The illegal alien suspected of brutally murdering student Laken Riley, 22, has been formally charged by a Georgia grand jury on ten counts, including murder, kidnapping, and being a peeping Tom.
According to records from the Superior Court of Clarke County, Jose Ibarra is accused of malicious murder, three counts of felony murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence, and interfering with a 911 request for assistance.
In addition, the 26-year-old man was charged with “peeping Tom” in connection with his actions on the day Riley was killed.
In the wake of the indictment, Jose Ibarra’s defense team made a bold move, demanding a speedy jury trial and requesting all evidence and documents pertaining to the case be turned over to them. This legal strategy underscored Ibarra’s determination to exercise his constitutional rights and potentially mount a vigorous defense against the charges he faces.
Court filings obtained by local media outlets revealed that Ibarra’s attorney had asked for a jury trial and reiterated that the defendant was not waiving his rights. The defense team also requested that all evidence and documents related to the case be provided to them, indicating their intention to thoroughly examine the prosecution’s case.
Authorities confirmed that Ibarra had entered the United States illegally in September 2022, crossing the southern border near El Paso, Texas.
Read: Mother Of Murdered Georgia Student Laken Riley Rips Biden For Flubbing Her Daughter’s Name
He was subsequently released into the country on parole, apparently due to a lack of detention space at the time. This revelation sparked outrage and renewed the debate over the ongoing immigration crisis and its potential consequences.
On the morning of February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a dedicated nursing student at Augusta University, embarked on her routine morning run around the UGA campus. Little did she know that this would be her last. Sometime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. that day, Laken’s life was brutally cut short in a secluded area near the university’s intramural fields.
When Laken failed to return from her run, a concerned friend alerted the UGA Police Department. A search was immediately initiated, and Laken’s lifeless body was discovered in the forested area near Lake Herrick. Authorities reported that Laken had sustained “visible injuries,” and an autopsy later revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Read: Florida AG Ashley Moody Urges US Senate To Pass Laken Riley Act “Enough Is Enough”
Within a day of the discovery, police arrested Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national, and charged him with a slew of offenses, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
Ibarra, who had entered the United States illegally in 2022, was living in Athens, Georgia, at the time of the incident. The arrest warrants revealed that he had physically prevented Laken from making or completing a 911 call and had used an “object” to inflict severe injuries, “disfiguring her skull.” The warrants also indicated that Ibarra had dragged Laken’s body from the intramural fields to a secluded area, where he concealed her death.
The Indictment and Allegations Against Ibarra
In the aftermath of Laken’s murder, a grand jury in Athens, Georgia, formally indicted Jose Ibarra on a total of 10 criminal charges, including the following:
- Malice Murder: The most serious murder charge in Georgia, indicating Ibarra’s actions were intentional and premeditated.
- Three Counts of Felony Murder: Charges stemming from Ibarra’s alleged commission of other felonies, such as kidnapping and aggravated assault, that resulted in Laken’s death.
- Kidnapping with Bodily Injury: Ibarra is accused of abducting Laken and causing her physical harm.
- Aggravated Assault with Intent to Rape: The indictment suggests Ibarra may have had additional nefarious intentions beyond the murder.
- Aggravated Battery: Charges related to the severe injuries Ibarra allegedly inflicted on Laken.
- Obstruction or Hindering a Person Making an Emergency Telephone Call: Ibarra is accused of physically preventing Laken from contacting emergency services.
- Tampering with Evidence: Charges stemming from Ibarra’s alleged efforts to conceal Laken’s death by dragging her body to a secluded location.
- Peeping Tom: Surprisingly, Ibarra was also indicted for allegedly spying on and invading the privacy of another individual at an apartment on the UGA campus on the same day as Laken’s murder.
The scope and severity of the charges against Ibarra underscored the brutality of the crime and the prosecution’s determination to ensure justice for Laken Riley.
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.