ATHENS, Ga. — Prosecutors have decided not to pursue the death penalty against Jose Ibarra, the man accused of murdering Augusta University student Laken Riley. Instead, the state will seek a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, according to court documents filed today with the District Attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit.
It comes after he appeared in the Clarke County Superior Court for an arraignment on Friday morning, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges, sending the case to trial.
Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus in February, and her death sent shockwaves through the community and beyond, making national headlines and becoming a political flashpoint in the debate on border security. Her death even led to a Georgia bill requiring jailers to check the immigration statuses of those in custody.
The killing stunned students and staff at the university after police said Ibarra did not know Riley and took her life in an apparently random attack.
Ibarra was apprehended shortly after the incident and indicted on 10 charges, which include malice murder, three felony murder charges, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence, and peeping tom.
The trial is expected to begin in the fall.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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