(NewsNation) — Jose Ibarra, the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, is scheduled to be in court Monday for the second day of his trial.
Nine witnesses were called to testify on Friday in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court. The prosecution is expected to pick right back up where it left off Monday morning, with experts called to explain how fingerprints found on Riley’s phone match Jose Ibarra’s. They are also expected to talk about how Riley’s watch data matches up to video evidence the prosecution has collected over the last nine months which points to Jose Ibarra.
Prosecutors say Jose Ibarra’s DNA was found under 22-year-old Riley’s fingernails. Jose Ibarra’s defense attorneys, meanwhile, argue all of the evidence the prosecution has is circumstantial.
An investigation began after a friend reported Riley missing on Feb. 22 when she didn’t return home from a run. Investigators later discovered her body in a forested area on the University of Georgia campus.
UGA Police arrested Jose Ibarra in connection to Riley’s death the following day. Jose Ibarra 26, who waived his right to a jury trial, is charged with murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, battery and tampering with evidence. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.
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Ibarra’s brothers to testify
NewsNation obtained copies of court documents showing Ibarra’s attorneys plans to call two of his brothers, Diego and Argenis, to testify in court this week.
Neighbors told NewsNation that the three brothers were living in a one-bedroom apartment not far from the crime scene.
On Friday, the defense showed photographs that reveal Diego Ibarra was wearing the exact same baseball hat Jose Ibarra was said to have been wearing on the day Riley was killed, as well as similar clothes.
Diego and Argenis Ibarra are charged with possessing fraudulent green cards and in federal custody. They are set to be taken to the courthouse on Wednesday. Authorities say all three brothers are Venezuelan citizens who are in the United States illegally.
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First Day of Jose Ibarra’s Trial
Prosecutor Sheila Ross said on the first day of the trial that Jose Ibarra “went hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus.”
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly,” Ross said Friday.
Defense attorney Dustin Kirby called the evidence in the case graphic and disturbing, but said none of it proves his client is a killer.
“People have used this case for their own personal gain — financial gain, political gain,” Kirby said.
NewsNation digital producers Rich Johnson and Katie Smith contributed to this report.