Migrant Who Reportedly Murdered UGA Student Busted in NYC for Child Endangerment
A 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia was murdered on campus by an illegal immigrant, according to multiple reports and confirmation from the University of Georgia police department.
Laken Hope Riley went out for a run and was found with visible injuries in a forest near the UGA campus, according to the New York Post. Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested and charged with Riley’s murder. Ibarra is reportedly an illegal immigrant who crossed the border in El Paso, according to his wife.
Originally from Venezuela, Ibarra, his wife, and his five-year-old son illegally crossed the border into the U.S. on Sept. 5, 2023. The family was put on a bus to New York City on Sept. 15, following their short stint in a processing facility in Texas.
Ibarra, 26, was working for DoorDash and Uber Eats when he was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child. He was reportedly riding a moped with his son and the child did not have any protective headgear or restraint. He was charged with child endangerment, though the record of this charge was sealed.
Layling Franco, Ibarra’s wife, alleged that the family moved to Georgia as Ibarra pursued a better job.
“We got married so we could join our asylum cases,” Franco told the New York Post. “He was the person I thought I could see through. We’ve known each other our entire lives … He wasn’t aggressive, none of that.”
“We had problems as a couple but our problems weren’t physical,” she continued. “We wouldn’t punch, but we’d raise our voices.”
Ibarra’s older brother, Diego Ibarra, is also illegally in the U.S. and is in state custody on charges of holding a fake green card. The brother has been arrested three times in Athens, Georgia, the same city where the University of Georgia campus resides.
