‘Outrageous’: Laken Riley’s Murderer Gets Legal Victory

A Georgia judge has granted a court-ordered mental evaluation for José Ibarra, the illegal immigrant convicted in the brutal 2024 murder of nursing student Laken Riley. The ruling, handed down by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, opens the door for Ibarra’s legal team to pursue a potential retrial or appeal based on claims he was mentally incompetent during both the crime and trial.

Ibarra, 27, was found guilty in November 2024 on a long list of charges—including malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault with intent to rape—after he attacked Riley while she was jogging near Lake Herrick at the University of Georgia campus. The case captured national attention, not only due to the horrific details of the crime but also because Ibarra had entered the U.S. illegally from Venezuela just two years earlier.

Judge Haggard, who presided over the original bench trial, sentenced Ibarra to life without the possibility of parole. But in June 2025, Ibarra’s new appellate attorneys filed a motion arguing that he suffers from congenital mental deficiencies that may have impacted his ability to comprehend the legal proceedings and assist in his own defense.

They also questioned his decision to waive a jury trial—something they now suggest may not have been made knowingly or rationally. Despite the prosecution’s firm stance that no signs of incompetence were present during the trial, lead prosecutor Sheila Ross did not formally oppose the defense’s request.

Though she did acknowledge the seriousness of the allegations, she maintained that the overwhelming forensic, digital, and eyewitness evidence left no room for doubt about Ibarra’s guilt.

The judge’s decision to approve the evaluation—delivered just days before the Fourth of July holiday—marks a “major win” in their effort to challenge the conviction. The evaluation will be conducted at public expense, either at a state corrections facility or a medical institution approved by the court. It will assess Ibarra’s current mental state as well as his competence at the time of trial.

Court records show the evaluation will assess whether Ibarra was “capable of understanding the nature and object of pretrial proceedings” at the time he chose to waive a jury trial in favor of a bench trial. It will also determine whether he can grasp the details of his appeal and effectively assist his attorneys.

The order did not specify when the evaluation would be completed.

For Riley’s family and supporters, the ruling is another painful chapter in what has already been a devastating ordeal. Riley, 22, was described as a bright, compassionate nursing student with dreams of working in pediatric care. The details of her death were shocking: she was found beaten and strangled, with evidence of a violent struggle. Ibarra’s DNA was found under her fingernails, his fingerprint was on her phone, and his smartwatch placed him at the crime scene.

While the judge’s order does not guarantee a retrial, it signals that the court is at least open to the possibility that Ibarra’s mental capacity may have played a role in key legal decisions. If the evaluation finds him incompetent at the time of trial, his appeal team is expected to file motions seeking to overturn the conviction or secure a new trial altogether.

For now, Ibarra remains behind bars, serving a life sentence.