ATLANTA – A Georgia man accused of murdering UGA student, Laken Riley, appeared in court for his arraignment and plea hearing Friday.
Jose Ibarra was indicted on murder charges in early May by grand jurors who said he intended to rape Riley, a nursing student, whose body was found near a running trail on the University of Georgia campus.
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It was the first time such a motive has been revealed in the February killing of Laken Hope Riley, which has become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration reform. Republicans have used the murder case against Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan citizen, to stoke fears about immigration by claiming that some immigrants would commit violent crimes if they are allowed entry into the U.S.
The 10-count indictment also accused Ibarra of hindering Riley’s attempts to call 911; and of tampering with evidence by concealing a jacket and gloves.
The killing stunned students and staff at the university after police said Ibarra did not know Riley and took her life in an apparently random attack. Officers discovered the body of Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University College of Nursing student, on Feb. 22. That led officers to zero in on a nearby apartment complex, where they eventually apprehended Ibarra, 26, who lived in the apartments.
“This was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual, and bad things happened,” University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said shortly after the killing.