The trial for Jose Ibarra, the man accused of murdering nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus, began on Friday morning. Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco was in the courtroom as prosecutors and Ibarra’s defense attorneys gave opening statements and started calling witnesses.

Jose Ibarra, who entered the U.S. illegally​, is charged with murder in the February killing, which helped fan the immigration debate during this year's presidential campaign.

The trial against the illegal immigrant accused of murdering Georgia nursing student Laken Riley began Friday and his fate will be decided by a judge — not a jury. Jose Ibarra — a Venezuelan who illegally entered the US through the southern border — stands accused of killing Riley,