Timeline: Laken Riley’s last moments retraced during trial on Georgia nursing student’s murder

The final moments earlier than Laken Riley was killed whereas out on a run on the College of Georgia’s campus have been proven in court docket Tuesday, on the third day of the trial involving the homicide of the 22-year-old nursing pupil.

The Augusta College pupil was discovered lifeless in a wooded space on the Athens campus on Feb. 22.

Jose Ibarra, 26, had pleaded “not responsible” in Might to costs of malice homicide and felony homicide in connection together with her loss of life, and he had waived his proper to a jury trial. His case was then assigned to a Athens-Clarke County courtroom beneath Superior Court docket Decide Patrick Haggard.

On Wednesday, Ibarra was discovered responsible of all costs and sentenced to life in jail with out the potential for parole.

Prosecutors stated Riley “refused to be his rape sufferer.”

Ibarra was an undocumented migrant, was charged with which turned a rallying cry for immigration reform from many conservatives, together with President-elect Donald Trump.

Timeline of Riley’s final moments

On the morning of the homicide, at 8:55 a.m., Riley texted her mom, Allyson Phillips, “Good morning, about to go for a run for those who’re free to speak,” in line with College of Georgia Police Sgt. Sophie Raboud, one of many lead investigators within the case, who testified on Tuesday about Riley’s cellphone exercise.

Riley known as her mom at 9:03 a.m., then began listening to music, Raboud stated. She was captured on a path digicam at 9:05 a.m. operating together with her iPhone in her left hand towards the intramural fields, Raboud stated. She runs out of view of the digicam at 9:06 a.m.

At 9:11 a.m., she known as 911, Raboud stated. Witnesses beforehand testified that Riley initiated the decision by the SOS utility on her cellphone. The dispatcher was not in a position to communicate with anybody earlier than the decision was hung up and known as again twice with no reply, the witnesses stated.

At 9:24 a.m., Riley obtained a name from her mom that went unanswered, Raboud stated.

At 9:38 a.m., her mom texted, “Name me when you possibly can,” Raboud stated.

Raboud stated Riley’s mom continued to attempt to attain Riley however the calls went unanswered, earlier than texting at 9:58 a.m., “You are making me nervous, not answering whenever you’re out operating. Are you OK?”

Riley obtained subsequent calls from her mom and sister that went unanswered, Raboud stated.

At 11:47 a.m., her mom texted, “Please name me, I am nervous sick about you,” Raboud stated.

Subsequent calls, together with from her stepfather, additionally went unanswered, Raboud stated.

Path digicam footage from later that morning proven in court docket captured Riley’s roommates, Lilly Steiner and Sofia Magana, on the path looking for her.

Riley’s roommates reported her lacking at 12:05 p.m., and a College of Georgia police officer discovered her physique 65 toes off the path at 12:38 p.m., witnesses beforehand testified. Knowledge from the Garmin watch she was carrying on her run confirmed her coronary heart stopped at 9:28 a.m., witnesses beforehand testified.

Riley had sustained vital blunt drive trauma to her head, together with eight accidents to the left facet of her cranium and an harm simply above her proper temple, Dr. Michelle DiMarco, who performed her post-mortem, testified on Tuesday. One of many accidents was vital sufficient that it precipitated mind bleeding and will have been deadly, she stated.

There was additionally proof of asphyxiation, although DiMarco stated she was unable to categorize how that occurred. Her reason behind loss of life was decided to be the “mixed results of blunt drive head trauma and asphyxia,” DiMarco stated.

DNA proof matched Ibarra, skilled says

Ibarra was interviewed on Feb. 23 in connection together with her loss of life and had a number of scratches observable on his arms, police testified.

The suspect’s DNA was discovered beneath Riley’s proper fingernails, in line with Ashley Hinkle, against the law lab scientist on the Georgia Bureau Of Investigation who examined the proof. The chance of the DNA belonging to anybody apart from Ibarra was one in 10 billion, she stated throughout testimony on Tuesday. Ibarra’s two brothers have been excluded as matches, she stated.

A person was captured on a path digicam the morning of the homicide heading towards the intramural fields shortly earlier than 8 a.m., Raboud stated. Prosecutors stated the particular person was carrying garments much like what Ibarra had on in a Snapchat selfie posted earlier that morning, together with a black Adidas cap.

