May 31 (UPI) -- The suspect in the murder of nursing student Laken Riley was arraigned Friday. Jose Ibarra pleaded not guilty. He was indicted earlier this month in the University of Georgia killing.
Riley, a student at nearby Augusta University, was killed in February. Her body was found in a wooded area of the University of Georgia campus in Athens.
Ibarra faces 10 charges.
The charges include malice murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injuries, and aggravated assault with intent to rape.
During the brief arraignment, Ibarra was silent. He wore headphones and the judge entered a plea of not guilty for him.
The judge said the trial will likely happen in the fall.
The indictment said the slaying caused blunt trauma to the victim's head and she was hit multiple times with a rock.
The indictment said Ibarra allegedly committed a "peeping Tom" offense at another student at UGA's University Village Housing Building on the same day Riley was killed.
Police said they don't believe that Ibarra, a migrant from Venezuela, knew Riley. They described the killing as a "crime of opportunity."
Riley was attacked while jogging.
Ibarra was arrested and released in 2022 after illegally entering the United States, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
