A vigil will be held Monday afternoon for Laken Hope Riley, an Augusta University nursing student who was found dead after jogging on the University of Georgia campus last week, as her suspected killer’s immigration status has drawn the scrutiny of Republican leaders.
Riley, who was a UGA student until May 2023, was found dead Thursday near a lake on the university’s campus from blunt force trauma, according to UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark.
The suspect in her killing, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, has since been charged with felony murder, false imprisonment and kidnapping and concealing the death of another, jail records show. Investigators said there is no evidence that Ibarra knew Riley.
Ibarra’s status as an undocumented Venezuelan migrant is now being touted by several state and national GOP leaders to support their calls for tighter border security – though there is little evidence indicating a connection between immigration and crime.
Riley’s killing has left the University of Georgia to grieve two tragic deaths that occurred less than a day apart: Her body was discovered just hours after the death of a UGA student the previous night.
The Monday afternoon vigil will be co-hosted by Riley’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority at UGA in remembrance of both of the dead students, the university said.
Here’s what we know about the case.
Riley’s killing was ‘crime of opportunity,’ police say
Police began searching for Riley after receiving a call around noon Thursday from a friend who was concerned the 22-year-old had not returned from her jog at UGA’s intramural fields that morning, Clark said. Less than an hour later, she was found dead.
Clark referred to Riley’s killing as a “crime of opportunity,” noting he believes the suspect acted alone.
“This was a very isolated incident. We haven’t had a homicide at the University of Georgia in almost 30 years,” Clark said Friday. “This was an individual who woke up with bad intentions that day.”
Police connected Ibarra to Riley’s killing using campus security camera footage, physical evidence and key input from the community, Clark said. Investigators have obtained a search warrant for Ibarra’s apartment and are still collecting evidence, he added, encouraging anyone with information about the came to come forward.
Suspect’s immigration status draws scrutiny
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Sunday that Ibarra is a Venezuelan migrant who is not a US citizen, prompting outcries from several Republican politicians demanding stricter immigration policies at the US-Mexico border.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shared a letter addressed to President Joe Biden on Saturday slamming his immigration policies and “demanding information” related to Ibarra’s immigration status.
“Laken Riley’s tragic death struck the hearts of Georgians everywhere and has sparked national outrage,” Kemp said in a post on X. “Joe Biden’s failed policies have turned every state into a border state, and I’m demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government won’t!”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson made similar comments in a post on X, expressing his condolences to Riley’s family while urging Biden to “CLOSE THE BORDER!”
Governors nationwide, regardless of their proximity to the US southern border, have been grappling with migrant arrivals, in part as a result of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott busing migrants to Democratic-led cities in protest of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
In a recent Pew Research Center report about the US southern border, 57% of Americans said the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime – even though many researchers have found no such connection.
Ibarra was arrested in 2022 after entering the US illegally, according to a statement from ICE, which said he was “paroled and released for further processing.”
He was also arrested last September by New York City police and charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation,” ICE said. The NYPD released him “before a detainer could be issued,” it added.
When contacted about ICE’s statement about Ibarra’s arrest and release, New York’s office of the deputy commissioner of information said it did not have a record of Ibarra’s arrest.
His brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, was also arrested Friday on a federal charge of possessing a fraudulent green card and faces up to a decade in prison, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Peers mourning a ‘promising future nurse’
Friends and loved ones at both UGA and the Augusta University College of Nursing are grieving the loss of Riley, who was remembered by UAC as a “promising future nurse” whose “compassion and care for others is evident.”
Riley, who was set to graduate with a nursing degree in 2025, had just made the fall dean’s list and recieved her honorary white coat in August, “symbolizing humanism, compassion, and the start of her nurse’s journey,” the nursing college said in a statement on Facebook.
“The College of Nursing will miss Laken’s spirit on campus, and our hearts go out to her family and friends. We know that she would have been a wonderful nurse, and her passing is a loss for the profession and the communities she would have graciously served.”
Riley’s younger sister, Lauren Phillips, shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram Friday.
“The best sister and my built in best friend from the very first second,” she wrote. “I’m not sure how I’m going to do this but it’s all going to be for you from now on. I cannot wait to give you the biggest hug someday. I will miss and love you forever Laken.”
A GoFundMe campaign set up for Riley’s funeral expenses, to establish a scholarship fund and “raise homicide awareness” has recieved more than $100,000 in donations.
UGA Latino student groups say they’ve recieved ‘hate comments’
Two student organizations that serve UGA’s Latino community said they have received “hate comments” following Riley’s death and Ibarra’s arrest, according to a joint statement posted on social media.
“In light of recent events, we find ourselves confronted with the painful reality of hatred and bigotry that has no place within our campus community,” UGA’s Hispanic Student Association and campus Latino mentoring organization LISTo said in a joint statement posted on Instagram.
“The hurtful and discriminatory comments made following the tragic loss of one of our own have deeply shaken us all. Such grief should not be made use for racism, hatred or xenophobia,” the post continued.
The university had more than 2,700 Hispanic students enrolled in 2022, according to UGA’s fact book.
