The mother of Laken Riley — the Georgia nursing student allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant — wiped away tears Friday, as a judge set a trial date for her daughter’s suspected killer.
Allyson Phillips and her husband, John Phillips, sat in the galley during the status hearing. Allyson sniffled as she entered the courtroom, prompting special prosecutor Sheila Ross to comfort her before the suspect, Jose Ibarra, came in, Fox News reported.
Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard set Ibarra’s trial for November 18, with jury selection beginning five days earlier.
Venezuelan migrant Ibarra, 26 — who illegally came into the US over the southern border — is accused of killing 22-year-old Laken as she went for a run near the University of Georgia campus in Athens last February.
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark called the incident a “crime of opportunity.”
Riley’s death rocked the nation — sparking fierce conversation over the Biden administration’s border policies that’s allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants to pour into the country each month.
According to her autopsy, the aspiring nurse died of asphyxiation and blunt-force trauma to her head. Her body was found about five minutes away from Ibarra’s apartment, according to a police report.
Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence, and spying.
In addition to facing 10 counts in connection with Riley’s murder, Ibarra faces further charges for allegedly peeping at a UGA staff member on the same day as the slaying.
Prosecutors will seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ibarra entered the US illegally in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released after about a day in custody, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement insiders.
The Venezuelan national then made his way to New York City, where he lived in a shelter provided by the city, while posting pictures of himself smiling at Big Apple landmarks.
Ibarra, who has been linked to the Venezuelan gang El Tren de Aragua, was arrested in New York for child endangerment. He was charged with a felony and released.
Later, Ibarra was charged with green card fraud after he presented police officers with a fake permanent residency card.
Ibarra did not speak in Friday’s hearing. As they left the courthouse, Riley’s family declined to address the media.