Surveillance footage captured Georgia nursing student Laken Rileys accused killer throwing a bloodied jacket and gloves into a dumpster shortly after her murder, prosecutors claim.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, is charged with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other crimes in the February killing of the 22-year-old.
Last month, his attorneys requested a hearing to suppress a list of evidence claiming police entered his apartment unlawfully, reported Fox News.
Prosecutors pushed back saying they feared people in Ibarras apartment would destroy evidence and they have video of a man disposing of bloody clothes outside the complex.
[The video] depicts a Latino male disposing of a bloody jacket with long dark hair on it and bloody gloves less than 30 minutes after the murder of Laken Riley and within a half mile from her body, the prosecution said.
Laken Riley (pictured), 22, was murdered while out on a run in February
Jose Ibarra (pictured), a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, has been charged with her death
The dumpster video further shows the Latino male was wearing a black baseball cap with a white adidas logo, white script underneath the logo, and a sticker on the bill of the hat.
Nearly 12 hours later, an Athens-Clarke County Sheriffs Office sergeant patrolling Ibarras apartment complex saw in public, in plain view, walking in the apartment complex in broad daylight, a Latino male who was wearing the "identical" hat that was seen in the dumpster video.
The man in the hat identified himself as Diego Ibarra, Jose Ibarras older brother, and allegedly gave police a fake green card.
Prosecutors said they have footage of a man disposing of bloody clothes outside Ibarras apartment complex 30 minutes after Rileys murder
[At that point] there was probable cause to believe that evidence of the crime of murder could be located inside the apartment and decided that exigency required them to secure the apartment pending the application of a search warrant for fear of additional destruction of evidence, prosecutors wrote in court documents view by Fox News.
This decision was a reasonable one that does not offend the Fourth Amendment.
Riley’s body was found February 22 near running trails after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run, and police have said her killing appeared to be a random attack.
Ibarra is accused of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, asphyxiating her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her.
Ibarra is accused of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, asphyxiating her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her
The indictment charges Ibarra with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.
Rileys killing immediately became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration because Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the US illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.