Nov. 15 (UPI) — A bench trial for slain student Laken Riley, who was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant, began Friday in Athens, Ga., with a graphic video showing when her body was discovered.

Riley, 22, a student at Augusta University, was killed in February. Her body was found in a wooded area of the nearby campus of the University of Georgia in Athens.

Jose Ibarra, a native of Venezuela who entered the country illegally, has pleaded not guilty up to 10 counts, including malicious murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury and aggravated assault with intent to rape.

The allegations against Ibarra became highly politicized during this year’s presidential campaign as President-elect Donald Trump highlighted the case attacked President Joe Biden’s handling of the US’s southern border, while Democrats accused Trump of exploiting a tragedy for political gain.

Riley’s killing also sparked several new state laws cracking down on illegal immigration, including a measure in Georgia, requiring local sheriffs to check the immigration status of anyone over the age of 18 who has been arrested, detained or even suspected of committing a crime.

On Friday, prosecutors presented the first evidence against Ibarra, including dramatic video footage taken from the body camera of the officer who discovered Riley’s body near a campus hiking trail, Sgt. Kenneth Maxwell of the Athens-Clarke Police Department.

Amid audible gasps and shouts from the courtroom attendees, video presented Maxwell administered CPR to the student’s body and asked University of Georgia campus police to set up a perimeter around the crime scene.

Prosecutors also played audio of a 911 call made by Riley around the time she was killed, as well as another from a UGA student related to allegations that Ibarra also tried to break into an apartment complex for students before the killing.

In their opening statements, prosecutors outlined the timing of Riley’s death.

They said her roommates went looking for her after she didn’t return home from jogging, and after finding her AirPods on the trail, they called the police and reported her missing.

Police used “pings” from Riley’s cell phone to find her body under a leaf-covered tree about 200 feet away from a jogging path in the woods. Nearby were stones covered in her blood. Her phone was later found, allegedly marked with Ibarra’s thumbprint.

The victim’s Apple Watch showed she made a 911 call after stopping her run, and while Riley’s voice is not heard on the audio, experts said enhancements revealed a man’s voice is audible on the recording digital.