Hundreds gather as slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley laid to rest: ‘She was a gift’
Nursing student Laken Riley was mourned at a funeral in her hometown on Friday, one week after she was killed — allegedly by an illegal migrant — while jogging on the University of Georgia campus.
Riley, 22, was commemorated with a 2 p.m. funeral service at Woodstock City Church in Woodstock, Ga., FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
The streets around the church were clogged with cars as what appeared to be hundreds of people braved the rain to pay tribute to the jogger, photos from the Daily Mail showed.
The family received visitors for two hours ahead of the service, Riley’s online obituary noted.
“Laken was special. She was a gift to anyone who knew her. Smart, kind, compassionate and thoughtful don’t even begin to scratch the surface,” pastor Samer Massad wrote before the service, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
“She was a loving daughter, sister and friend. She had a gift for making anyone she was around feel comfortable and seen,” he added.
Riley – who studied at the University of Georgia for three years before transferring to the nursing program at nearby Augusta University – was found dead on a jogging trail on the Athens campus on Feb. 22.
She had been reported missing by a friend when she failed to return from her regular morning run.
An autopsy later revealed she had been killed by a “seriously disfiguring” head wound.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with Riley’s death on Feb. 23.
Ibarra – who is originally from Venezuela – is also charged with assault and with allegedly thwarting Riley’s frantic attempt to call 911 in the moment after the attack.
He is accused of abandoning her body, where it was later found in a wooded area off the campus trail.
Additional details about the type of object used, or exactly how Riley was killed, were not included in the initial affidavits filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court.
Riley’s killing and Ibarra’s arrest immediately ignited national backlash over immigration policies – with some politicians using the case as a platform to call for a more stringent approach to the migrant crisis.
Ibarra reportedly crossed into the United States via the southern border at El Paso in September 2022.
He was detained in El Paso pending immigration proceedings before working in food delivery and restaurants in New York City, authorities said.
Photos on multiple social media accounts supposedly showed him living it up in New York City the month of his arrival.
He was arrested in the Big Apple last year and charged with endangering a child for having his 5-year-old stepson on his scooter without a helmet or restraint.
Ibarra’s last social media post was a soundless selfie video shared on TikTok just one day before Riley was killed.
Ibarra’s older brother, 29-year-old Diego Ibarra, was also arrested last week on charges of possessing a fake green card.
Diego Ibarra was previously arrested in the Athens, Ga., area three times between September and December 2023.
In the wake of RIley’s death, UGA has poured $7.3 million into security upgrades.
The improvements will include additional security cameras, a call-box system, better lighting on the grounds, motor vehicle license plate readers and a 20% boost in the campus police budget, according to UGA Today, the Georgia school’s news outlet.
The aspiring nurse’s vicious murder has also sparked local controversy – resulting in the Democratic district attorney assigned to the case stepping down.
Athens-Clarke District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez was criticized for having never secured a guilty verdict before she appointed veteran attorney Sheila Ross to serve as a special prosecutor on the high-profile investigation.
In her statement on the appointment, Gonzalez vowed that Riley’s killing would not be used for “political gain.”
