Laken Riley: Second brother of suspect in Georgia jogger’s killing arrested for crossing Texas border illegally last year
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
ATHENS, GEORGIA: It has come to light that a second brother of the Venezuelan immigrant accused of brutally killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was detained after breaking the law last year.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, on April 3, 2023, Argenis Ibarra, the 24-year-old brother of suspected killer Jose Ibarra, and his 29-year-old older brother, Diego, first attempted to enter the country, in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas,
Argenis Ibarra arrested in Texas
Argenis Ibarra was captured alongside Diego, but Border Patrol returned them to Mexico that same day.
On April 30, 2023, Argenis Ibarra, was apprehended by Border Patrol while attempting to enter El Paso, Texas, covertly across the heavily guarded southern border.
The Border Patrol released Argenis and gave him a notice to appear on May 4, 2023. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) scheduled an immigration hearing for Argenis in Philadelphia in 2024.
The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Atlanta "encountered Argenis Ibarra in Athens while assisting the University of Georgia Police Department with their investigation into the murder of Laken Riley," an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Argenis was taken into custody pending further investigation of his immigration case. He is detained at an ICE facility in Lumpkin, Georgia,
Court documents revealed that Diego Ibarra has ties to the violent Venezuela-based organized crime gang Tren de Aragua.
The alleged murderer, Jose Ibarra, was first apprehended in El Paso, Texas in September 2022 after entering the country illegally with Layling Franco, his then-girlfriend, and her 5-year-old son.
However, ICE insiders claim that after spending less than a day in custody, he was placed on parole for lack of capacity to be detained and instructed to report to authorities in October 2024, The New York Post reported.
Jose Ibarra was arrested in New York City in August 2023
Jose traveled to New York City, where the NYPD detained him in August 2023 on suspicion of operating a gas-powered moped without a child restraint or head protection for Franco's son.
After being freed by the NYPD, he traveled to Georgia to be with his brother Diego, who was involved in a gang and had removed his ankle monitor to avoid capture.
In September, Diego was arrested by the police for driving while intoxicated and without a license. Diego and Jose were both arrested a month later for stealing from a Walmart store.
On February 22, 2024, Riley went for a run on the University of Georgia campus but never came back. Jose was arrested the day after Laken Riley was found murdered and was accused of felony murder, malicious murder, false imprisonment, felony assault, aggravated battery, kidnapping, and hiding another person's death.
Diego was arrested that day after providing police with a fake green card. He faces up to ten years of prison sentence since he used a fictitious federal identification card.
