Jose Ibarra, the Venezuelan migrant accused in the tragic murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, has been indicted on additional charges, including allegedly peeping on a University of Georgia staff member on the same day as the slaying.
On Tuesday, Ibarra, a 26-year-old residing illegally in the US, faced 10 new charges, including malice murder and kidnapping with bodily injury in connection with Riley’s death. Riley, a 22-year-old student, was attacked while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Feb. 22, as per court documents.
The indictment alleges that Ibarra killed Riley by causing blunt-force trauma to her head and “asphyxiating her in a manner unknown to jurors.”
In addition to the murder charges, Ibarra was indicted on counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and being a “peeping tom.”
According to the indictment, Ibarra was observed “peeping through” a window at an on-campus apartment and spying on a university staff member on the same day he allegedly murdered Riley.
Living in an apartment near the campus edge, close to where Riley was jogging, Ibarra purportedly committed the crime in what UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described as a “crime of opportunity.” Riley’s lifeless body was discovered about five minutes away from Ibarra’s residence.
Ibarra illegally entered the US in El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 8, 2022, accompanied by his wife and her son, seeking asylum. He was subsequently released “for further processing,” according to ICE.