Prosecutors will not seek death penalty against man accused of killing Laken Riley

ATHENS, Ga. — A man who is facing 10 charges in connection with the murder of a nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia’s campus earlier this year entered a plea on Friday.

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Jose Ibarra, 26, pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and other charges in connection with Augusta University College of Nursing student Laken Riley’s death, according to The Associated Press. He is accused of killing Riley last February.

In court records obtained by WSB-TV, prosecutors are looking at a life in prison without the possibility of parole and not the death penalty.

Ibarra was indicted by a grand jury at the beginning of May, the AP reported. He is facing 10 charges including malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injuries, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and Peeping Tom, WSB-TV reported.

Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard is hoping that the trial will take place sometime in the fall, the news outlet reported.

Riley’s body was found on Feb. 22, according to the AP. She was found by a running trail after one of her friends contacted police that she went for a run and never came home. Investigators believe her murder was random. The day after her attack, Ibarra was was arrested.

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