(NewsNation) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will address the media Monday morning on the University of Georgia campus killing of student Laken Riley. Kemp is also expected to blame Riley’s death on the lack of security at the southern border.
Kemp has expressed fury over the 22-year-old’s death, suggesting in a letter to the White House that her alleged killer slipped through cracks in the Biden administration’s immigration policy.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to NewsNation that Jose Ibarra, 26, the man accused of killing Riley, is a citizen of Venezuela who crossed into the United States illegally in 2022.
According to ICE officials, Ibarra made his way to New York City, where he was arrested Sept. 14, 2023, and charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation. He was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued.”
Ibarra was arrested Friday on suspicion of killing Riley, who was killed in broad daylight while out on her morning jog along a popular UGA running trail.
Ibarra made one court appearance Saturday on several felony charges including murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault. He is expected back in court sometime this week.
Authorities are confident Riley didn’t know her attacker, but NewsNation can confirm a link between Ibarra and UGA. A university spokesperson said Ibarra’s brother Diego recently worked in a campus dining hall as a dishwasher.
Riley’s initial cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma, but it’s expected more details will come out as early as Monday.
The 22-year-old had been a student at UGA until last spring when she transferred to Augusta University, but she remained close with her sorority sisters.
Alpha Chi Omega is organizing a memorial service on campus later Monday in Riley’s honor. A family friend of Riley’s described her as “sweet and kind,” saying she had the best southern manners and always had a smile on her face
