A criminal profiler says the UGA nursing student’s killer likely “panicked” after being “overwhelmed by her size” during his attack.
Jose Ibarra, 26, is accused of killing Laken Riley, 22, after kidnapping her between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday.
Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan migrant, is accused of “severely disfiguring Riley’s body by disfiguring her skull” and is also accused of preventing Riley from making a 911 call when he allegedly grabbed her.
After the cause of death was confirmed to be blunt force trauma, apAn investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said the killer likely became violent after Riley fought back.
‘In this case, the offender encountered resistance that he did not expect, it became overwhelming and he could not control it and he returned to violence,” said John Lang Jr., former GBI investigator and criminal profiler.
Jose Ibarra, 26, is accused of using a mysterious object as a weapon to kill the 22-year-old Augusta University student.
After his cause of death was confirmed to be blunt force trauma, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation profiler said the killer likely became violent after Riley (pictured) fought back.
Police say Ibarra dragged Riley’s body to a secluded area on the UGA campus to hide the death.
“But he didn’t know what was coming and I suspect she probably fought back,” Lang said.
“He’s not a very big guy and may have been overwhelmed by his size, his strength and his tenacity in defending himself.”
According to court documents, Ibarra is 5′7″ and weighs 185 pounds.
Riley’s body was found the same day on campus, in a wooded area near Herrick Lake that includes trails popular with runners and walkers.
The student was out jogging on the University of Georgia campus when she was allegedly attacked by Ibarra.
Arrest documents accuse Ibarra of kidnapping Riley between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and eventually dragging her body to a secluded area after the attack.
“Hiding his body is just an opportunity to distance himself from the crime,” Lang said.
Ibarra lived in an apartment complex near the trail, so legal experts suggested he simply walk from his property to the trail.
“That’s where the guy lives,” Lang said. “Anyone could probably predict that at least from there he approached her.”
Lang explained that when a woman is attacked by a man, investigators cannot rule out whether the motive was sexual, stating that only Ibarra can answer what the true motive was.
Ibarra was arrested for Riley’s murder on Friday, just a day after her remains were found on the Athens campus.
Riley studied at the University of Georgia through spring 2023 before transferring to Augusta University School of Nursing.
‘Looking at all this, this is like a disorganized criminal. That’s what we call them,’ Lang said. “He just does it on the spur of the moment for whatever motivating factor.”
Ibarra appeared in court Saturday where he was formally charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, kidnapping and other charges. He was represented by public defenders and remained in custody.
The 26-year-old crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released from a detention center due to lack of space. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Sunday that he had been previously arrested in New York.
While ICE has confirmed that Ibarra entered the country illegally in 2022, he cannot be deported as Venezuela’s regime stopped accepting deportation flights in retaliation for the Biden administration’s reinstatement of sanctions on the socialist nation.
Riley studied at the University of Georgia through spring 2023 before transferring to the Augusta University College of Nursing, according to a statement from the University of Georgia, which does not have a nursing program itself. She remained active in the sorority she joined at the University of Georgia.
Murdered nursing student Laken Riley suffered a disfigured skull after being beaten to death by Ibarra, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant
Ibarra lived in an apartment complex near the trail, so legal experts suggested he simply walk from his property to the trail.
Riley’s sister, Lauren Phillips, paid tribute to her on Friday in an Instagram post, calling her “the best sister and my best friend from the first second.”
“This isn’t fair and I will never understand, but I know you are in heaven with the man you loved most right now,” Phillips wrote.
‘I’m not sure how I’m going to do this, but from now on everything will be for you. I can’t wait to give you the biggest hug one day. I will miss you and love you forever, Laken.’
UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark told reporters at a news conference Thursday that officers searched Ibarra’s Athens apartment and evidence shows he acted alone.