In the nine months since Laken Riley was killed while jogging at the University of Georgia, her death turned into a lightning rod over crime and illegal immigration and cast an ominous shadow over the college town of Athens.

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,