Jose Antonio Ibarra’s Spouse Speaks Out After Laken Riley’s Loss of life

The spouse of Jose Antonio Ibarra, the person accused of killing Georgia school scholar Laken Riley, spoke out in regards to the case on Saturday for the primary time.

Riley, a 22-year-old scholar on the Augusta College Faculty of Nursing, was discovered lifeless on Thursday close to the campus of one other college, the College of Georgia in Athens (UGA). She was first reported lacking by mates earlier within the day after they mentioned she didn’t come house after a morning run, prompting police to start a search. Her physique was later present in a wooded space behind Lake Herrick at round 12:38 p.m. native time.

On Friday night, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark introduced at a press convention that 26-year-old Ibarra, a resident of Athens, Georgia, had been arrested and charged with malice homicide, felony homicide, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 name and concealing the demise of one other in reference to Riley’s demise. Clark mentioned Friday that the decided reason for demise was blunt pressure trauma.

The police chief added that Ibarra, initially from Venezuela, was not a United States citizen and had no prior historical past of violence, describing the state of affairs as an “remoted incident” and a “crime of alternative, [with] no motive.” Three to 4 different individuals had been taken into custody through the investigation into Riley’s demise, however solely Ibarra has been charged.

Investigators had been led to Ibarra with the assistance of video proof and know-how, based on police. There isn’t any indication that the suspect knew Riley on the time of the incident.

On Saturday, the New York Submit spoke to Ibarra’s spouse, 23-year-old Layling Franco, about their background and her response to the costs in opposition to her husband. In keeping with Franco, the couple crossed the border into the U.S. in September of final yr, residing for a time in New York Metropolis the place Ibarra labored for varied meals supply app corporations.

In November, the couple break up and Ibarra moved to Georgia to stay together with his brother, Diego, who seems to have a previous reference to UGA.

Talking on the allegations now leveled in opposition to Ibarra, Franco advised the Submit that the costs don’t mirror the calm man she knew and that she would really like the chance to talk with him. Regardless of that, she additionally mentioned that if the allegations are true, he ought to “pay for what he did.”

“Yesterday when [Jose] was arrested, my brother-in-law known as me early to say he’d been arrested,” Franco mentioned. “We obtained married so we may be a part of our asylum circumstances. He was the individual I assumed I may see by. We have identified one another our whole lives.”

She added: “He wasn’t aggressive, none of that. We had issues as a pair however our issues weren’t bodily. We would not punch however we might elevate our voices…I need to discuss to [Jose]. I’ve numerous religion that this wasn’t him, that there was a misunderstanding someplace. But when he did, he has to pay for what he did, actually.”

Newsweek reached out to the UGA police through e mail for touch upon Sunday morning. Any responses obtained can be added to this story in a later replace.