In a recent development, Fox News Digital has confirmed that the suspect implicated in the murder of a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.
The suspect, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, is charged with the murder of Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia.
According to three sources from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ibarra is a Venezuelan national who illegally entered the United States through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022. He was subsequently released into the U.S. under parole. ICE has yet to officially comment on the situation.
Ibarra was apprehended by the University of Georgia police last Friday. The Clarke County Sheriffs Department booking sheet lists his height as 5 foot 3 inches and weight as 170 lbs. In contrast, Riley was 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 115 lbs, as per a report from the University of Georgia Police Department.
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark announced during a news briefing on Friday evening that Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra made his court appearance on Saturday morning, where Clarke County Magistrate Judge Donarell Green denied his bond "for today." Ibarra, accompanied by two translators, nodded in response to the proceedings.
Riley, who was previously a student at UGA before joining a nursing program at Augusta University's Athens campus, was found dead on Thursday. She had made the Dean's List at Augusta University.
During the initial stages of the investigation, the police detained three to four individuals but only arrested and charged Ibarra, as confirmed by UGA Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark. The police are seeking information from anyone who noticed anything "relevant or suspicious" between 7 a.m. and noon on Thursday around UGA's Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick. They can be reached at 706-542-2200.
Riley was found with "visible injuries" near the Intramural Fields, about 30 minutes after a concerned friend reported her missing from a run.
An incident report obtained by Fox News Digital reveals that multiple officers began searching for Riley around 12:07 p.m. At 12:38 p.m., a UGA police officer found her unresponsive on the ground.
Despite the absence of a pulse and visible injuries, the officers initiated CPR. A sergeant arrived with a defibrillator minutes later but was unsuccessful in reviving Riley. Autopsy results are still pending, but authorities are treating her death as a homicide, suspecting blunt-force trauma as the cause.
In the wake of this tragic event, both universities canceled classes and events on Friday.
In a related development, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Ibarras brother, Diego Ibarra, 29, with possession of a fake/fraudulent green card.
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