ATHENS, Ga. — A man accused of killing a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and other charges in her death.
A grand jury returned an indictment in early May charging Jose Ibarra with murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other crimes in connection with the February killing of Laken Hope Riley. The 10 charges accuse Ibarra of hitting the Augusta University College of Nursing nursing student in the head, choking her and pulling up her clothing with the intent to rape her.
Judge H. Patrick Haggard said he hopes for a trial in the fall.
The killing immediately became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration because Ibarra, who is from Venezuela, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, blamed Riley’s death on President Joe Biden and his border policies.
Riley’s death prompted a law in Georgia requiring jailers to check the immigration status of people in their custody and file applications to help enforce federal immigration laws. In signing the bill, Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, said it became “one of our top priorities following the senseless death of Laken Riley by someone illegally in this country who had already been arrested even after crossing the border.” .”
Riley’s body was found near running trails on February 22 after a friend told police she had not returned from a morning walk. Police said her killing appeared to be a random attack. Ibarra, 26, was arrested the next day and has been held in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond since.
