ATHENS, Ga. — Newly obtained court filings are painting a clearer picture of prosecutors’ case against Jose Ibarra, the accused killer of Laken Riley.
In one court document filed earlier this month, state attorneys allege that a detective identified Ibarra's “thumb print on Laken Riley’s cellular telephone.” In another, they accuse the defendant, Jose Ibarra, of interfering with Riley’s call for help.
“Laken Riley called 911 from her cellular telephone,” they wrote in a court filing last month. “That 911 call – the last outgoing call from Laken Riley’s cellular telephone – was disconnected by Defendant Ibarra.”
The details come as prosecutors and defense attorneys clash over what evidence should be allowed to be presented to a jury. Trial is currently scheduled to begin in November.
RELATED: Suspect accused in Laken's Riley death files motion to suppress evidence in case, records show
Ibarra, 26, is accused of killing Riley, 22, on UGA's campus on the morning of Feb. 22. According to authorities, Riley had gone for a run and when she didn't return, a concerned friend called campus law enforcement. UGA Police discovered her body with "visible injuries" in the forested area by Lake Herrick.
Ibarra has pleaded not guilty in the case. When reached for comment, the public defender's office representing Ibarra declined to comment for this story.
In the weeks and months following Riley's death, the case has become a flashpoint for the debate around immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Forensic evidence, expert testimony
In newly obtained court filings, attorneys clashed over the admissibility of some forensic evidence.
Prosecutors want to introduce forensic evidence they say was obtained from "Riley's fingernails," as well as "discarded bloody gloves," a baseball cap, and a hoodie.
Law enforcement used a third-party software vendor known as TrueAllele to help analyze some DNA samples gathered from the forensic evidence, according to an August motion from the defense team. "TrueAllele Casework Software is a proprietary software sold by Cybernetics, a for-profit company, to law enforcement agencies," the attorneys wrote. "It is designed to assist with DNA matching analysis through biological modeling, statistical theory, computer algorithms and probability distributions."
Defense attorneys asked the judge handling the case to suppress the results of the TrueAllele test, arguing that, "because TrueAllele's source code is not available to the public or indeed any independent expert, it is impossible to know the extent to which it is prone to errors or how it is coming to a 'conclusion.'"
In their own motion earlier this month, prosecutors disputed that and urged the judge to allow them to share the TrueAllele results with the jury, arguing that the software vendor's source code is available for inspection and that the results in this case "will aid the jury in its determination of the guilt or innocence of Defendant for the crimes charged in the indictment."
Past clashes over evidence
Defense lawyers have previously asked the judge to suppress much of the state’s evidence – including cell phones, “genetic and physical information” taken from Ibarra, and “the contents of Defendant’s social media accounts.” They argue that law enforcement gathered the evidence unlawfully.
“In investigating the incident of February 22, 2024, law enforcement officers engaged in a number of unlawful searches and seizures that violated Defendant’s constitutional rights,” defense attorneys wrote in an August court filing.
Prosecutors dispute that. In their own court paperwork filed this month, they wrote that a video “depicts a Latino male disposing of a bloody jacket with long dark hair on it and bloody gloves less than 30 minutes after the death of Laken Riley and within a half mile from her body.”
An officer who later contacted Ibarra “observed that Jose Ibarra looked similar to the person in the dumpster video and he observed many scratches and injuries to Jose Ibarra’s person,” the court filing continues.
The prosecutors argue those alleged facts – in addition to other alleged evidence – gave officers “reasonable articulable suspicion” to detain and investigate Ibarra. They further contend that that nine search warrants related to the case were supported by probable cause that “will be discussed with more particularity” at an upcoming evidentiary hearing.
According to publicly accessible court records, the judge has not yet ruled on the evidentiary disputes. A hearing is scheduled for October.
Jose Ibarra full charges in Laken Riley's killing
- Malice murder
- Felony murder
- Felony murder
- Felony murder
- Kidnapping with bodily injury
- Aggravated assault with intent to rape
- Aggravated battery
- Obstruction or hindering a person making emergency telephone call
- Tampering with evidence
- Peeping Tom