ATHENS — Lawyers for Jose Ibarra, the man convicted of murder in the killing of college nursing student Laken Riley, told a judge Friday they intend to file motions seeking a mental competency evaluation and funding for a DNA expert to review forensic evidence.

The brief virtual hearing with an Athens-Clarke County judge was a status conference on Ibarra’s motion for a new trial. Ibarra, who was sentenced to life without parole in November after a bench trial, did not appear in court or on the teleconference.

The defense’s new motions — one to assess Ibarra’s mental competency, the other to pay for an independent DNA analysis — are expected to be filed this month. Ibarra’s defense team filed the motion for a new trial in December.

Attorney David Douds described Ibarra, 27, as “a slo

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