When 22-year-old Laken Riley never returned after going for a morning run on the University of Georgia campus in February, her roommate became worried and called campus police.
The nursing student’s slain body was found later that day in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick, near UGA’s intramural fields on campus, according to University of Georgia Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The next day, Jose Ibarra, 26, who is not a US citizen, was arrested and charged with murder in Riley’s death, a case that became a flashpoint in the national immigration debate.
Ibarra’s trial was set to begin on November 13 with jury selection but, at a pre-trial hearing, he waived his right to a jury trial and requested a bench trial instead. A bench trial is where a judge decides the facts and makes a ruling on the case, instead of a jury.
His trial will begin at 9am on Friday and be continued on to Monday, according to CNN.
Here’s what we know so far:
Who was Laken Hope Riley?
Laken Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University, which has an Athens campus.
She was from Woodstock, Georgia, graduated in 2020 from River Ridge High School, where she ran cross country and was a member of the track team, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In a statement made at the time, Cherokee County schools Superintendent Brian Hightower said: “Our community and our world lost a shining light with the tragic passing of Laken.
“An outstanding scholar athlete, Laken inspired classmates and teachers with her love of learning and her kindness to all. We ask that the community please keep her family in their hearts.”
She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at UGA and an avid runner who had completed the AthHalf Half Marathon in October 2023. In fall of the same year, she made the dean’s list at Augusta University.
Riley studied at the University of Georgia through the spring of 2023 before transferring to Augusta University’s College of Nursing, according to a statement from the University of Georgia.
She remained active in the sorority she joined at the University of Georgia, according to the Associated Press.
On the day she disappeared, she had been out running on the intramural fields on the University of Georgia campus.
Riley died of blunt force trauma in the attack, and there was no connection between her and the man accused of killing her before the crime, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said at a news conference.
“This was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual, and bad things happened,” Chief Clark said.
Murder charges
Hours after Riley was killed, Athens homicide detectives pulled a photo from a surveillance camera of a potential suspect who wore a distinctive Adidas hat, according to a federal affidavit obtained by The Associated Press.
It eventually led them to an off-campus apartment complex where they searched the grounds, and began to piece together details about Jose Antonio Ibarra.
Ibarra, 26, a Venezuelan citizen, has been charged with one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and peeping Tom.
Affidavits accused Ibarra of “disfiguring her skull” in support of the aggravated battery charge. The filing also alleged that Ibarra used an object to harm her and dragged her body to a “secluded area.”
According to the indictment, on the day of Riley’s killing, Ibarra peered into the window of an apartment in a university housing building, which is the basis for the peeping Tom charge.
Defense attorneys had tried unsuccessfully to have the trial moved out of Athens, to have the peeping Tom charge handled separately and to exclude some evidence and expert testimony.
According to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin, Ibarra was in the United States illegally. He is a Venezuelan national who crossed into the US at El Paso in September 2022.
On top of this, ICE wrote in a statement that Ibarra had been arrested by the New York Police Department on September 14, 2023 and “charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.”
NYPD then released Ibarra “before a detainer could be issued,” the agency added. However, a spokesperson for the NYPD told The Independent at the time that there was no arrest on file. ICE lodged a detainer on Ibarra following his arrest.
Ibarra’s brother Diego Ibarra was initially arrested on suspicion of killing Riley as he matched the suspect’s description. Diego Ibarra was later charged with possession of a fake green card, according to 13WMAZ.
In Jose Ibarra’s case, prosecutors had chosen not to seek the death penalty but said in a court filing that they intended to seek a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Shortly after his arrest, federal immigration officials said Ibarra illegally entered the US in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case.
Immigration was already a major issue in the presidential campaign, and Republicans seized on Riley's killing, with now-President-elect Donald Trump blaming Democratic President Joe Biden's border policies for her death.
As he spoke about border security during his State of the Union address just weeks after Riley's killing, Biden mentioned Riley by name.
Mother shared heartbreaking post about daughter a day before she was found dead
A day before Laken Riley’s body was found at the University of Georgia campus, her mother Allyson Phillips shared a heartbreaking post about missing her on a trip to Colorado.
“We had a great time with great friends celebrating Brinda’s birthday in Crested Butte, CO! Massages, skiing, great food and beautiful views! Only thing missing was Laken Riley ❤️,” she wrote with a series of photos of their family.
The following day, Riley was found dead.
Riley’s sister, Lauren Phillips, paid tribute to her in an Instagram post, calling her “the best sister and my built in best friend from the very first second.”
“This isn’t fair and I will never understand it but I know you are in heaven with the man you loved most right now,” Phillips wrote.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to do this but it’s all going to be for you from now on. I cannot wait to give you the biggest hug someday. I will miss and love you forever Laken.”
Community mourns Laken Riley
Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel released a letter to his school’s community about the tragedy at the time.
“It is with deepest sorrow that I share with you the news that one of our students at our College of Nursing campus at Athens has passed away.”
The incident comes within a day of of a suicide of a student on campus.
“The past 24 hours have been a traumatic time for our University,” the university wrote in a statement at the time.
“Our student body is grieving the sudden death of one 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.”
Officials confirmed the suicide and Riley’s death were not connected.
Students in Athens held a vigil to remember Riley and support each other during what had become a distressing 24 hours.
“It’s just like I have to be extra, extra careful and be extra protective, and it’s just super scary,” one student told FOX5.
A GoFundMe page for Riley has garnered $261,240 since its creation, far supassing its $35,000 goal. The money has gone toward funeral expenses, helping establish a scholarship in her name, and raising homicide awareness, according to the campaign.
