A Bath man accused of killing his mother last year has elected to have his trial in front of a judge rather than a jury.

Jason Ibarra, 43, was charged with depraved indifference murder after police said he told them he killed his 66-year-old mother, Jeanine, in her Bath apartment on May 24, 2022. Ibarra had been staying with her following his release from prison on assault and threatening convictions, according to police.

Ibarra pleaded not guilty to the murder charge at his arraignment in July. On Tuesday, he waived his right to a jury trial and elected to have a trial before a judge. The trial is set to begin Sept. 18.

Ibarra’s attorney, Jeremy Pratt, declined to comment on the case.

If convicted, Ibarra faces 25 years to life in prison.

Police said Ibarra’s brother called authorities on the day of the killing after Ibarra allegedly admitted on the phone, sounding “depressed and intoxicated,” that he killed their mother, according to court documents. Bath police Officer Brett McIntire went to the mother’s Congress Avenue apartment and said Ibarra was so intoxicated he struggled to stand.

“I did not mean to kill her,” he said, according to police.

He then kept repeating, “I killed my mother,” according to police.

Officers said they found his mother in a bedroom with cloth around her neck. An autopsy found she died of strangulation.

After his arraignment, Ibarra was held on $100,000 bail at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. No family members showed up to the arraignment and Ibarra has been in custody since.

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