Man accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley waives right to jury trial

The man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley on Tuesday waived his right to a trial by jury and agreed to a bench trial – where a judge will decide his guilt or innocence.

The man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley on Tuesday waived his right to a trial by jury and agreed to a bench trial – where a judge will decide his guilt or innocence. With the prosecution in agreement, Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard approved 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra’s waiver. Ibarra, through his translator, told the judge he understands he can’t go back and change this decision. Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University College of Nursing student, was killed on February 22 while out for a run on the University of Georgia’s campus. Ibarra is an undocumented migrant from Venezuela whose legal status set off a firestorm over immigration. The change to a bench trial comes after Judge Haggard this month denied a motion from Ibarra’s defense attorneys, requesting some evidence in the case be suppressed ahead of trial, court records show. Ibarra was indicted in May on 10 counts, including murder and aggravated assault with intent to rape, as well as in an earlier incident in when he allegedly peeped into the window of a student. He has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection in the trial had been set to begin Wednesday. The bench trial will now begin at 9:00 a.m. Friday and be continued on Monday, Haggard said.