The individual accused in connection to the tragic killing of a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia has been identified as an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, a source revealed to Fox News Digital.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, the suspect apprehended in connection to the murder of nursing student Laken Riley at the University of Georgia, is a Venezuelan national who unlawfully crossed the border into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was subsequently released into the United States under parole, according to three sources from ICE and DHS.
BREAKING NEWS: Georgia student murder suspect confirmed to be illegal immigrant https://t.co/A9CgBBaCDl
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 24, 2024
Ibarra was apprehended by UGA police on Friday. He stands at 5 foot 3 inches and weighs 170 lbs, as per the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department booking sheet, while Riley measured 5 feet 4 inches and weighed 115 lbs, based on a UGA Police Department report.
During a news briefing Friday evening, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark announced that Ibarra faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra made an appearance in court on Saturday morning, where Clarke County Magistrate Judge Donarell Green refused to grant him bond “for today.” Two translators were present during the proceedings, with Ibarra nodding in response to questions.
Man arrested for brutal murder of Georgia nursing student, Laken Hope Riley, is reportedly a non-citizen from Venezuela https://t.co/qnsCfXtAGY pic.twitter.com/BZ7Xc1M7Wq
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) February 24, 2024
Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, was discovered deceased on Thursday. She had previously attended UGA before enrolling in a nursing program at Augusta’s Athens campus, where she had earned a spot on the Dean’s List.
Initially, three to four individuals were taken into custody during the early stages of the investigation, but only Ibarra was arrested and charged, according to Clark.
Police urged anyone who witnessed anything “relevant or suspicious” between 7 a.m. and noon on Thursday around UGA’s Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to contact 706-542-2200.
Riley was found near the Intramural Fields within 30 minutes of receiving a call from a concerned friend who reported that she had gone for a run but had not returned.
Multiple officers began searching for Riley near the Intramural Fields around 12:07 p.m., and at 12:38 p.m., a UGA police officer discovered her on the ground.
“I called out to Riley, and I did not get a response,” the officer wrote in an incident report obtained by Fox News Digital.
Riley had visible injuries, and officers were unable to detect a pulse. Despite their efforts to perform CPR, they were unable to revive her.
Autopsy results were pending as of Friday, but authorities were treating her death as a homicide, with Clark indicating that it appeared she had been killed by blunt-force trauma.
Classes and events at both universities were canceled on Friday.
Yesterday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, for possessing a fake or fraudulent green card.
