Southeast
Illegal immigrant charged in Laken Riley murder ‘fast-tracking’ to life in prison: attorney
Jose Ibarra, the suspect charged with murdering Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in February, is “fast-tracking himself to life” in prison by choosing a bench trial over a jury trial, according to Georgia-based criminal defense attorney Philip Holloway.
Ibarra, 26, allegedly attacked and murdered Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was jogging along highly frequented pedestrian trails on UGA’s campus on the morning of Feb. 22.
Holloway told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he does not “understand the tactics” of Ibarra’s defense asking for a bench trial over a jury trial on Tuesday, which state prosecutors agreed to and Judge Patrick Haggard granted. Ibarra’s trial is now scheduled to begin on Friday instead of Monday, when a jury trial would have taken place.
“He’s fast-tracking himself to life without parole by doing this,” Holloway said. “It certainly will speed things up. … From a legal perspective, I don’t know why the defense would do this.”
LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT WANTS CERTAIN EVIDENCE SUPPRESSED WITH TRIAL DATE SET
Jose Ibarra is shown in court for a motion hearing on Oct. 11, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson/Pool)
Holloway added that by choosing a bench trial, Ibarra is giving away his “Hail Mary shot” at “getting a juror” to question his guilt. In other words, instead of having the possibility of a single juror questioning the evidence presented against Ibarra and resulting in a mistrial, the murder suspect has instead chosen to present evidence before a judge who will then decide his fate.
Holloway added that the “evidence of guilt is overwhelming” in Ibarra’s murder case.
LAKEN RILEY MURDER: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN GEORGIA COLLEGE STUDENT SLAYING ASKS TO HIDE CERTAIN EVIDENCE
Laken Riley was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
“The evidentiary presentation is going to be much faster” with a bench trial, the criminal defense attorney said, and the prosecution and defense may even choose to forgo opening and closing statements like they would in a jury trial because it is not necessary in a bench trial.
Ibarra and his brothers, also in the United States illegally from Venezuela, lived in an apartment building on the edge of the on-campus park where Riley was running. Ibarra allegedly murdered the aspiring nurse in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.”
Jose Ibarra appears in court for a pretrial evidence hearing in Athens, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2024. (Robin Rayne for Fox News Digital)
In May, a Georgia grand jury indicted Ibarra on counts of malice murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence and being a “peeping Tom.”
The peeping Tom charge stems from another Feb. 22 incident in which the suspect allegedly went to a residence on UGA’s campus in Athens and “peeped through” a window and “spied upon” a university staff member, according to the indictment.
Laken Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University. (Allyson Phillips/Facebook)
Ibarra recently tried to have the “peeping Tom” charge removed from his case, but prosecutors argued that the two incidents are “inextricably intertwined,” and Haggard ultimately decided not to sever the charge.
The judge is also permitting DNA and cellphone evidence that Ibarra’s defense wanted to suppress.
LAKEN RILEY MURDER EXPOSED GLARING SECURITY LAPSES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, NEED FOR EMERGENCY BLUE LIGHTS
This is a general view of the area where Laken Riley’s body was found near Lake Herrick on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens on Feb. 24, 2024. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
The 26-year-old suspect is due back in court on Nov. 15 for his trial. Jury selection for his trial was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 13, before he requested a bench trial.
Ibarra illegally crossed into the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released into the U.S. via parole, ICE and DHS sources previously told Fox News. His older brother, Diego Ibarra, is charged with green card fraud and had ties to a known Venezuelan gang in the U.S. called Tren de Aragua, according to federal court documents.
LAKEN RILEY MURDER: VIDEO SHOWS MAN HIDING BLOODY JACKET, GLOVES MINUTES AFTER STUDENT DEATH, PROSECUTOR SAY
Diego Ibarra is shown posing with multiple handguns on his social media accounts, according to court filings. (Middle District of Georgia)
Riley’s death was frequently mentioned throughout the 2024 presidential election as Republicans and Democrats debated the implications of record illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border over the last four years.
Rachel Morin of Maryland, Jocelyn Nungaray of Texas, Lizbeth Medina of Texas, Ruby Garcia of Michigan and Maria Gonzalez of Texas are females allegedly killed by illegal immigrants over the past two years.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will appear on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” ahead of her expected departure from Congress next month.
On Friday, “60 Minutes” teased the interview with Lesley Stahl that will air Sunday, touting Greene’s first sit-down interview since she announced her exit last month.
