Chilling details emerge following UGA suspect Jose Antonio Ibarra’s arrest after student Laken Hope Riley found dead

THE suspect in the death of nursing student Laken Hope Riley targeted her on the basis of opportunity, according to officials.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was arrested on Friday after allegedly killing Riley while she was jogging near a lake on the campus of the University Georgia in Athens, Georgia, about an hour east of Atlanta.

The 22-year-old was found dead on Thursday afternoon in a wooded area behind Lake Herrick and her dead was caused by blunt force trauma, cops said at a news conference on Friday.

Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said that officers took multiple people into custody but found a "robust" amount of evidence that pointed to Ibarra.

The 26-year-old suspect illegally came from Venezuela to the US by crossing the border into El Paso, Texas, in 2022 according to News Nation citing DHS sources.

He was reportedly released from DHS custody due to a lack of detention space.

Ibarra then moved to the Athens area and lived in an apartment behind Oconee Forest Park where Riley's body was found.

Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark said that officers took multiple people into custody but found a "robust" amount of evidence that pointed to Ibarra.

This evidence included security cameras, according to WSB-TV.

He added that Ibarra did not know Riley before the attack and targeted her due to opportunity after "waking up with bad intentions."

He did not attend the Univeristy of Georgia, the police chief confirmed.

"At this stage, we believe he did not know her at all. I think this was a crime of opportunity where he saw an individual and bad things happened," Clark said.

"This was an individual who woke up with bad intentions that day."

An officer discovered Riley's body around 30 minutes after she was beaten to death, according to WSBTV, citing the incident report.

She had "visible injuries" when she was located in the woods around 12:28 pm on Thursday.

Ibarra has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.

The police chief called it a "very isolated incident" and noted that evidence appears to show that the suspect acted alone.

There is "no indication of a continuing threat to the community related to the case at this time," Clark said.

After Friday's announcement about the arrest, Governor Brian Kemp spoke out about the tragedy.

"Marty, the girls, and I were truly shaken and heartbroken to learn of Laken Riley’s tragic death," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Tonight, we’re thankful the @GBI_GA, @accpolice, @universityofga police and other partners have taken her murderer into custody.

"We will not rest until justice for Laken is secured."

The U.S. Sun previously reported on the heartbreaking post made by Riley's mom on social media hours before her death.