Social media accounts appear to show the suspect in the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley strolling around New York City and posing with friends and family more than a year before his alleged murder. is.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was arrested Friday in connection with the death of Riley, whose body was found the day before near a lake on the University of Georgia campus.
But in September 2022, the Venezuelan native was seen smiling and looking carefree in Times Square and Rockefeller Center in New York City, according to a post on a Facebook account linked to his name. It was revealed.
It was reported on Saturday that he entered the United States via El Paso, Texas, the same month and was released from a detention center due to overcrowding.
New York police officials confirmed to NewsNation that a suspect matching Ybarra’s name and age was arrested in the Big Apple last year on suspicion of endangering a 5-year-old child.
In recent days, Ybarra appears to have shared photos of himself with several other people, including a romantic post with an unidentified woman.
His last TikTok post was a silent selfie posted just two days before his arrest and the day before Riley disappeared during a morning jog.
Ybarra is currently being investigated on a number of charges, including malice murder, in connection with Riley’s murder, police announced Friday night.
That afternoon, he was seen being arrested outside the Argo apartment complex in Athens. According to Atlanta News First.
By Saturday afternoon, commenters had already posted comments on both profiles calling him a “murderous parasite.”
Another commenter bellowed: “You deserve the death penalty.”
Ybarra’s brother, Diego Ybarra, 29, is also in state custody on suspicion of possessing a fake green card, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.
He was previously arrested three times in the Athens, Georgia area between September and December 2023.
Social media accounts believed to be associated with Diego Ibarra have posted similar photos and videos, including a Facebook video of what appears to be a pile of guns posted in November.
Another series of TikTok videos showed him washing dishes in the kitchen while wearing a University of Georgia T-shirt.
Riley was a student at UGA until spring 2023, when she transferred to nearby Augusta University’s nursing program.
The University of Georgia press office could not be reached for comment on whether Diego Ybarra is affiliated with the school.
At a press conference Friday night, UGA Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said Jose Ybarra did not know Riley and described the incident as a “crime of opportunity.”
