Laken Riley's Alleged Killer Is Expressionless While Her Mother Sobs in Court

On Feb. 22, 2024, 22-year-old Laken Riley went for her usual morning run, leaving her home at 9:03 a.m., reported KXAN. She was attending school at Augusta's College of Nursing campus in Athens, Ga., and would frequently jog on the wooded trails around campus. As always, Riley had her cell phone and a watch that was able to track her data. With the help of technology, police would later be able to accurately trace Riley's movements.

Exactly seven minutes after Riley began her run, she suddenly stopped and then called 911 at 9:11 a.m. The dispatcher repeatedly tried to speak with Riley, who said nothing and then hung up abruptly. They called back, but Riley didn't pick up. Riley's body was found later that day by police. Nine months later, Jose Ibarra sits in a courtroom, accused of murdering Riley, while her mother endures some of the most painful experiences of her life. Details to follow.

Riley's heart was still beating at 9:28 a.m., which means she fought for her life for at least 17 minutes. Less than 20 minutes after she died, a security camera showed Ibarra throwing a dark hoodie into a recycling bin followed by a pair of rubber gloves into a nearby bush. When tested, investigators learned that Riley's blood as well as a strand of her hair were on the hoodie. There was a hole in the thumb of one of the gloves, which could explain how Ibarra's thumbprint was on Riley's phone.

When photos of Riley's body were shown in court, Alyson Phillips dropped her head into her hands and openly wept at the bloody remains. Ibarra allegedly struck Riley in the head multiple times, using a rock, then strangled her to death. The day after Riley's murder, Sgt. Joshua Epps interrogated Ibarra at his home where he and three roommates were jovial. During Sgt. Epps's testimony, Phillips was seen shaking her head in disbelief.

Strangely, one of the more upsetting images shown in court was that of Ibarra's scratched arm. It was proof that Riley tried to save herself, which caused Phillips to weep loudly. Ibarra's DNA was later found under Riley's fingernails.

Ibarra is an undocumented immigrant who came to America from Venezuela in September 2022, per The Independent. He was briefly detained by ICE officials while crossing the border from Mexico into the United States, near El Paso, Texas, but was released after being processed. According to ICE, Ibarra was arrested in New York a year later and charged with "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation." The NYPD claims they have no record of this.

Fox News reported that Ibarra might have ties with a Venezuelan gang in the U.S. known as Tren de Aragua. Evidently they are a "growing threat in America," said former federal agent Wes Tabor to the Associated Press. "What sets this group apart is the level of violence," said the now-retired DEA agent. "They’re aggressive, they’re hungry and they don’t know any boundaries because they’ve been allowed to spread their wings without any confrontation from law enforcement."