Ibarra was additionally seen discarding a bloodied jacket and disposable gloves close to his residence on Feb. 22 at 9:44 a.m., prosecutors stated.

Hairs faraway from the jacket have been decided to have originated from Riley or “somebody with hair possessing the identical distinct traits,” Anne Kisler-Rao, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab, testified on Tuesday.

Riley’s and Ibarra’s DNA profiles have been discovered on the jacket, Hinkle testified. Ibarra’s two brothers have been excluded as matches, she stated.

Riley’s DNA was additionally discovered on the gloves, Hinkle stated. The chance of it not being her is 1 in 500 octillion, she stated. The gloves contained the DNA profile of no less than one different particular person, although no determinations have been made on who that may very well be, she stated.

The protection tried to discredit a number of the DNA testing, which included a comparatively new methodology known as TrueAllele, in addition to questioned how the statistical possibilities on matches may differ so wildly. Hinkle stated the GBI has validated the TrueAllele program, and that the chances diverse primarily based on the merchandise being examined.

The gloves, which have been recovered from a bush close to Ibarra’s residence, have been decided to have matched ones recovered from a drawer in his residence, GBI specialist Alexander Covin testified on Tuesday. Beneath cross by the protection, Covin admitted that the gloves might have matched however may even have come from totally different sources.

Ibarra waives his proper to testify in his personal protection

The state rested its case on Tuesday.

Ibarra waived his proper to testify in his personal protection.

One of many protection witnesses included a lady who lived in the identical residence complicated as Ibarra, who shared his residence with a number of folks, together with his two brothers, Diego and Argenis.

The witness, Stephanie Slaton, testified that Diego Ibarra threatened her the night time of Riley’s homicide. She stated he requested her in regards to the police exercise at their residence complicated’s dumpster, and he or she informed him that somebody had “handed away at the back of our residence.”

She stated she informed him that if had seen something or heard something out of regular, “you have to say one thing now” to police. Utilizing an app to translate his phrases from Spanish to English, she stated he wrote her, “For those who inform them, I’d inform them that you just did it after which I’ll kill you, too.”

Beneath cross-examination, Slaton stated she informed the Georgia Bureau of Investigators about that interplay with Diego Ibarra. Requested what he was referring to when he stated “inform them,” Slaton stated, “I can not speculate on what his intentions have been.”

Diego Ibarra was set to be known as as a protection witness on Tuesday, although protection lawyer John Donnelly informed the choose that the brother’s lawyer plans to advise him to not testify as a result of he has a sentencing pending on federal costs.

Diego Ibarra was arrested for possessing an unlawful visa, after being questioned by police within the Riley case. He has pleaded responsible to possessing a fraudulent inexperienced card. He faces a most of 10 years in jail to be adopted by as much as three years of supervised launch.

Haggard stated if the lawyer doesn’t need Diego Ibarra testifying, there isn’t any motive to try to go ahead with him.

Donnelly additionally indicated there’s one other federal prisoner whom the protection wish to name as a witness if Diego Ibarra would not testify.

“We then would ask to name our subsequent witness and permit him to testify to statements that he heard from Mr. Diego Ibarra, since Diego Ibarra is now unavailable,” Donnelly stated.

Ibarra is discovered responsible and sentenced

The trial resumed for its fourth day on Wednesday with none extra protection witnesses in the end being known as.

Haggard discovered Ibarra responsible on all costs and sentenced him to life in jail with out the potential for parole, honoring requests by Riley’s household and buddies.

“Right now, the integrity of our judicial course of and the pursuit of justice transcended political issues,” remarked District Lawyer Deborah Gonzalez, whose circuit contains Athens-Clarke County.

“No sentence can undo the hurt brought on by Jose Ibarra’s actions, however we hope it brings justice to Laken’s household and the group,” she added. “Our hearts stay with Laken’s household and buddies as they proceed to grieve this tragic loss.”

Police have stated they consider Ibarra — a migrant from Venezuela who officers stated illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 — didn’t know Riley and that this was a “crime of alternative.”

ABC Information’ Janice McDonald contributed to this report.