The Venezuelan migrant charged with murdering Laken Riley allegedly beat her so brutally with an unidentified object that he disfigured her skull, according to new affidavits.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who faces multiple murder and assault charges, is not thought to have known the 22-year-old nursing student when he allegedly kidnapped and killed her as she went for a run on the University of Georgia campus Thursday.
Her cause of death had only been given as blunt force trauma, with new charging documents accusing Ibarra of causing “great bodily harm with an object,” without specifying exactly what it was.
But the suspect was also charged with aggravated battery for “seriously disfiguring her body … by disfiguring her skull,” according to the affidavits shared by Fox News.
Ibarra is also charged with preventing Riley “from making or completing a 911 call” with “intent to harm” when he allegedly snatched her during her run, the affidavit says.
He then dragged Riley’s body to a secluded area, the affidavit said in support of a charge for concealing the student’s death.
The suspect faces eight charges, including felony murder, false imprisonment and kidnapping and concealing the death of another. Authorities said there is no evidence he knew Riley.
Additional details about the type of object used, or exactly how she was killed, were not included in the affidavits, which were filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court.
The attack took place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the documents.
Meanwhile, Athens-Clarke County DA Deborah Gonzalez announced Monday that she’s appointing a special prosecutor for the case, WANF-TV reported.
Gonzalez said she’s naming attorney Sheila Ross, whom she described as “a knowledgeable and well-respected trial attorney with the expertise ready to bring justice on behalf of Laken Riley.”
Last year, Ibarra twice slipped through the hands of law enforcement — and could have been deported after a bust in the Big Apple.
He was arrested in Queens on Aug. 31 and charged with endangering a child, but was released before immigration officials could file a request to ask local cops to hold him in custody, authorities said Monday.
Ibarra also was wanted on an arrest warrant in Georgia for blowing off a shoplifting court appearance in December, according to US Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Ga.).
“ICE confirmed what we already know: Jose Ibarra was in the country illegally,” Gaines posted on X Monday. “What the media hasn’t reported was that he was cited in Athens for shoplifting in Oct. — & there was a bench warrant for his arrest for failing to show in court.”
Follow along with The Post's coverage of Laken Riley's murder
- Laken Riley’s suspected killer, Jose Ibarra, illegally entered US in 2022 — and was cut loose due to lack of detention space: report
- Tributes to slain Ga. nursing student Laken Riley pour in as donations for scholarship in her name top $63K: ‘Would’ve saved so many lives’
- Migrant charged in death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley slipped through law enforcement’s hands twice
- Laken Riley murder suspect Jose Ibarra lived it up in NYC after reportedly entering US illegally, social media posts appear to show
- AP slammed for framing Laken Riley’s murder on dangers ‘female athletes’ face — not on migrant crimes
- Migrant suspect in Laken Riley murder accused of ‘seriously disfiguring’ nursing student as affidavit reveals grim details in case
Ibarra entered the US illegally in El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 8, 2022, with his wife and her son seeking asylum, and was later released “for further processing,” ICE said.
He ended up in New York City, where he worked in food delivery and at an unnamed restaurant.
On Aug. 31, NYPD cops allegedly saw Ibarra riding a scooter with his 5-year-old stepson on board — with the child not wearing a helmet or restraints, according to police.
Ibarra was charged with a felony and released.
On Oct. 27, the migrant was arrested at a Walmart in Athens, Georgia, and charged with shoplifting, an arrest report shows — only to miss a court appearance and have a warrant issued on Dec. 20, according to Gaines.
Riley, who transferred from the University of Georiga to the nearby Augusta University School of Nursing last year, is scheduled to be mourned at funeral services on Friday.
With Post wires
