On Monday, prosecutors presented more evidence in the trial of an undocumented immigrant accused of killing Laken Riley, a nursing student from Georgia. This high-profile case has sparked a national conversation around immigration, especially as it relates to the upcoming presidential election.

Laken Riley, 22 years old, was murdered in February while jogging on the University of Georgia campus. The accused, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan who entered the U.S. illegally two years prior, faces multiple serious charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery.

Ibarra chose to have a bench trial instead of a jury trial, allowing the judge to determine the verdict.

During the trial on Monday, Judge H. Patrick Haggard heard a recorded jail phone call between Ibarra and his wife, Layling Franco, translated from Spanish, as reported by CNN.

In this phone conversation, Franco questioned Ibarra about the murder, specifically asking, “What happened with the girl?” and expressed suspicion about why police only had his DNA evidence while Ibarra urged her to stop talking.

Prosecutors allege the defendant was ‘hunting for females’

The trial commenced on Friday, with special prosecutor Sheila Ross alleging that Ibarra had been “hunting for females” on campus. Upon encountering Riley, he intended to sexually assault her but resorted to brutally hitting her head with a rock when she resisted.

Prosecutors displayed surveillance footage showing a man discarding a blue jacket into a dumpster. This jacket was found to have DNA from both Riley and Ibarra, who is not a university student. They also claimed Ibarra’s DNA was discovered under Riley’s fingernails and that digital evidence links him to the crime.

Defense argues the link to Ibarra is ‘circumstantial’

Defense attorney Dustin Kirby acknowledged that the evidence indicates Riley was indeed murdered but contended that its connection to Ibarra is merely “circumstantial.” He stated, “There is speculation about anyone having intent or committing any sexual assault.”

The district attorney’s office intends to seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if Ibarra is found guilty of the most severe charges, but they are not pursuing the death penalty.

Murder ignites immigration discourse

The murder on February 22 quickly became part of the immigration debate, especially after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia brought it into focus during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, urging him to mention Riley’s name.

Biden did mention her, extended condolences to her family, and called for bipartisan support for a failed border-security bill that had been blocked by former President Donald Trump, the expected GOP nominee and now president-elect.

Ibarra had been stopped at the Texas-Mexico border in September 2022 but was allowed to remain in the U.S. while his immigration case was processed, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Republicans have used this incident as a warning about what they claim are the dangers of Biden’s immigration policies, maintaining this narrative throughout the election campaign, even when studies indicate that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those born in the U.S.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that immigrants predominantly cause problems. During his speech at the National Republican Convention in July, he referred to Riley’s murder, stating, “Another American life was taken by a criminal alien released by this administration. America, this is my promise: I will not allow these killers and criminals into our nation.”