The judge who will decide the fate of an undocumented migrant accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley is a no-nonsense, silvery-white-haired jurist whose father was killed in an armed robbery.
Ray SanchezThe judge granted the defense's motion for a bench trial for the suspect, Jose Ibarra, during a hearing in Athens-Clarke County on Tuesday.killing Georgia nursing student Laken RileyStarting Friday, state Superior Court Judge H.
"I don't recall a time that he ever lost his cool during that trial," Kenneth Mauldin, the former prosecutor who now teaches at the University of Georgia School of Law, told CNN. "Judge Haggard maintained his poise and judicial demeanor, as you should, and maintained that temperament throughout the process. ... He was remarkably fair.
CNN has sought comment from Ibarra's attorneys as well as the office of Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez. During Tuesday's hearing, Haggard forbade attorneys and the defendant from speaking with the media. Mauldin said Ibarra's attorneys would not have asked for a bench trial if they felt Haggard could not be fair to their client.
Republican President-elect Donald Trump alleged the Biden administration's immigration policies contributed to Riley's death. Ahead of his election, Trump vowed to conduct a large-scale deportation of undocumented migrants. Riley's parents attended a Trump rally in March and met with Trump backstage, according to co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita.
In September 2023 he was arrested by police in New York City and charged with "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation," ICE said in a news release. But police released Ibarra "before a detainer could be issued," according to ICE.
With the case now fueling a political firestorm over crime and illegal immigration, Haggard will face close scrutiny for his handling of one of the most politically and racially charged trials since he oversaw Hood's murder trial nearly a decade ago. Haggard's father, Harold Phillip Haggard, was a 59-year-old salesman who was fatally shot in the chest in 1992 as he exchanged gunfire with two men trying to rob him outside a Georgia apartment complex, according to local press reports at the time and court documents.
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