The suspect charged in the death of nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the University of Georgia campus was arrested in 2022 after unlawfully entering the United States, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Sunday.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was charged Friday in Athens with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of Riley, 22.
Ibarra, a citizen of Venezuela, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Sept. 8, 2022, after officials say he illegally crossed the border near El Paso, Texas. He was paroled and released for further processing.
On Sept. 14, 2023, Ibarra was arrested by the New York Police Department and charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation. But he was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued, ICE wrote in a statement Sunday.
ICE said that its Enforcement and Removal Operations unit in Atlanta encountered Ibarra on Friday after his arrest on murder charges and lodged a detainer.
___
© 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
