The murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley sent the UGA and Athens community into a state of shock last week that escalated when the city became the center of a political firestorm over immigration policy.
The man accused of killing Riley while she was jogging near Lake Herrick the morning of Feb. 22—Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26—is not a U.S. citizen, UGA Police Chief Jeff Clark announced at a Feb. 23 news conference. Immediately, Republicans pounced, accusing Athens of being a “sanctuary city,” pointing to a 2019 resolution the county commission passed condemning white supremacy and welcoming immigrants regardless of their documentation.
“The blood of Laken Riley is on the hands of Joe Biden, [Homeland Security Secretary] Alejandro Mayorkas, and the government of Athens-Clarke County,” Athens’ congressman, Republican Mike Collins, tweeted just minutes after the news conference ended. “The Venezuelan suspect in Laken Riley’s murder is one of millions of illegal aliens that the Biden administration has released into this country to be welcomed with open arms by Democrat-run sanctuary jurisdictions.”
With the border shaping up to be a key issue in this year’s presidential race, other Republicans quickly piled on. Gov. Brian Kemp sent a public letter to the Biden administration demanding to know Ibarra’s immigration status. Republican state legislators are now mulling another crackdown on immigration, though it’s unclear at this point what form that might take.
“Let me be clear—this tragedy was created by the inaction of politicians to fix our broken immigration system, and it has been exacerbated over the past three years by an administration that has refused to secure our southern border,” House Speaker Jon Burns said in a news release Saturday, Feb. 24. “But there are certainly also questions surrounding the administration of justice at the local level, and House leadership will be pressing for answers over the coming days as to why exactly the suspect and his brother continued to roam freely in the Athens area.”
Republicans also renewed their attacks on embattled District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, who pledged to “work tirelessly” to convict violent criminals.
Clark said Friday that authorities were unsure of Ibarra’s immigration status, adding that he did not have a history of violent crime. That remained true until Sunday night, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Jose Ibarra had crossed the border at El Paso, TX illegally. He was detained and applied for asylum due to the violence in his native Venezuela, then was released pending a review of his case due to overcrowding at the detention center where he was being held.
Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, was charged with presenting a fake green card when authorities questioned him because he resembled the suspect they were looking for. No such charges have been filed against Jose Ibarra, who was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail on Friday night on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping, false imprisonment, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another person and failure to appear for a fingerprintable charge.
The last charge stemmed from a recent shoplifting arrest in Athens, according to court documents filed over the weekend. Past charges also included a DUI in Athens and endangering a child in New York City, where he stayed for a time with his wife and child. It appears that Jose Ibarra moved to Athens because his brother Diego had obtained a job as a dishwasher there; however, UGA said Diego Ibarra was only employed for a short time because he could not provide proper documentation.
Sadly, the political ramifications and national media attention overshadowed Riley’s life and death. Originally from Woodstock, she ran track in high school and continued to be an avid jogger while attending UGA, where she made the dean’s list and joined the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Last spring, she transferred to Augusta University’s Athens nursing program to finish her degree.
“The College of Nursing will miss Laken’s spirit on campus, and our hearts go out to her family and friends,” Augusta University said in a statement. “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.”
At first, the University of Georgia seemed to distance itself from Riley. Initially, UGA said the victim was not a student there, and did not acknowledge that she had attended UGA until releasing her name the next day.
A friend reported Riley missing shortly after noon on Thursday, Feb. 22, because she had not come back from jogging. Half an hour later, police found her body on a trail near Lake Herrick.
Friday, police were seen detaining several men at the Cielo Azulak apartment complex off South Milledge Avenue, adjacent to the Intramural Fields woods. Only one of those men, Jose Ibarra, was charged, and Clark said he acted alone.
“This was an individual who woke up with bad intentions that day,” Clark said. Ibarra and Riley did not know each other, he added, describing the killing as a “crime of opportunity.”
Combined with the death of another student last week, Riley’s killing set students on edge, prompting UGA to cancel classes last Friday. They were expected to resume on Monday.
“The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our University,” the administration said in a Feb. 22 statement. “Our student body is grieving the sudden death of one [of] our students in Brumby Hall last night. And as we continue to mourn that tragic loss of life, today’s devastating news will uniquely test the resolve of our campus community, particularly our students.”
At press time, Riley’s sorority and another Greek organization were planning a memorial for her at 3 p.m. last Monday at the Tate Center. Kemp was expected to address the issue at an Athens Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast Monday morning. Collins canceled a previously scheduled speech at an Oconee County GOP meeting, and was replaced by Gonzalez critic Kevin Epps. As this is a developing story, please check back to flagpole.com for the latest updates.
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