The suspect charged in the death of nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus was denied bond Saturday morning.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another. He was denied bond during a first appearance hearing and will remain in the Clarke County Jail.
“This court is not authorized under Georgia law to set bond in light of these charges. However, Mr. Ibarra will have an opportunity to petition for bond before a superior court judge at a later date,” Magistrate Court Judge Donarell Green told Ibarra and his public defender.
Ibarra was arrested Friday, a day after Riley’s body was discovered near the East Campus intramural fields in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick hours after she left for a run, UGA police Chief Jeffrey Clark said. A friend called UGA police when Riley didn’t return.
Riley had visible injuries and investigators determined she had been the victim of foul play. She was 22.
The suspect lives in Athens, but is not a U.S. citizen. He has no known affiliation with the university and investigators do not believe Ibarra knew Riley, Clark added.
“At this time, the investigation suggests that they had no (prior) relationship. He did not know her at all,” Clark said. “I think this was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened.”
Credit: Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Later Friday, federal prosecutors announced they had charged Ibarra’s brother, Diego Ibarra, with possessing a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card. Both men are from Venezuela, the Justice Department said in a press release, which did not disclose Jose Ibarra’s immigration status.
Homeland Security Investigations became aware of Diego Ibarra’s undocumented presence in the U.S. on Friday when an Athens-Clarke County police officer approached him because he matched the description of a suspect in the homicide investigation. Diego Ibarra presented the officer with a U.S. green card that was fake, according to officials
Riley was an undergraduate student at UGA until the spring of 2023 and later transitioned to Augusta University’s nursing program in Athens, where she made the fall 2023 dean’s list. She remained an active member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at UGA.
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