Prosecutors say surveillance footage shows the suspect in the murder of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student, throwing a bloody coat and gloves into a dumpster shortly after her killing.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, is charged with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other crimes in connection with the killing of the 22-year-old in February.
Last month, his lawyers requested a hearing to suppress a list of evidence showing police unlawfully entered his apartment, the Fox News.
The prosecution opposed the charges, saying they feared people in Ibarra’s apartment would destroy evidence and that they have video footage of a man throwing away bloody clothing outside the complex.
‘[The video] shows a Hispanic male discarding a bloody coat with long dark hair and bloody gloves less than 30 minutes after Laken Riley’s murder and less than a half mile from her body,” the DA’s office said.
Laken Riley (pictured), 22, was killed in February while out for a run
Jose Ibarra (pictured), a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has been charged in her death
‘The video in the trash can also shows that the Latin American man was wearing a black baseball cap with a white Adidas logo, white lettering below the logo and a sticker on the brim of the cap.’
Nearly 12 hours later, an Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office sergeant patrolling Ibarra’s apartment complex “observed in plain view, in broad daylight, a Hispanic male walking through the apartment complex wearing the same hat seen in the trash can video.”
The man in the hat identified himself as Diego Ibarra, Jose Ibarra’s older brother, and allegedly gave police a fake green card.
Prosecutors say they have footage of a man throwing away bloody clothing outside Ibarra’s apartment complex 30 minutes after Riley’s murder.
‘[At that point] “There was probable cause to believe that homicide evidence might be present in the apartment. They determined that they needed to secure the apartment pending the application for a search warrant, fearing further destruction of evidence,” prosecutors wrote in court documents seen by Fox News.
“This decision was reasonable and does not violate the Fourth Amendment.”
Riley’s body was found near jogging trails on February 22, after a friend told police she hadn’t returned from a morning run. Police said her murder appeared to be a random attack.
Ibarra is accused of hitting a nursing student at Augusta University College of Nursing in the head, choking her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her.
Ibarra is accused of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, choking her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her.
The indictment charges Ibarra with first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, obstructing an 911 call, tampering with evidence and peeping.
Riley’s killing immediately became a hot button issue in the national immigration debate, as Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to remain to process his immigration case.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed President Joe Biden and his border policies for Riley’s death.