A neighbor of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the 26-year-old man arrested in connection to the murder of Georgia college student Laken Riley, claims to have captured security footage of Ibarra disposing of bloody clothes and has handed the footage over to police.
Context
Riley, a 22-year-old student at the Augusta University College of Nursing, was found dead on Thursday near the campus of another school, the University of Georgia in Athens (UGA). She was first reported missing by friends earlier in the day after they said she did not come home after a morning run, prompting police to begin a search. Her body was later found in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick at around 12:38 p.m. local time.
On Friday evening, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark announced at a press conference that 26-year-old Ibarra, a resident of Athens, Georgia, had been arrested and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another in connection with Riley's death. The police chief added that Ibarra, originally from Venezuela, was not a United States citizen and had no prior history of violence, describing the situation as an "isolated incident" and a "crime of opportunity, [with] no motive."
What We Know
In a post on X on Tuesday, NewsNation National Correspondent Alex Caprariello posted that he spoke with Ibarra's neighbor who said a camera "caught Ibarra taking bloody clothes and evidence" and disposing of them in dumpsters on the apartment complex's property. Neighbors also described Ibarra as "the quiet type," said Riley frequently used a shortcut near the complex, and suggested it was likely that Ibarra had noticed her passing through.
This is Jose Ibarra's apartment complex in Athens, GA. This is his next door neighbor's security camera. The neighbor tells me it caught Ibarra taking bloody clothes and evidence and ditching it in various dumpsters on the property. He handed over all his footage to the police.… pic.twitter.com/0sqv960hql
— Alex Caprariello (@alcaprari23) February 27, 2024
Newsweek reached out to the UGA Police via email for comment on Tuesday afternoon. Any responses received will be added to this story in an update.
Views
In the wake of the news of Riley's death, numerous conservative lawmakers have cited Ibarra as another example of migrants committing violent crimes, necessitating stricter border security policies. Despite this, data collected by the Department of Justice in 2020 found that native Americans were far likelier to be arrested for violent crimes.
Speaking with the New York Post, Ibarra's wife Layling Franco said that he did not strike her as the type of person to commit a murder, but stressed that he should be held accountable if found guilty.
"He wasn't aggressive, none of that," Franco said. "We had problems as a couple but our problems weren't physical. We wouldn't punch but we'd raise our voices...I want to talk to [Jose]. I have a lot of faith that this wasn't him, that there was a misunderstanding somewhere. But if he did, he has to pay for what he did, truly."
What's Next
In his first court appearance on Saturday, Ibarra was denied bond due to the nature of his charges. No further court date has yet been confirmed.
Update 02/27/24 4:57 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
