ATHENS, Ga. — On Tuesday, a man chose to forgo his right to a jury trial related to the murder of a nursing student from Georgia, a case that has significantly influenced discussions surrounding national immigration policies.

Jose Ibarra faces charges in the death of Laken Hope Riley, whose remains were discovered on the campus of the University of Georgia. Ibarra, 22, is indicted on multiple counts, including allegations of striking the Augusta University College of Nursing student in the head, suffocating her, and intending to commit sexual assault.

While prosecutors opted not to pursue the death penalty, they have filed documents indicating their aim to impose a life sentence without the chance of parole.

Following his arrest, officials from federal immigration authorities disclosed that Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2022 but was permitted to remain in the country while addressing his immigration status. The issue of immigration has been a hot topic in the presidential election, with Republicans leveraging Riley’s murder to criticize the border policies of the Biden administration. The President-elect, Donald Trump, explicitly pointed to Biden’s immigration strategy as a contributing factor to her tragic death.

In a State of the Union address that took place just weeks after the homicide, President Biden referred to Riley by name while discussing the importance of border security.

Riley’s body was discovered on February 22 after a friend alerted authorities that she had not returned from her morning jog. According to law enforcement, the evidence suggests that her murder may have been a random occurrence. Ibarra was taken into custody the following day and is currently being held without bond at the Athens-Clarke County Jail.

The indictment against Ibarra includes charges of one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, as well as charges for kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency phone call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom.

Reports indicate that on the day of the incident, Ibarra was seen looking into the window of an apartment within a university residence hall, which has led to the peeping Tom charge.

Defense lawyers made attempts to relocate the trial away from Athens, separate the peeping Tom charge from the other counts, and exclude certain pieces of evidence and expert witness testimonies, but these motions were not successful.