Murder of Laken Riley

On February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was murdered while she was jogging at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia. Her body was found in Oconee Forest Park near Lake Herrick; her death was caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.
The perpetrator, José Antonio Ibarra, is a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally. He was arrested by UGA police and was charged with 10 counts, including felony murder, malice murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and kidnapping. Ibarra was found guilty on all charges on November 20, 2024, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Riley's death made international news, generating extensive media attention. It sparked a debate over illegal immigration in the United States after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Ibarra is not a U.S. citizen and was caught crossing the border but was released into the United States. On March 7, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would require federal detention of illegal immigrants arrested for burglary or theft. It faced opposition in the then Democratic-controlled Senate and failed to come to a vote. The bill again passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support on January 7, 2025 and an amended version passed the Senate on January 20 as part of the 119th Congress. It became the first bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in his second term.
Laken Hope Riley was born on January 10, 2002, in Marietta, Georgia, to Jason Riley and Allyson Phillips. She had three siblings. In 2020, she graduated from River Ridge High School where she was a member of the cross-country team.
Riley, who was 22 years old at the time of her death, was a nursing student at Augusta University in Athens, Georgia, and had previously attended the University of Georgia as an undergraduate. She was an active member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
On February 22, 2024, Riley went for a morning run at the University of Georgia (UGA). At 8:55 a.m., Riley texted her mother: "Good morning, about to go for a run if you're free to talk". At 9:03 a.m., Riley called her mother. During her attack, Riley's phone called 911 at 9:11 a.m. Riley was attacked and killed between 9 a.m. and 9:32 a.m. Riley's mother tried to contact her multiple times through calls and texts but did not receive any response.
At 12:07 p.m., Riley's roommate reported her disappearance to the UGA police after she did not return. At 12:38 p.m., Riley's body was discovered by UGA police in Oconee Forest Park behind Lake Herrick. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, according to Athens-Clarke County Coroner. Riley's Garmin watch, which she was wearing at the time, showed that her heart stopped at 9:28 a.m. UGA police described Riley's murder as a "crime of opportunity" and reported that the killer appeared to have acted alone. There had not been a murder on the university's campus since 1983.
Riley's funeral was held on March 1, 2024, at the Woodstock City Church. She was buried at Enon Cemetery in Woodstock, Georgia. A memorial was made for Riley at Lake Herrick. Her family said they plan to establish a foundation in her honor. Her stepfather said: "She will be missed every day, but we promise to honor her life moving forward in a very big way". Riley's family started an online fund to raise money for the foundation, called the "Laken Hope Riley Foundation".
The perpetrator was 26-year-old José Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally in September 2022, crossing the United States' southern border with Mexico near El Paso, Texas. After crossing the border, he was apprehended by federal authorities, who subsequently released him into the country. Ibarra initially stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in New York before taking a flight to Georgia, where his brother lived. UGA police stated that he lived in an apartment complex about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the wooded area where Riley's body was found.
Ibarra had been previously arrested by both federal and state officials in multiple jurisdictions. In September 2023, Ibarra was arrested in New York City and charged with "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation" for driving a scooter without a license with a child who was not wearing a helmet. In October 2023, José and his brother, who was reported by authorities to be a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua who temporarily worked at UGA, were arrested by Athens police on theft charges for reportedly possessing stolen merchandise from a local Walmart, and were later released. Ibarra had a bench warrant issued for his arrest in December 2023 after failing to appear in court in a shoplifting case in Georgia. ICE stated that it had missed an opportunity to detain Ibarra after an arrest in New York because he was released by New York officials before a detainer could be issued.
After Riley's death, Ibarra was questioned by police after a jacket with Riley's hair was found in a dumpster near his apartment. Ibarra's roommate identified him as the man throwing away the jacket from surveillance footage of the dumpster. Police questioned Ibarra and noticed red knuckles and scratches on his arms. Ibarra was subsequently arrested on murder charges.
On May 8, 2024, a grand jury in Clarke County indicted Ibarra with ten charges: three charges of felony murder, malice murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to rape, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another and peeping Tom. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Bail was denied. The district attorney was seeking the sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In a court filing, the defense attorneys submitted a motion to move the trial to another county due to the media attention surrounding the case, but Judge H. Patrick Haggard denied it.
Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and opted for a bench trial, which began on November 15, 2024. Prosecutors presented evidence that included Ibarra's DNA under Riley's fingernails and Ibarra's fingerprint on Riley's phone screen. Ibarra's defense said that evidence against him was circumstantial. On November 20, 2024, Judge Haggard found him guilty of all charges and sentenced him to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Riley's murder drew widespread public interest and international media attention, especially in the United States.
Riley's parents, Jason Riley and Allyson Phillips, were invited to the State of the Union by Georgia Congressman Mike Collins, but they turned down his invitation. President Joe Biden mentioned the murder of Riley during the 2024 State of the Union address, after Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted Riley's name at the president.
Sarah Dorn, writing for Forbes, said Riley's murder became a "national political case" during a "historic surge in border crossings during Biden's tenure". Donald Trump mentioned Riley during his speech for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Riley, along with other women and girls reportedly killed by illegal immigrants including Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl killed in June 2024, were heavily featured in Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and his political advertisements on illegal immigration and border security.
Andrea Cavallier from The Independent discussed the dangers and threats that women face when they run solo, using the murders of Riley; Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year old Iowa university student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant while she was jogging in 2018; and Karina Vetrano, a 30-year-old American woman who was murdered while running in a neighborhood of Queens, New York City, as examples.
The case was taken up by prominent Republicans to support tougher immigration policies. Senator Lindsey Graham stated that the killing of Riley would "change the 2024 election as much as anything". Democrats accused Republicans of politicizing the tragedy. Representative Jerry Nadler stated that Republicans were exploiting Riley's death for "a partisan stunt" and "throwing together legislation to target immigrants in an election year" while Representative Veronica Escobar stated, "We all want Laken Riley’s murderer to be held accountable...Republicans should be ashamed of exploiting this tragedy for their dangerous political games."
On March 7, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act in a 251–170 vote, with 37 Democratic members joining all Republican members in voting for the bill. If enacted, the Laken Riley Act would mandate federal detention of illegal immigrants who are arrested for burglary or theft and would allow states to file suit against the federal government for failing to enforce immigration laws. The bill stalled amid opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate in the 118th Congress.
On January 7, 2025, the Laken Riley Act again passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 264–159. All Republican members voted for the bill, with 48 Democratic members joining in support of it as well. This also marked the first piece of legislation passed by the House of Representatives in the newly elected 119th Congress, which began on January 3, 2025. The Senate passed an amended version of the bill on January 20, 2025, with all Republicans and 12 Democrats voting in favor, which was also passed in the House on January 22.
President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on January 29, 2025.