From the New York Post: Laken Riley’s killer cinched a major court win when a judge ruled the illegal immigrant should be mentally evaluated after his lawyers claimed he wasn’t competent to stand trial last year.
Jose Ibarra — a Tren de Aragua gangbanger — was convicted of the vicious murder of the promising 22-year-old nursing student in November and was sentenced to life without parole by Judge Patrick Haggard.
Haggard, however, on Thursday signed off on an order that Ibarra be evaluated after his lawyers last month claimed he lacked the mental wherewithal to help prepare his own defense, to understand his case and when he agreed that Haggard could decide his guilt rather than a jury.
Ibarra’s attorneys — who are handling his appeal case — said in court papers from last month that they believe Ibarra is “suffering from congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial.”
Noting that Ibarra had agreed to only be tried by a judge and not a jury, the appeals lawyers claimed that had Ibarra’s trial lawyers should have had him evaluated before the trial.
In the recent order, Haggard wrote, “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.”
Ibarra was turned loose into the country by the Biden administration, one day after he illegally entered the U.S. in September 2022. He eventually ended up in Georgia, and then murdered Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, on February 22, 2024, while she was out jogging on the university campus.
Below is the moment Ibarra was found guilty on all 10 counts in Laken Riley’s murder in November 2024.
BREAKING: Jose Ibarra found guilty on all 10 counts in Laken Riley murder trial. pic.twitter.com/A3b3If5ZJ5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 20, 2024
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