No new trial for man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley
ABC News
A judge has rejected a request for a new trial for a Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley
ATLANTA -- A judge has rejected a request for a new trial for a Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, a case that became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration.
Lawyers for Jose Ibarra argued his constitutional rights were violated when the judge declined two defense motions before trial. One was a request to delay the trial to give an expert witness time to review and analyze DNA data. The other would have excluded some cellphone evidence.
Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who presided over the trial, wrote in an order Monday that the evidence of Ibarra's guilt presented by the state was “overwhelming and powerful.” After Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, Haggard found him guilty of murder and other charges during the November 2024 trial and sentenced him to life in prison.
Attorneys for Ibarra did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment on the judge's denial of the motion for a new trial. Ibarra has 30 days to file a notice of appeal.
Ibarra, 28, had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay while he pursued his immigration case.
Powerful winds and extreme weather are knocking out power, damaging property, and fueling wildfires across parts of the United States
The Justice Department has moved to dismiss charges against an Army veteran who set fire to an American flag near the White House last year to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order on flag burning
Kyrsten Sinema says in a legal document that she had a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail, but her lawyer argues a lawsuit seeking damages against her should be dismissed
Congressional Republicans are pushing voting legislation that's backed by President Donald Trump and would require voters to produce documentary proof of citizenship in order to register for federal elections
President Donald Trump says the U.S. destroyed military sites on an island vital to Iran’s oil network and warned that the island’s oil infrastructure could be next if Iran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz
The winning numbers in Friday evening’s drawing of the "Mega Millions" game were: 06-19-36-40-55, Mega Ball: 9, Megaplier:
As the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran continues to upend energy markets and supply chains worldwide, the Trump administration says it might suspend maritime shipping requirements under a more than century-old law known as the Jones Act
A federal judge in Massachusetts is temporarily blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the U.S. The judge issued an administrative stay on Friday
An Oregon Army National Guard helicopter rescued an injured logger from Mount Hood National Forest after rough terrain blocked other options
A Wisconsin legislator has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in connection with a bitter feud with her caucus over resolutions honoring Hispanics
The State Department has slashed by about 80% the fee for Americans to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died after Mobile police shocked him multiple times with a Taser in 2023
A former New York state trooper accused of ramming his vehicle into an SUV during a high-speed chase leading to the death of an 11-year-old girl has been convicted of manslaughter at his second trial