Suspect in Laken Riley Murder Case Arraigned, Enters Not Guilty Plea

By Becca Lower | 6:44 PM on May 31, 2024

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

On Friday, Jose Ibarra, the man suspected of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while in the U.S. illegally, attended an arraignment hearing on the charges against him in an Athens, GA, courtroom, entering a not guilty plea. Ibarra was indicted by a grand jury in early May, as RedState's Jeff Charles wrote:

The grand jury indicted Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuela national, who had entered the country illegally in September 2022 in El Paso, Texas. He faces charges of malice murder and felony murder in connection with Riley’s death.
...
Riley was found deceased on Augusta University’s campus on Feb 22 after she did not return home after jogging. It is believed that Ibarra killed her by “inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and by asphyxiating her.” He is alleged to have struck her “multiple times” using a rock.
Riley’s death prompted a national outcry against the Biden administration’s ineffective immigration policies that allow folks like Ibarra to enter the country in violation of the law.

Fast-forward to Friday, via Fox News:

The illegal immigrant accused of killing Augusta University student Laken Riley entered a not guilty plea Friday during an arraignment hearing.
Jose Ibarra, 26, is facing 10 counts following the death of Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who he allegedly attacked on Feb. 22 while she was out for a run along dirt trails on the University of Georgia campus in Athens.

The case has only served to raise Americans' concern over the Biden border crisis, with the White House taking practically no responsibility for securing what is essentially an open border. Laken Riley's dad spoke out, about the pressing issue of illegals and criminals streaming unchecked into the country, after her murder.

Read: Laken Riley's Heartbroken Dad Speaks Out, Killer 'Might Not Have Been Here Had We Had Secure Borders'

Friday's report shared what will happen next, adding that "[a] judge says the case will now have a status hearing in August, with a trial expected by this fall."

This is a developing story. RedState will provide further updates as they become available.