarra was initially set for a jury trial, the judge agreed to a bench trial on Tuesday — meaning the defendant’s fate will be decided by a judge and not a jury.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross, in her opening statements last Friday, said Ibarra “went hunting for females on the University of Georgia campus, and on his hunt he encountered 22-year-old Riley on her morning jog.”
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly. The evidence will show that Laken fought,” she continued. “She fought for her life, she fought for her dignity, and in that fight, she caused this defendant to leave forensic evidence behind. She also marked her killer for the entire world to see.”
Law&Crime
Ross then laid out the prosecution’s timeline, using digital evidence gathered from security cameras, 911 calls and Riley’s own fitness watch. Per Ross, at 4:30am and 5:27am on the morning of Riley’s murder, Ibarra shared photos of himself to Snapchat in which he was seen wearing an Adidas hat, black jacket and hoodie (left above).
At 6:52am, a man appearing to wear the same outfit was then seen heading toward campus in security footage (center), where he then attempted to open another student’s door while she showered (right).
The prosecution said this man, who they believe is Ibarra, went up to the door six times in the span of an hour, trying to open it twice. The student inside called police, reporting a Peeping Tom.
Clarke County Sheriff’s Office/Augusta University
UGA Murder Suspect Accused of ‘Disfiguring Skull’ of Nursing Student Laken Riley
View Story
At 9:03am, Riley was seen leaving her home on a Ring camera, before a trail cam picked her up at 9:05. That’s the last time she was seen alive, headed toward the crime scene.
Then, at 9:11, said Ross, Riley activated the emergency services feature on her phone to call 911. The 1 minute, 8 second call was played for the court, in which the operator can been heard saying, “Hello” repeatedly, before asking, “Can anyone hear me?”
Only the sounds of birds and a muffled male’s voice could be heard. When the phone hung up, police attempted calling back twice, but received no answer.
Riley’s body was found shortly after 12:30pm that same day, in a wooded area off the trail.
“She was hidden, almost under a tree, covered up with a bunch of leaves. Her breasts were completely exposed. All three layers of her clothing were pulled up around her neck,” said Ross. “Her underwear was protruding from her tights … [she had] severe injuries to the left side of her head. She was dead, she was cold.”
Using medical data pulled from her Garmin watch, Ross said it showed Riley was running and listening to music when “something” suddenly happened to her. “He does something to her, to make her stop dead in her tracks,” she claimed.
“Her heart rate is still going until 9:28am. Her encounter with him was long. Her fight with him was fierce and that is what the Garmin data shows,” added Ross. “Once her heart stops at 9:28am, there’s no more movement form her Garmin.”
Law&Crime
As police looked for a lead, they started “dumpster diving,” said Ross — with one officer finding a black hoodie with “long, dark hair on it” and blood stains. A security camera pointed at the dumpster then showed someone holding an Adidas hat and wearing the same shirt Ibarra was seen in wearing in another Snapchat photo walking toward the bin and dropping the jacket inside (split above). He was also seen leaving something in the nearby bushes, which were later found to be black disposable gloves with blood on them.
While police continued to search the area the following morning, they came across Ibarra’s brother, Diego, wearing the same Adidas hat. They eventually got a warrant for his apartment and found Jose asleep inside.
Per Ross, DNA of both Riley and Ibarra was found on the jacket, while the hair was “consistent with Laken’s” and appeared “forcibly removed from her head.” Ross also said Ibarra’s DNA was left under her fingernails, while his thumbprint was left on her iPhone screen.
Detailing the attack on Riley, Ross also said a sexual assault kit came back negative for male DNA, though her underwear had been torn. She said Riley suffered a complex, depressed skull fracture, as well as 8 lacerations of the skull “which literally look like holes,” and abrasions to the neck, face and torso.
Words from the Defense
“The evidence that Jose Ibarra killed anyone is circumstantial,” Ibarra’s attorney, Dustin W. Kirby, shared in his opening statement on Friday. Kirby also claimed it would take “gymnastics” for prosecutors to prove his client was the killer.
“We waived a jury trial in this case, with the hope and trust that despite the nature of this evidence that you could come to a verdict that was not just a way of of easing this family suffering, but it was based on an impartial and honest assessment of the evidence in this case,” he also said.
“If that happens and the presumption of innocence is respected, there should not be enough evidence to convince you beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Ibarra is guilty of the crimes charged,” he added.
The trial is ongoing.
