murder of Laken Riley
2024 CE.
Shown on the map at 33.928°, -83.373°.
On February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was attacked and murdered while she was jogging at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, United States. 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, was a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally. He was arrested by UGA police and 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 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Ibarra is not a US citizen and was caught crossing the border but was released into the United States.
Text from the Wikipedia article Murder of Laken Riley, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.