Laken Riley’s murderer could get a new trial after judge grants mental evaluation

Venezuelan national and known Tren de Aragua gang member Jose Ibarra was sentenced to life without parole in November 2024 for Riley’s murder. He attacked the young woman while she was jogging on the University of Georgia campus on February 22, 2024. She was enrolled in the nursing program at Augusta University.

Although Ibarra was found guilty and sentenced by Judge Patrick Haggard, the same judge ruled Thursday that a mental health evaluation should be conducted after Ibarra’s appellate attorneys questioned his competency during his original trial. The defense now alleges that Ibarra may have been mentally unfit to participate in his own defense or to knowingly waive his right to a jury trial.

According to The New York Post, Ibarra’s attorneys argued that he is potentially “suffering from a congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial.” They also asserted that he “lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object of the proceedings,” and that this condition may have existed both during the commission of the crime and during his trial.

Ibarra’s original defense team did not request a mental evaluation before trial, an omission his appellate attorneys now claim could have critically affected his decision to be tried solely by a judge rather than a jury. Haggard was the judge who delivered both the verdict and the sentence.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross countered that no evidence of mental incompetence emerged during trial proceedings. However, she did not oppose the request for a mental evaluation, instead deferring the decision to Judge Haggard.

Haggard wrote in his order, “The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense.” The judge ordered that an evaluation be conducted either at a Georgia Department of Corrections facility or a designated hospital, emphasizing that the evaluation must determine whether Ibarra was fit to stand trial in the past and whether he can currently participate in his appeal.

Ibarra, 27, was convicted of attempting to sexually assault Riley and ultimately killing her by bludgeoning her with a rock and asphyxiating her after an 18-minute struggle in which she tried to escape.

The case sparked national outrage and debate over immigration enforcement after it was revealed that Ibarra had entered the US illegally in 2022 during a period of heightened border crossings. He was reportedly released into the country shortly after being detained in El Paso,

Texas. Ibarra later appeared in New York City, where he was arrested in 2023 for endangering a child while riding a moped. He was eventually flown to Georgia on a taxpayer-funded flight to join his brother, who was also an illegal immigrant working with a falsified ID. Ibarra has since petitioned for a retrial, and the mental evaluation could play a critical role in whether that request is granted.