The illegal immigrant convicted of murdering student Laken Riley has requested a new trial.
According to a new filing from Jose Ibarra’s attorneys reported by the Associated Press, the verdict was “contrary to law” and “contrary to evidence.” The attorneys wrote that the court “committed other errors of law that necessitate a new trial.” They further claimed that Ibarra may supplement the motion “after a full and thorough view of the facts and circumstances attendant to the trial of this case.”
A notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of a conviction becoming final, Georgia law states. The motion for a new trial “effectively extends the deadline to file an appeal,” the AP explained.
Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without parole on November 20. Judge H. Patrick Haggard convicted Ibarra of all 10 counts, which included murder, malice murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and Peeping Tom charges.
District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said that her office would not pursue the death penalty for Ibarra, taking into account “collateral consequences to undocumented defendants.”
Riley fought for her life for an estimated 18 minutes against Ibarra. The illegal immigrant’s DNA was discovered under her fingernails.
Prosecutor Sheila Ross said in her closing statement, per Fox News, “Laken Riley herself has given you all the evidence you need alone to find this man guilty of every single count in this indictment. She did fight, and it is a direct result of that fight that gives you all the physical evidence you need to convict him.”
