Jose Ibarra has been convicted of brutally murdering Laken Riley in February 2024. During the Wednesday trial, Ibarra was sentenced to life imprisonment without a chance of parole. Ahead of the guilty verdict, the defense brought two witnesses to testify in favor of Jose, but his elder brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, did not come to the stands.
According to NBC Montana, Diego was called as a witness during the Tuesday trial. However, he had a pending case and did not testify. The defense team informed the judge that Diego's attorney had asked him not to testify due to his pending immigration case.
Moreover, Diego Ibarra has already pleaded guilty in July to possessing a fraudulent green card and is currently in federal immigration detention waiting for his sentencing.
During the Tuesday trial, Jose Ibarra's defense attorney called their first witness, Joseph Clementi. Clementi claimed he saw another man on the trail when Riley was jogging.
While Clementi said the man was wandering a few minutes after Ibarra was caught tossing his jacket with Riley's blood on it in the dumpster of his home, he later mentioned that he could not recognize the man.
Another witness, Stephanie Slaton, said she was sitting with Diego Ibarra on the night of the murder. During their argument, Diego allegedly showed her a message on the translation app in which he said,
"If you tell them, I will tell them you did it and then I will kill you, too."
However, Slaton further admitted to drinking that day and the next one. She also confirmed having a relationship with Diego and being upset when he got involved with someone else.
Diego Ibarra's footage of the police interrogating him was played in the court by the prosecutor during the Wednesday trial. In the clip, Diego identified his brother throwing away the jacket.
What happened to Laken Riley? Why did Jose Ibarra kill her?
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Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was brutally attacked and murdered on February 22 during her morning run on the trail she frequently used. When her mother was concerned about her not answering her calls, Riley's body was found under a pile of leaves near her university campus.
The prosecutors have claimed that Jose Ibarra killed her after she did not let him r*pe her. Jose Ibarra has been found guilty of four counts of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault with intent to r*pe, kidnapping with bodily injury, tampering with evidence, peeping Tom, and obstruction of a 911 call.
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