ATHENS, GA — In a post-trial development, a judge has ordered a mental evaluation for Jose Ibarra, the man convicted of killing University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, following new arguments raised by the defense team regarding his mental competency.
The request comes months after Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison for fatally attacking Riley while she was out for a run on UGA’s campus. Defense attorneys now claim Ibarra lacked the mental capacity to understand the legal proceedings during his trial last fall and may not be able to participate in the ongoing appeals process.
Although Ibarra previously waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a bench trial decided by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard, his attorneys now argue he was not competent to make that decision. Kaitlyn Beck, a member of the defense team, previously said, “Mr. Ibarra acted on our advice, elected to have a bench trial, trusting that your honor could and believing that your honor would, set aside the emotions in this case.”
Prosecutors maintain that there is no evidence suggesting Ibarra was mentally incompetent at the time of the trial. However, they did not oppose the request for a competency evaluation and deferred the decision to Judge Haggard.
Judge Haggard has agreed to the defense’s request, ordering a prompt mental evaluation to be conducted at a Department of Corrections facility or a designated hospital. The evaluation will be funded at public expense. No date for the assessment has been set.
During sentencing, Judge Haggard acknowledged the intense emotions surrounding the case and said, “I acknowledge that there is no such thing as closure.” He also described the evidence against Ibarra as “overwhelming and powerful.”
Ibarra’s attorneys did not request a mental evaluation prior to the original trial.
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