OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:29 PM – Monday, July 7, 2025
Laken Riley’s accused killer secured a significant legal victory after a judge granted a defense motion for a mental competency evaluation, following claims that the 27-year-old illegal alien was unfit to stand trial last year.
Jose Ibarra, a member of the violent Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, was convicted in November for the brutal murder of the 22-year-old nursing student, whom prosecutors believe he attempted to sexually assault at the time.
He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
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However, on Thursday, Judge Haggard authorized an order for Ibarra to undergo a mental evaluation, following claims made by his attorneys last month that he allegedly “lacked the cognitive capacity” to prepare his own defense, comprehend the nature of the proceedings, or fully grasp the implications of waiving his right to a jury trial in favor of a bench ruling.
In court filings submitted last month, Ibarra’s appellate counsel argued that he may be suffering from a congenital impairment severe enough to render him incapable of mounting a defense or standing trial competently.
The Case’s Details:
DNA evidence — DNA belonging to Jose Ibarra was found under Laken Riley’s fingernails.
Fingerprint evidence — Ibarra’s left thumbprint was found on Riley’s iPhone, potentially left during a struggle over the phone.
Video evidence — Surveillance footage reportedly showed a man, who appeared to be Ibarra, discarding a jacket and gloves, which were later recovered and found to contain a mixture of both Ibarra’s and Riley’s blood. Video footage also captured Riley’s final moments on the trail.
Digital evidence — Ibarra’s digital profile was shown to overlap with Riley’s location on the trail at around the same time of the murder. His phone was pinged at a dumpster where the bloody clothes were discarded.
Witness testimony — Witnesses described Riley’s injuries and the scene where her body was found. Ibarra had injuries like scratches and other wounds on his hands, arms, neck, and back — which is consistent with a “struggle.”
Sexual assault attempt — Prosecutors presented forensic findings showing that Riley’s clothes were ripped, with her waistband pulled all the way down and shirt and sports bra pulled up, which they interpreted as indicators of a sexual assault attempt.
Ibarra’s defense attorneys also claimed that their client “lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object and proceedings and council believes that this was in existence at the time of the offense and at the time of the trial.”
Prosecutor Sheila Ross, in her court filings, maintained that no evidence that was presented at trial had indicated Ibarra lacked mental competence. However, she did not object to the defense’s request for a psychological evaluation, instead deferring the decision to Judge Haggard.
“The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense,” Haggard’s order stated.
Haggard stated that he sought a medical expert’s assessment to determine whether Ibarra was mentally competent to stand trial last year and whether he is currently capable of participating in his appellate proceedings. He ordered a “prompt evaluation” to be conducted either within the Georgia Department of Corrections or at a designated medical facility.
Ibarra, 27, was convicted of killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on February 22, 2024, while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus.
Prosecutors argued that Ibarra had attempted to sexually assault Riley, and when she resisted for nearly 18 minutes, he fatally bludgeoned her with a rock and asphyxiated her.
The case drew national attention due to Ibarra’s illegal alien status — coming at a time when Americans were beginning to question further why President Joe Biden’s administration was seemingly practicing loose “catch and release” border policies, without any regard for U.S. citizens.
He had entered the United States unlawfully during Biden’s administration and was released by border authorities shortly after being apprehended in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. After spending some time in New York, he was subsequently flown to Georgia, where his brother Diego lived, on a taxpayer-funded flight from the Big Apple.
The Laken Riley Act, also known as S.5, requires the detention of illegal aliens who are charged, arrested, convicted, or admit to committing certain crimes, such as theft-related offenses, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The statute also empowers states to sue the federal government over immigration-related decisions or failures that cause harm.
“The Laken Riley Act is named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed by a Venezuelan alien who was previously arrested and paroled into the U.S. under the previous administration,” the DHS stated.
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