The trial involving the illegal Venezuelan immigrant accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley began Friday.

Prosecutors said during the first hearing that the defendant, José Ibarra, was linked to the Tren de Aragua gang and was on a “female hunt” on Feb. 22 when he targeted Riley, 22, then that she was jogging.

Prosecutors said in court that Riley “fought for her life” as Ibarra pinned her down and choked her until she died.

“He went hunting for females on the University of Georgia campus and during his hunt he encountered 22-year-old Laken Riley during his morning jog,” prosecutor Sheila Ross said. “When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he smashed her skull with a rock several times.”

The 911 call made from Riley’s phone was heard in court.

Riley’s death attracted national attention. The US House of Representatives, led by the Republican Party, passed the Laken Riley Law but it failed to get a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.