Brother of suspect in nursing student’s killing had fake green card, feds say
ATHENS, Ga. — The brother of the man accused of killing a Georgia nursing student has been accused of presenting a fake green card to police as they investigated the woman’s death, according to federal authorities.
The brothers, Jose and Diego Ibarra, are from Venezuela, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said in a news release.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was taken into custody Friday for the murder of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, police said. University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said Jose Ibarra is not a U.S. citizen but that he did not know Ibarra’s immigration status.
Diego Ibarra, 29, was arrested the same day for allegedly presenting a forged U.S. permanent resident card to investigators, according to the local U.S. Attorney’s office. Local police had approached Diego Ibarra, who lives in Athens, as he was walking down the street because he matched the suspect’s description.
Diego Ibarra had encountered U.S. border agents near El Paso, Texas, last April, the U.S. attorney’s office said. He was prosecuted for expedited removal, but claimed a “credible fear of return to Venezuela.” He was released with a pending asylum application.
At least 7.3 million people have fled Venezuela during political, economic and humanitarian crises over the past decade. Most settled in neighboring Latin America, but many came to the United States in the past three years.
Since entering the U.S., Diego Ibarra has been arrested three times by Athens police, federal authorities said.
He was arrested in September for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. He was arrested in October for shoplifting and arrested in December for “failure to appear for a fingerprintable offense.”
Diego Ibarra is in state custody, federal officials said. It is unclear whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
Melissa Hodges, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said in an email Saturday that she had no additional information about the immigration status of Jose Ibarra, who now faces charges including murder and kidnapping.
Local police said Friday that Jose Ibarra, who lived in Athens, apparently did not know Riley and acted alone. Riley’s body was found Thursday near running trails, launching a highly visible police investigation that focused on an apartment complex just south of there.
Campus security video and other technology led police to Jose Ibarra, who lived in one of the apartments, police said.
It was not known whether Ibarra had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Riley’s body was discovered Thursday afternoon after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning run, authorities said. Officers immediately began searching and found her body in a wooded area near Lake Herrick, with trails popular with runners and walkers.
Emergency medical services determined she died before officers found her. Clark, the university’s police chief, said Friday that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, but he did not elaborate.
Riley attended the University of Georgia until the spring of 2023 before transferring to Augusta University’s College of Nursing, according to a statement from the University of Georgia, which does not have a nursing program of its own. She remained active in the sorority she joined at the University of Georgia.
Riley’s sister, Lauren Phillips, paid tribute to her in an Instagram post on Friday, 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 now with the man you loved most,” Phillips wrote. “I’m not sure how I’m going to do this, but from now on it will all be yours.” I can’t wait to give you the biggest hug ever. I will miss and love you forever Laken.”