Illegal Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra, charged with the murder of Augusta University student Laken Riley, entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment on Friday. Ibarra, 26, is facing a ten-count indictment related to the death of Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student attacked on February 22 while jogging on dirt trails on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.
The arraignment occurred at Athens-Clarke County Superior Courthouse, where Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, was visibly emotional — breaking down in tears. The judge has scheduled a status hearing for August, with the trial expected to occur later in the fall.
Ibarra faces multiple charges, including malice murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and being a “peeping Tom.”
The indictment alleges that Ibarra caused Riley’s death by blunt-force trauma to her head and asphyxiating her in an unspecified manner. He is also accused of spying on a university staff member in an apartment on the same day of the alleged murder.
Ibarra resided in an apartment complex near the on-campus park where Riley was jogging. University of Georgia Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described the incident as a “crime of opportunity,” noting the proximity of Ibarra‘s apartment to the crime scene.
Records indicate that Ibarra, originally from Venezuela, entered the United States illegally through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was reportedly released into the U.S. on parole, according to sources from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Former President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly blasted the Biden government for its open borders policies, which have allowed murderers like Ibarra to enter the country illegally.
