Gruesome details emerged in the killing of 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley, an Augusta University College of Nursing student.
Riley’s body was found Thursday on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, and police charged Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant, for her death.
Police charged Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another.
University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark previously said the cause of death was blunt force trauma but did not elaborate on further details.
According to the New York Post, new charging documents revealed gruesome details about Riley’s death.
Migrant charged with murdering Laken Riley beat her so bad he disfigured her skull: affidavit https://t.co/0ryNG7V6Ao pic.twitter.com/gBbXKmiuHn
— New York Post (@nypost) February 27, 2024
From the New York Post:
Her cause of death had only been given as blunt force trauma, with new charging documents accusing Ibarra of causing “great bodily harm with an object,” without specifying exactly what it was.
But the suspect was also charged with aggravated battery for “seriously disfiguring her body … by disfiguring her skull,” according to the affidavits shared by Fox News.
Ibarra is also charged with preventing Riley “from making or completing a 911 call” with “intent to harm” when he allegedly snatched her during her run, the affidavit says.
He then dragged Riley’s body to a secluded area, the affidavit said in support of a charge for concealing the student’s death.
The suspect faces eight charges, including felony murder, false imprisonment and kidnapping and concealing the death of another. Authorities said there is no evidence he knew Riley.
JOE IS RESPONSIBLE: Venezuela alien charged with murdering Laken Riley allegedly beat her so brutally with an unidentified object that he disfigured her skull, according to new affidavits.https://t.co/xsRXUx7bJn via @nypost
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) February 27, 2024
Per Fox News:
Law enforcement has not yet disclosed exactly how Riley was killed, only that her death was caused by blunt force trauma.
More information about the type of object used or exactly how she was killed was not included in the arrest affidavits filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court.
Riley’s roommate reported she did not return for an early morning run Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENTUniversity of Georgia police found her body in the woods along a trail by the intramural fields before 1 p.m. that afternoon.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Sunday confirmed that Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York City.
FOX 5 New York reports:
