Laken Riley murder: Judge orders mental evaluation for convicted killer
Jose Ibarra trial: Day 3
ATHENS, Ga. - The man convicted of killing 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley in Athens has been granted a court-ordered mental evaluation, following concerns raised by his defense attorneys about his competency, according to FOX News.
PREVIOUS STORY: Jose Ibarra found guilty for murder of Laken Riley, sentenced to life without parole
Who killed Laken Riley?
What we know:
Jose Ibarra, a 27-year-old Venezuelan national, was previously found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Riley’s brutal murder near the University of Georgia campus earlier this year.
Last week, Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard ruled that Ibarra should undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether he is competent to participate in post-conviction proceedings, including appeals.
What they're saying:
Defense attorneys argued that Ibarra may suffer from a congenital mental deficiency that affected him at the time of the crime and throughout his trial. They claim he does not fully understand the legal process and may have been unable to participate in his defense.
In his order, Judge Haggard instructed the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to coordinate a prompt mental evaluation, either at a state correctional facility or hospital. The evaluation will be publicly funded.
While prosecutors said there was no evidence during the trial to suggest Ibarra was mentally incompetent, they did not object to the evaluation request, leaving the decision to the judge.
Laken Riley's murder
The backstory:
Riley was killed in February while jogging on trails near Lake Herrick in Athens. Investigators say Ibarra dragged the nursing student into a wooded area, and beat her to death with a rock.
RELATED: Laken Riley murder: Jose Ibarra 'went hunting for females' on UGA campus, prosecutors say
The case drew national attention not only for its brutality, but also because of Ibarra’s immigration status.
RELATED: Laken Riley's death opens larger discussion about immigration, deportation
Authorities said he entered the U.S. illegally through El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was later arrested in New York in 2023 on unrelated charges involving a child and a traffic offense. He was released and later traveled to Georgia, where the fatal attack occurred.
Ibarra's brothers were also arrested for being in the country illegally.
Laken Riley Act explained
Big picture view:
Riley's death sparked the creation of the Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump as his first piece of legislation coming into his second term. The act mandates the detention and potential deportation of immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, even before conviction.
It also requires federal officials to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes such as theft, assaulting a police officer, or causing injury or death. It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by immigration policy decisions.
What's next:
Ibarra remains in state custody as his legal team prepares to appeal the conviction.