Man charged with murder of nursing student killed on University of Georgia campus

ATHENS, Ga. (WANF/Gray News) – A suspect is in custody for the homicide of a student on the University of Georgia’s campus, police said.

The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, a nursing student at the Augusta University College of Nursing at its Athens campus, the city that is also home to the University of Georgia, where she was found dead.

University of Georgia Police announced Friday the suspect is Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who lives in Athens but is not a United States citizen. He is being charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another.

UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said Ibarra likely did not know Riley.

“I think this was a crime of opportunity,” Clark said.

Riley’s cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to law enforcement.

Clark said the arrest was possible with the assistance from several law enforcement agencies, including the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Clarke County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and federal agencies. Video surveillance from campus also aided in the arrest, Clark said.

“The evidence is robust,” Clark said, adding the suspect’s apartment is still being searched. “Our work, however, is not done.”

Clark said there is no immediate threat of danger following the arrest.

Just before noon on Friday, authorities took three people into custody at the Argo apartment complex near the university, just south of several trails that lead to where Riley was killed.

It is unclear if Ibarra is one of the three seen being placed in handcuffs.

“Rest assured that the University of Georgia police in cooperation with Athens-Clarke County police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are continuing to work around the clock to resolve this crime and to bring anyone involved into justice,” Greg Trevor, a spokesman with the University of Georgia, said.

A University of Georgia spokesperson told CNN that Riley was previously a student at the university before her enrollment at Augusta University.

“The victim was an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia until the spring of 2023, and then she became a nursing student at the Augusta University nursing program in Athens,” spokesperson Cole Sosebee told CNN.

Riley was also a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, according to other sorority members.

Riley’s cause and manner of death are pending but are expected to be determined on Friday, the coroner said.

University of Georgia police said they received a call just after 12 p.m. on Thursday from a friend who was concerned about Riley because she did not come back from a morning run at the intramural fields.

About 20 minutes later, police found Riley’s body in a forested area behind Lake Herrick with “visible injuries.”

Officers tried to give emergency aid, but Riley was pronounced dead at the scene.

The school said in a letter to students that “foul play is suspected,” adding that the “safety and welfare of our campus community is our top concern.”

All classes at the University of Georgia have been canceled until Monday. The Augusta University College of Nursing canceled classes on Friday.

University of Georgia Police Chief Jeffery Clark is asking people to stay away from the area while campus police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department investigate.

“This is a tragic day,” Clark said. “My investigators will be working this case day and night, and they will be looking at every camera that we have.”

He also is encouraging students to travel in pairs or groups as they walk around campus.

Clark also said this is the first slaying on the university’s campus in 20 years.

University of Georgia students said they are scared knowing what took place on campus.

“Me and my roommate, like pretty much everyone I know, we park over there. Me and my boyfriend go on runs over there all the time,” said University of Georgia student Izzy Whitesides. “The fact that the person hasn’t been caught yet is really scary. Hence why I had somebody come walk me back to my car.”

“It’s really beautiful and peaceful, and now I feel like it’s tainted. It’s like, scary, a little bit,” student Alena Wiggins said.

Police ask anyone with information to call the University of Georgia Police Department at (706) 542-2200.

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