The father of Laken Riley, a young woman who was senselessly murdered on the University of Georgia’s campus by an illegal Venezuelan immigrant who lived nearby, has accused the university of negligence. Jason Riley filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, stating their negligence led to the death of his daughter.
Laken Riley’s Death
On February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University was out for a run in the morning when she was brutally killed by Jose Ibarra, 28, who was charged with 10 counts, including felony murder, malice murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and kidnapping.
During Ibarra’s trial, prosecutors said he killed Riley after a struggle, and her body was dragged into the nearby wooded area. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 20, 2024.
Ibarra had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was granted a stay in the country while he pursued his immigration case. There were already tensions surrounding the status of immigration in the United States, and Riley’s death heightened those tensions, leading to a national debate. Donald Trump rallied his followers during his presidential campaign, deeming all immigrants a threat to the nation and using Lake Riley as a pawn.
On March 7, 2024, the Laken Riley Act was passed by the House of Representatives, requiring federal detention of illegal immigrants who are arrested for burglary or theft. However, it faced opposition in the Senate and did not come to a vote. It was later passed through the House again with bipartisan support on January 7, 2025, and passed through the Senate later that month. It was the first bill President Donald Trump signed into law during his second term.
Negligence Lawsuit
Jason Riley filed the lawsuit on Monday, March 2, 2026, in Gwinnett County State Court. According to the lawsuit, an hour before Laken Riley was killed, Ibarra was snooping around the University of Georgia graduate students’ on-campus apartment and attempted to break in before fleeing.
The Board of Regents “failed in its duty to provide a reasonably safe premises” and continued to fail its duty by not notifying the students and guests on campus of the threat, the lawsuit alleges. “Soon thereafter, with no knowledge of the potential assailant and no reason to suspect any danger, nursing student Laken Riley went for her routine morning run near the Intramural Fields on the UGA campus.”
News outlets reached out to the Board of Regents for a comment, and the spokesperson responded that it does not comment on pending litigation.
It is further alleged that the Board of Regents failed to follow its own policies and procedures when it comes to screening employees. They had hired Ibarra’s brother, another illegal immigrant, who connected them to the campus and failed to monitor any criminal activity.
Third-Party Blame
The lawsuit also places blame on part of the property management for the apartment complex, alleging they were negligent in allowing illegal immigrants to occupy a unit, including Ibarra and his two brothers. The property manager “failed in its duty to properly screen prospective tenants” by letting the three of them reside, although they were in the country illegally and had criminal histories.
If the property manager did “not permitted Ibarra to live in the Apartments in close proximity to the citizens of Athens and students of the University of Georgia, Ibarra would not have had the opportunity to assault and murder Ms. Riley in February 2024.”
Laken Riley’s father is requesting a jury trial and seeking compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to reimbursement for the legal costs.