Greene shocked the political landscape when she revealed she would leave Congress Jan. 5. Many believe her abrupt exit was the result of her soured relationship with President Donald Trump.
MARJORIE GREENE SAYS TRUMP’S ‘TRAITOR’ LABEL COULD PUT HER LIFE IN DANGER
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will appear on Sunday’s installment of “60 Minutes,” marking her first interview since she announced her exit from Congress in January. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Greene previously sat down with Stahl in April 2023, when the two had a fiery exchange over the congresswoman’s claim that Democrats are the “party of pedophiles.”
“They are not pedophiles. Why would you say that?” Stahl exclaimed.
“Democrats support — even Joe Biden, the president himself — supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. Sexualizing children is what pedophiles do to children,” Greene said.
“Wow,” Stahl reacted.
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE STUNS ‘60 MINUTES’ HOST LESLEY STAHL WITH ‘PEDOPHILES’ ATTACK ON DEMOCRATS: ‘WOW’
“60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl sighed during a tense exchange she had with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., over her claim that Democrats were the “party of pedophiles” in an April 2023 interview. (Screenshots/CBS News)
JIMMY KIMMEL WELCOMES FORMER TRUMP ‘SUPERFAN’ MTG TO ‘REALITY’ AMID ONGOING FEUD
The Georgia lawmaker, once an outspoken Trump supporter, has been on a media tour that has included multiple CNN hits and an appearances on CBS News and ABC’s “The View,” largely focused on her criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and her criticisms on healthcare and foreign policy in recent months.
There had been speculation that Greene’s feud with Trump stems from reports that he had privately discouraged her from running for Senate in 2026 amid polling that suggested she’d be defeated by Georgia’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D. Greene denies those claims.
In a lengthy statement posted to X, Greene cited her growing disillusionment with Washington politics, blasting what she called a corrupt “Political Industrial Complex” that she said uses Americans as “pawns in an endless game of division.”
“Americans are used by the Political Industrial Complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more,” Greene wrote. “And the results are always the same — nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman.”
President Donald Trump withdrew her endorsement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., previously one of his most outspoken supporters. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Greene said she “never fit in” in Washington and was leaving Congress to “fight for the people of this country in a different way.”
“I believe in term limits and do not think Congress should be a lifelong career or an assisted living facility,” Greene wrote. “My only goal and desire has ever been to hold the Republican Party accountable for the promises it makes to the American people and put America First, and I have fought against Democrats’ damaging policies like the Green New Deal, wide open deadly unsafe border policies, and the trans agenda on children and against women.”
She made her announcement days after Trump withdrew his endorsement for her, calling Greene “wacky” and “a ranting lunatic.”
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Southeast
Rev. Franklin Graham delivers Kentucky flood survivors new homes for Christmas: ‘We can finally breathe’
Standing in the snow on an eastern Kentucky mountaintop Friday, Rev. Franklin Graham dedicated 18 newly constructed homes in Jesus’ name to families who lost everything in the region’s catastrophic 2022 floods. It was a moment survivors described as the first real breath of relief they’ve had in three years.
“This is Franklin Graham,” he says in an exclusive video to Fox News Digital. “Terrible floods here a few years ago just destroyed hundreds of homes. Well, today we are dedicating 18 houses that are finished and ready for people to move in.”
The homes are part of the new Chestnut Ridge subdivision, a 57-lot neighborhood built from scratch by Samaritan’s Purse and an army of volunteers.
“We’re grateful to God,” Graham added. “We couldn’t do this without the partners who provided land, the finances, the volunteers. These people are going to be in their homes for Christmas.”
CHIP CARTER MARVELS AT BIPARTISANSHIP HE WITNESSED AT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, FATHER’S FUNERAL
Rev. Franklin Graham shares a lighthearted moment with Paul Johnson, a home recipient who can now register for a lung transplant with a permanent address after years of being displaced from flooding. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)
Flood survivor Lora Honycutt described the moment she stepped into her new house in a raw, unfiltered way captured on video.
“When I walk in this house here … the floors are not sinking,” Honeycutt said, wiping her eyes. “Even the smell is different. … I can’t describe the feeling.”
She added through tears, “These are happy tears. … These are happy tears.”
Video clips showed families breaking down as they crossed thresholds, their first structurally sound homes since the deadly floods destroyed entire communities three years ago.
