ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Testimony resumed Monday in the trial of the man accused of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, a case that became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration during this year’s presidential campaign.

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.

A man on trial for the murder of Laken Riley was out “hunting for females” on the University of Georgia campus when he came across the 22-year-old on her morning jog and killed her, a court heard on Friday.

The 22-year-old nursing student's death fueled an emotional and politically charged debate over immigration and crime after authorities said the suspect was a man who entered the U.S. illegally.