Prosecution is expected to rest in trial over death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case Tuesday in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

Jose Ibarra, 26, is charged with murder and other crimes in Riley’s death in February. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning the case will be decided alone by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard.

The killing added fuel to the national debate over immigration when federal authorities said Ibarra illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was allowed to stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case.

The trial began Friday, and prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses over the first two days of testimony. That included law enforcement officers, Riley’s roommates and a woman who lived in the same apartment as Ibarra. Prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge Monday that she expected to finish calling witnesses Tuesday, and defense attorneys said their witnesses should take half a day at most. That means the case could go to the judge by the end of the day.

Ross said during her opening statement that Ibarra encountered Riley while she was running on the University of Georgia campus and killed her during a struggle. Riley was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Atlanta.

Defense attorney Dustin Kirby said in his opening statements that Riley’s death was a tragedy and called the evidence in the case graphic and disturbing. But he said there is not sufficient evidence to prove that his client killed Riley.

Riley’s parents, roommates and other friends and family packed the courtroom Friday and again Monday and Tuesday.