Laken Riley murder: Lawyer of Mollie Tibbetts’ killer comments on ‘bizarre parallels’ between tragic cases

March 2, 2024

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The lawyer who represented Molly Tibbetts’ killer has broken his silence on Laken Riley’s murder, saying he would not be surprised if the two killers, who were living in the U.S. illegally, were related. ” he admitted.

Laken Riley, 22, a nursing student at Augusta University, was murdered on February 22 in Athens, Georgia. The main suspect in the murder case, Jose Ibarra, is a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

Riley died from blunt force trauma when he was attacked while going for a morning jog on the campus of the University of Georgia, near Augusta University. Her body was discovered by police later that morning.

In an interview with the New York Post, a lawyer for convicted murderer Cristian Bahena Rivera called the similarities between Tibbetts and Riley’s cases “bizarre” and “startling.”

Laken Riley’s murder suspect lived within a 5-minute walk of the Uga crime scene.

Attorney Chad Frese said in a recent interview that the similarities between the murders of Molly Tibbetts (left) and Laken Riley (right) are “bizarre.” (With AP photo)

Tibbetts, 20, was stabbed to death by Rivera while running in Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18, 2018, and was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in August 2021.

“Illegal immigration certainly comes with its problems,” attorney Chad Frese said in a recent interview.

“As long as there are immigrants, legal or illegal, some will come here with malicious intent.”

Frese also talked about the possibility that Ybarra and Riley’s murder suspect are somehow connected, and said it’s not inconceivable for immigrants to travel between Iowa and Georgia.

Laken Riley murder suspect’s brother fired from Uga city after presenting fake passport

Jose Ibarra was arrested on February 23rd in connection with the February 22nd murder of Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia. (Clark County Sheriff’s Office)

“There will be local residents moving to the central Iowa area, residents coming from the Georgia area, or residents relocating to the Georgia area,” the attorney explained. “So, for example, it’s not unusual for a Mexican living in central Iowa who previously lived in East Point, Georgia, to work in a packing plant.”

“Is there some kind of connection there? Because definitely they’re moving around and going to familiar and comfortable places.”

Frese also added that he believes there is “something bigger at stake” in Tibbetts’ case.

“I’ve always suspected that there was something bigger at play here than just my client randomly selecting Molly Tibbetts and randomly killing her,” the attorney said. “I don’t think it’s as simple as a Mexican walking up to the side of a beautiful young woman and passively stabbing her.”