ATLANTA– The suspect in the murder of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus used an object as a weapon in the crime and is also accused of “disfiguring her skull,” according to newly filed arrest affidavits.
Jose Ibarra, who faces multiple murder and assault charges, is also accused of dragging 22-year-old Laken Riley to a remote area on Thursday, according to one of the affidavits obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The charge that he dragged Riley’s body was filed in support of the charge of concealing the death of another person.
Authorities have not said exactly how Riley was killed, only that her death was caused by blunt force trauma. Further details about the type of object used, or how exactly she was killed, were not included in the arrest affidavits.
The affidavits, filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, state the crimes were committed Thursday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Ibarra, 26, is a Venezuelan citizen who immigration authorities say entered the United States unlawfully in 2022.
Riley studied nursing at the Augusta University campus in Athens after starting her college career at the much larger campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. She was found dead Thursday after a roommate reported that she had not returned from a morning run in a wooded area of the University of Georgia campus near the intramural fields.
Hundreds of students and faculty gathered Monday afternoon for a vigil for Riley, organized by her student organizations, on the University of Georgia campus. Many people cried and members of Alpha Chi Omega held carnations, a symbol of the fraternity.
“Laken showed dedication in every aspect of her life,” said Chloe Mullis, president of the University of Georgia’s Alpha Chi Omega chapter. “Doing things halfway was just not an option. We have lost one of the brightest lights ever.”
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Governor Brian Kemp, have used the killing to attack President Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Ibarra was detained by the Border Patrol on September 8, 2022, after entering from Mexico near El Paso, Texas. According to ICE, he was released for further treatment. It is unclear whether Ibarra has applied for asylum.
According to ICE, Ibarra was arrested by New York Police on August 31 and charged with conduct involving injury to a child under the age of 17 and a driver’s license violation. Ibarra was released before ICE could ask New York officials to detain him until immigration authorities could take him into custody, ICE said. Officials in New York said Sunday they had no record of the arrest.
The White House extended its condolences to Riley’s family and referred questions about the case to ICE and local law enforcement.