A 26-year-old man was charged on Friday with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student whose body was found in a wooded area at the University of Georgia in Athens the previous day, the authorities announced.
They called the homicide, the first in nearly 30 years on campus, “a crime of opportunity” and said that the two apparently had not known each other.
The victim, Laken Riley, 22, was an undergraduate student at the school until the spring of 2023 and then enrolled at Augusta University’s nursing program, which has a campus in Athens, school officials said.
University police identified the suspect as Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, at an evening news conference.
He said that while Mr. Ibarra lives in Athens, he is not a citizen of the United States.
Persons:
”, Laken Riley, Augusta University’s, Jose Antonio Ibarra, ” Jeffrey Clark, Ibarra, Clark
Organizations:
University of Georgia, Augusta, University police
Locations:
Athens, Augusta, United States