Overview
- Ibarra’s motion is being argued Friday before Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who decided the 2024 bench trial after Ibarra waived a jury.
- Defense filings say the court’s refusal to delay proceedings blocked a full review of key DNA evidence, including analysis using the TrueAllele software.
- Attorneys also challenge the probable cause for search warrants and the admission of data from two cellphones attributed to Ibarra.
- Post-conviction counsel alleges a congenital deficiency may have impaired Ibarra’s competency, while prosecutors say no concerns arose before trial and the judge later ordered a mental evaluation with a Spanish-language interpreter.
- Ibarra is serving life without parole, and the case helped prompt the 2025 Laken Riley Act requiring detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes.