Found Deceased GA - University of Georgia Laken Hope Riley, 22, found dead near University of Georgia intramural fields, foul play suspected, 22 Feb 2024

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@BrianEntin

The suspect in the killing of a nursing student on the University of Georgia campus used an object as a weapon in the crime and he’s also accused of “disfiguring her skull,” according to newly filed arrest affidavits.

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I just hope that when he "bashed her skull" that was all it took and she was gone. The thought of her surviving that, but being unable to scream or defend herself and knowing what was going on is horrific.
 
Records show he and his brother, Diego Ibarra, were then arrested in Georgia for stealing nearly $200 worth of goods from an Athens Walmart, and he had a warrant out for his arrest when he allegedly murdered Riley.

A bench warrant was issued for Jose Antonio Ibarra’s arrest on Dec. 20 after he failed to appear in court on that case, records show.
“A criminal history for the two were ran and both returned having no prior convictions for shoplifting,” an incident report said.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department said it’s standard operating procedure to give citations for certain misdemeanor offenses including shoplifting.

“While we can’t speak about an ongoing investigation, it is consistent with practice that individuals charged with misdemeanor shoplifting and other misdemeanor offenses may be released on citation,” the department said

According to the criminal complaint and sworn affidavit, since entering the country, Ibarra has been arrested three times by Athens law enforcement: on or about Sept. 25, 2023, Ibarra was arrested by ACCPD for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license; on or about Oct. 27, 2023, Ibarra was arrested by ACCPD for theft by shoplifting; and on or about Dec. 8, 2023, Ibarra was arrested by ACCPD for failure to appear for a fingerprintable offense.

UPDATE (2/27): Diego Ibarra, the brother of the man charged with murdering a woman on the University of Georgia’s campus, will make his first court appearance in Macon on Monday.

Melissa Hodges, the spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, says the appearance will happen before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle at the U.S. Courthouse at 2:30 p.m.
All of this is so confusing and I don't understand why it is..

So both were arrested for shoplifting in Oct.. records showed no priors for shoplifting.. .but what about Jose's arrest in New York in Sept.. not for shoplifting, but other serious things.. and his brothers arrest just the month before for DUI and driving w/out a license? Those didn't matter? It just mattered that they didn't have a shoplifting prior? No concern that both brothers had been arrested in the previous 2 months for other crimes and no worries that they were not here legally and committing not just one, but now 2 different crimes in a short time frame?
 
We've seen the info posted about Jose Ibarrra working for food delivery services in New York.. I don't understand how THAT is possible and that is alarming in itself due to him not having proper documentation to prove who he is and that he is legally here and allowed to work.. so he's bringing food to people's houses and we see what he is capable of.. do these businesses NOT vet those applying to work for them? I do not understand this. I certainly would not want someone bringing anything to my house if they were not vetted to verify identity and criminal history.

There also seems to be a vehicle involved since the brother was arrested for DUI and driving without a license.. so was Jose in New York.. so again how did Jose even get approved to be a delivery person without a license??
"Because we’re immigrants, we don’t have many options," one migrant to FOX 5. "One of the easiest options is to grab a motorcycle an apply on Uber."


A newly arrived Venezuelan staying inside the hotel told FOX 5, that without papers or permits to work, many migrants rely on food delivery work to help their families, in his case, a wife and three kids under 6. Food delivery work doesn’t require a license, but it does require the worker to get around town quick.
 
"Because we’re immigrants, we don’t have many options," one migrant to FOX 5. "One of the easiest options is to grab a motorcycle an apply on Uber."


A newly arrived Venezuelan staying inside the hotel told FOX 5, that without papers or permits to work, many migrants rely on food delivery work to help their families, in his case, a wife and three kids under 6. Food delivery work doesn’t require a license, but it does require the worker to get around town quick.
Uber is even more disturbing because that would require a person to get into the car with the person who I would assume was vetted by the company, but I guess not. This could all be prevented if someone had papers and permits to work. I would like to know when I get in an Uber (I've only used Uber once and it was because we were traveling and my choices were limited and I did NOT want to be in an Uber I can tell you that..) or I have a person bringing food to my house, I would like to know they are not a criminal capable of murdering me.. I assume a background check is done and that a person has applied and has papers documenting who they are in case a crime does occur or there is an incident.. how else does a company know who is working for them? This is alarming if there is zero required of those that are working for Uber or food delivery businesses.

Edited to add: this is in general too.. I'd like to know that ANYONE providing a service like driving me somewhere or bringing food to my house has been vetted.. US Citizens and otherwise. I assumed these companies actually did that, but I guess not.
 
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Specifically to Ibarra, how did he and his brother pay for their apartments, food, phones, etc ?

I've seen no reference to Jose Antonio Ibarra working and only a UGA dishwasher job for his brother where he was not paid. IIRC, one of them was arrested for shoplifting.
Re: housing, a significant number of them have housing and other expenses paid for by Catholic charities and other such organizations, who many times will guarantee X amount of money for X amount of time toward their rent....as someone in the real estate industry, I get calls all the time. We do not allow leases to undocumented persons, those without proof of income, etc. Not sure how or why other places do rent to them, but clearly many are.
 
Uber is even more disturbing because that would require a person to get into the car with the person who I would assume was vetted by the company, but I guess not. This could all be prevented if someone had papers and permits to work. I would like to know when I get in an Uber (I've only used Uber once and it was because we were traveling and my choices were limited and I did NOT want to be in an Uber I can tell you that..) or I have a person bringing food to my house, I would like to know they are not a criminal capable of murdering me.. I assume a background check is done and that a person has applied and has papers documenting who they are in case a crime does occur or there is an incident.. how else does a company know who is working for them? This is alarming if there is zero required of those that are working for Uber or food delivery businesses.
Perhaps they’re using stolen or borrowed information. JMO

“Pedro, who has been housed at a shelter with his wife and four children, has been delivering food in Manhattan by paying a friend $100 a week to illegally use his Uber Eats account, which he sees as his only option while he waits for his work permit to come through.”

 
Perhaps they’re using stolen or borrowed information. JMO

“Pedro, who has been housed at a shelter with his wife and four children, has been delivering food in Manhattan by paying a friend $100 a week to illegally use his Uber Eats account, which he sees as his only option while he waits for his work permit to come through.”

:( The system is just broke.
 
Not directed at you, just jumping off your post with a question. Why do you think the Athens, GA district attorney is bringing in a special prosecutor? Wonder why they don't have the resources within the D.A.'s office to prosecute the case?
The current DA for Athens-Clarke County is Deborah Gonzalez, and she deserves a Google. Trying to stay out of politics here as an ACC resident, but she has not done well in her position where she lacked experience. She had no trial experience prior to her election. Her office is down to a handful of other attorneys; everyone leaves. We need someone with experience to try this case, and I am grateful they are pulling her in.
 
The current DA for Athens-Clarke County is Deborah Gonzalez, and she deserves a Google. Trying to stay out of politics here as an ACC resident, but she has not done well in her position where she lacked experience. She had no trial experience prior to her election. Her office is down to a handful of other attorneys; everyone leaves. We need someone with experience to try this case, and I am grateful they are pulling her in.

Wow - the people of Athens-Clarke county elected a D.A. with NO prior trial experience ????
 
I hate to see this get politicized. How many innocent lives will we need lose in this way for TPTB to consider it a worthwhile problem? Too many I fear.

I recognize it’s a complex issue with many moving components and by no means do I believe it to be a simple fix, but I’d like to believe it starts with both sides getting on the same page - long enough to at the very least agree that there is a problem - because if not what hope do any of us truly have at a future?

Yes, dangerous people will forever walk among us and we can’t always safeguard ourselves from a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ situation, yet we can and do try. But what good is it to have personal precautionary measures in place if our city/state/country/etc. isn’t doing their own respective parts to protect us from criminals and/or reoffenders? What good is a contingency plan with odds so seemingly stacked against us?

Sorry to vent. I just find so much of this difficult to comprehend and it truly saddens me to think a tragedy like this may have been preventable had every prior opportunity to do away with this guy not been totally squandered.

/MOO
 
Specifically to Ibarra, how did he and his brother pay for their apartments, food, phones, etc ?

I would also like to know how they even found and qualified for their apartment. Apartments aren't sitting around empty and magically available. Did at least one of them need to provide proof of stable employment, etc? Does one or both receive benefits while they were waiting to hear about asylum?
 
I would also like to know how they even found and qualified for their apartment. Apartments aren't sitting around empty and magically available. Did at least one of them need to provide proof of stable employment, etc? Does one or both receive benefits while they were waiting to hear about asylum?
I believe it was reported a few days ago that an organization in Athens "sponsors" immigrants.
 
<modsnip - quoted post was off topic>

Specifically to Ibarra, how did he and his brother pay for their apartments, food, phones, etc ?

I've seen no reference to Jose Antonio Ibarra working and only a UGA dishwasher job for his brother where he was not paid. IIRC, one of them was arrested for shoplifting.
Food banks and assistance through charitable organizations? I doubt they would be demanding with documentation.
*Athens Ga food banks
 
Riley’s roommate, Connolly Huth, wrote a long tribute to Riley, who she called her “bestest friend” on Instagram after her death.

“You never met a stranger and you exuded kindness and acceptance to anyone you met. You put everyone before yourself,” Huth wrote. “You were supposed to cross the finish line with me for our first marathon, you were supposed to stand next to me at my wedding, you were supposed to save so many lives, you were supposed to be the aunt to my children. It was not supposed to be like this.”

Huth wrote that she finds comfort in knowing that Riley was a strong believer in God.

“Our house will never be the same without you,” Huth wrote. “Waking up to you on your iPad multitasking watching tv and doing homework at the kitchen table will always be my favorite sight to have woken up to. I’m not sure how I will continue this life without you by my side, but what I do know is I will run that 26.2 in your honor and let everyone know of the perfect, beautiful, hilarious, smart, kind, and driven human that Laken Riley was.”
 
The university announced more than $7.3 million in safety improvements Tuesday.

The university said it would reinstall the call boxes, which were taken down in 2004. The university will also increase the campus police department’s budget by a permanent 20%, add more security cameras and “lighting upgrades” and extend operation hours for a discount on Lyft rides.

A petition circulated calling for the call boxes’ return soon after Riley’s death.

The university said, “call boxes alone do not inherently contribute to a safer environment; therefore, the new call box systems installed on campus will utilize new multi-functional capabilities that also incorporate security cameras and additional lighting. They will be located strategically in areas identified as ideal for camera coverage and enhanced lighting.”

“Tell your friends that you love them, and never miss an opportunity for a sweet treat – one of Laken’s favorite pastimes,” she said. “And scream the lyrics to your favorite song as loud as you can. Be kind. Catch up with your friends, and strive to be the type of person that Laken was.” ❤️
 
These are the dumpsters where neighbors say Jose Ibarra ditched bloody clothes and evidence. You can see the running trail Laken Riley was killed on right behind it.


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. Other neighbors say Ibarra was the quiet-type, who sat outside his studio apartment where he lived with four others for all hours of the day. A different neighbor tells me she's seen Laken Riley use the apartment complex as a frequent shortcut to get to the running trail where she was brutally murdered. She tells me it's highly likely that Ibarra saw her running in the past and knew her schedule.

 
Am I correct in assuming she was killed in broad daylight?

If they had no POI and zero inclination as to who did it, I don't think they would say this, but then again if they said "yes be very afraid" that might cause a mass panic which you also don't really want. MOO.
Yes broad daylight. I live in Athens and this is deeply concerning.
 

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