Laken Riley murder suspect went 'hunting' for women: 5 facts revealed so far from Jose Ibarra's trial
DNA evidence
On Monday, the second day of trial, University of Georgia Police Department Sgt. Joshua Epps, a patrol supervisor, testified about the search of Ibarra’s apartment on Feb. 23.
As The National News Desk reported Monday, body camera footage from UGA police showed Ibarra and his two brothers, Diego and Argenis, detained outside their apartment. Epps recalled that Ibarra smoked a cigarette while he was detained.
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Epps testified that a hat worn by Diego is the same one Ibarra is believed to have worn on the day of Riley’s murder. According to Prosecutor Sheila Ross, it was later discovered the hat contained Riley's DNA. The patrol supervisor also said during his testimony that Ibarra had visible injuries when officers questioned him.
“I noticed on his right arm, his bicep, there was a scratch, which identified as on his left arm; he had a forearm scratch that was very similar, which, in my mind, it looked like fingernail scratches to me while he was sitting there, speaking to us,” Epps stated. “I also noticed on his left wrist, just below the palm, he had a puncture, maybe a half an inch wide.”
Annie Moorman, a crime scene specialist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, also testified on Monday, according to The Independent. The crime scene specialist said investigators had also collected electronic devices and “restaurant-style” kitchen gloves from Ibarra’s apartment.
As Moorman noted, the gloves were a significant find because “earlier in the day, officers had located gloves that had been described as looking sort of like these from a bush at the apartment complex.”
Additional testimony from FBI special agent Jamie Hipkiss highlighted a selfie of Ibarra wearing the same clothes as a suspect seen on video tossing a jacket into a dumpster. Investigators later determined that the jacket contained Ibarra's and Riley’s DNA.
One of the defendant’s attorneys, Dustin Kirby, argued that any evidence linking Ibarra to Riley’s death is “circumstantial.” The defense attorney agreed that the young woman was murdered but contended that his client did not kill her.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
