{"id":2578544,"date":"2026-03-11T09:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/laken-rileys-convicted-killer-strikes-out-in-court\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T09:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:58:14","slug":"laken-rileys-convicted-killer-strikes-out-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/laken-rileys-convicted-killer-strikes-out-in-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Laken Riley&#8217;s Convicted Killer Strikes Out in Court"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flaken-rileys-convicted-killer-strikes-out-in-court%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2578544&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>&#8211; Jose ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-peaceful-jan-6-protesters-convicted-of-parading\/\" title=\"More Peaceful Jan 6 Protesters Convicted of \u201cParading\u201d\">prior police record<\/a>, killed Laken Riley, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >nursing student<\/a> at the University of Georgia, on the Athens campus in February 2024 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a bench trial in November 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ibarra sought a new trial,but Clarke county Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard denied the request on March 10, 2026, saying the evidence against him was overwhelming and would not have changed with a delay or further examination.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The defense argued that DNA evidence should be reviewed and that a delay to examine it could have affected the outcome; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-supreme-court-takes-up-trump-lawsuit-days-ahead-of-electoral-college-vote\/\" title=\"Wisconsin Supreme Court Takes Up Trump Lawsuit Days Ahead of Electoral College Vote\">judge ruled<\/a> the DNA presentation was not persuasive and would not have changed the verdict anyway.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The defense also claimed two cellphones were seized from Ibarra\u2019s apartment without a warrant; the judge ruled the seizure was justified by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-trumps-lawyers-offer-former-presidents-answer-to-impeachment-article-on-incitement-of-insurrection\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Trump\u2019s Lawyers Offer Former President\u2019s Answer To Impeachment Article On Incitement Of Insurrection\">exigent circumstances<\/a> and later warrants permitted the searches.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Prosecutors noted no competency concerns about Ibarra; the ruling leaves room for an appeal by his attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The case drew public attention to the killing of Riley and prompted various social media responses.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The illegal immigrant who was convicted of killing Laken Riley has lost his bid for a new trial.<\/p>\n<p>Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who had a police record even before he killed Riley in February 2024 while she was running on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia, had been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard threw out the request for a new trial, saying the evidence against him was &ldquo;overwhelming and powerful,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/atlanta\/news\/judge-ruling-new-trial-jose-ibarra-laken-riley-murder-conviction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Haggard had presided over the bench trial in November 2024 after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">No new trial for man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/q8obWYKgB3\">https:\/\/t.co\/q8obWYKgB3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Robert J Kingsbury (@RobertJKingsbu1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RobertJKingsbu1\/status\/2031495311122997469?\">March 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>One basis for seeking a new trial was that Haggard had denied the defense a delay to allow for further examination of DNA evidence, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/laken-riley-jose-ibarra-georgia-nursing-student-8867c860682bc93e9e66d443b6e41ce6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Haggard wrote in his Monday order that the defense &ldquo;effectively challenged&rdquo; the DNA evidence during the trial, and that Ibarra&rsquo;s defense did not suffer after he did not grant the delay.<\/p>\n<p>The DNA expert the defense hired testified during a January motion seeking a new trial.<\/p>\n<p>Haggard said her presentation was neither persuasive nor credible and would not have changed the outcome of the trial.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Laken Riley died of blunt force trauma, the chief says.<br \/> Called it a crime of opportunity,<br \/> Jose Antonio Ibarra did not know Laken, police say. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qM65iHDb5B\">pic.twitter.com\/qM65iHDb5B<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrianEntin\/status\/1761191318846312632?\">February 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Ibarra&rsquo;s attorneys also claimed a new trial was necessary because two cell phones were seized from Ibarra&rsquo;s apartment even though they were not listed on a search warrant.<\/p>\n<p>Haggard said there were &ldquo;exigent circumstances authorizing the seizure of the cellphones&rdquo; and that the phones were only searched after warrants allowed police to do so.<\/p>\n<p>A representative of Ibarra&rsquo;s attorneys said they will appeal the ruling, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantanewsfirst.com\/2026\/03\/10\/no-new-trial-man-convicted-killing-georgia-nursing-student-laken-riley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Atlanta News First<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Laken Riley is from my district in GA<\/p>\n<p>She was brutally raped, beaten and murdered<\/p>\n<p>At what point do we stand up and say no more?<\/p>\n<p>These savage animals are crossing the border illegally and murdering our children.<\/p>\n<p>When is enough, enough?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Amy Kremer (@AmyKremer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmyKremer\/status\/1761520925499900162?\">February 24, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  As noted by CBS News, Ibarra&rsquo;s attorneys have claimed he has a &ldquo;congenital deficiency&rdquo; that might mean he is &ldquo;incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have noted there were &ldquo;no challenges or concerns&rdquo; in regard to Ibarra&rsquo;s competency before his trial.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ]; 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Venezuelan immigrant named Jose Ibarra, who had a prior police record, killed Laken Riley on the University of Georgia\u2019s Athens campus in February 2024 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. On March 10, 2026, Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard denied Ibarra\u2019s request for a new trial, saying the evidence against him was overwhelming. Ibarra had waived a jury trial and received a bench trial in November 2024.<\/p>\n<p>In seeking a new trial, his lawyers argued that the court should have allowed more time to review DNA evidence. Haggard said the defense had effectively challenged the DNA and that not granting the delay would not have changed the outcome. The defense\u2019s DNA testimony occurred during a January motion for a new trial.<\/p>\n<p>The defense also claimed two cellphones were seized from Ibarra\u2019s apartment without a warrant. Haggard ruled there were exigent circumstances justifying the seizure and that the phones were searched only after warrants were obtained.<\/p>\n<p>Ibarra\u2019s attorneys said they would appeal the ruling. Prosecutors noted there were no competency concerns about Ibarra before the trial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2578545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-11T093646.358.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4733,50403,58636,4853],"class_list":["post-2578544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-court","tag-crime-2","tag-lakenriley","tag-trial"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-11T093646.358.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2578544"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2578549,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578544\/revisions\/2578549"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2578545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2578544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2578544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2578544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}