For Paul Johnson, the dedication was life-changing. When the floods wiped out his home, he lost the permanent address required to stay on his lung transplant list.
“I was taken off the list when I moved into an RV. After today, I can get back on the transplant list,” Johnson said. “This home exceeds anything I expected. It’s beautiful. I feel very blessed. It’s a great day.”
SAMARITAN’S PURSE RACES TO HELP JAMAICA AFTER CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MELISSA DESTRUCTION: ‘NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN’
The Chestnut Ridge subdivision in eastern Kentucky has 18 homes for survivors of 2022 floods that devastated the region. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)
The Chestnut Ridge homes have two, three or four bedrooms with one notable exception. A family with 10 children has the only home in the new subdivision with five bedrooms after spending 1,128 nights crammed into two campers since losing everything in the floods.
“We were thankful to have a place to lay our heads,” the mother said, “but it was aggravating. We were all on top of each other.”
Looking around her new five-bedroom home, she couldn’t hold back.
“We’re so dumbfounded, I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We can breathe.”
A SEASON OF HOPE: T2T’S GIFT OF INDEPENDENCE AND DIGNITY FOR INJURED HEROES
Rev. Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and dedicated 18 homes in eastern Kentucky for survivors of 2022’s deadly floods. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse)
Former U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft and her husband, Joe, the CEO of coal mining company Alliance Resource Partners, donated the land on which the new neighborhood was built.
Graham also praised employees at the Lowe’s in Hazard, Kentucky, some of whom volunteered on construction crews.
Samaritan’s Purse has now constructed nearly 100 homes across Kentucky, from tornado-ravaged Mayfield to the devastated communities of the east.
Crews are also rebuilding in North Carolina, which continues to reel from Hurricane Helene.
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As snow fell across the mountaintop, Graham prayed over families receiving their brand-new houses, no longer haunted by the memories of 2022’s floods.
“We give God the glory, and we praise Him and, of course, these people are going to be in their homes for Christmas,” Graham said as he looked over the row of new homes.
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Southeast
Wounded National Guardsman beginning to ‘look more like himself,’ remains in acute care: West Virginia gov
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The National Guardsman who was injured after being shot last week in Washington, D.C., is starting to “look more like himself,” West Virginia’s governor said, relaying a message from his parents.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey provided the update Friday evening before attending a prayer vigil in Andrew Wolfe’s honor at Musselman High School in Berkeley County, W.Va., where the recovering 24-year-old graduated from, according to WUSA9.
“His parents report that his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more like himself,” Morrisey said in a statement.
“Overall, the family expects that Andy will be in acute care for another 2-3 weeks but have been optimistic about his progress,” the Republican governor added. “We continue to ask all West Virginians and Americans for their prayers! They are making a difference!”
AFGHAN EVACUEE ARRESTED BEFORE DC SHOOTING FEDERALLY CHARGED WITH THREATENING TERROR ATTACK
The family of National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, inset, are “optimistic about his progress” after he was shot last week in Washington, D.C., West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. In the background, on Dec. 4, 2025, the flag on the south lawn of the White House flies at half staff in honor of Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, who was killed in the attack. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Department of Justice)
The vigil began Friday with a moment of silence for National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old who was killed in the Nov. 26 shooting, WUSA9 reported.
Speaking about Wolfe, Morrisey said, “You are not alone. South Berkeley stands with you, and West Virginia and the whole country are praying for you,” the station added.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi described Wolfe as a “miracle” who is now “able to open both eyes.”
SENATE REPUBLICANS DEMAND VETTING OVERHAUL AFTER SHOOTING OF NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS
Undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. (Provided by Department of Justice)
“Please continue to pray for Andy. I saw Andy. I’ve met with his mom. I talked to his mom constantly, Melody. His dad, Jason. He has a sister, a brother, an eight-month-old niece. They’re all in the hospital with him,” Bondi said Friday.
“He’s a miracle. From day one, his mother, Melody said, ‘My son is going to live. My son is going to be 100%.’ And I can say this because the parents let me. I was there when the doctors all came in the room after they had done an angiogram. He has no blood clots. He’s a miracle. And now he’s able to open both eyes,” Bondi added.
People gather on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, for a vigil in Webster Springs, W.Va., in honor of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, one of two National Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C. (Kathleen Batten/AP)
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The suspected shooter is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He faces charges of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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