Witness Describes Why Suspect in Laken Rileys Murder Came to Georgia

Details of how the Venezuelan migrant charged with killing Laken Riley ended up in Athens, Ga., came into sharper focus on Monday, the second day of a trial that is being closely followed by supporters of President-elect Donald J.Trump’s planned immigration crackdown.The migrant, José Ibarra, was apprehended by the Border Patrol when he entered the country illegally in 2022 near El Paso.

Like many migrants, he was released with temporary permission to stay in the country, and he headed to New York.A former roommate of Mr.Ibarra’s testified that she met Mr.

Ibarra last year in New York City and traveled with him to Athens in September 2023 after Mr.Ibarra’s brother told them they could find jobs there.They lived for a while with Mr.

Ibarra’s wife and mother-in-law at a Crowne Plaza hotel in Queens that had been converted to a migrant shelter, the roommate, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, said.And for a few weeks, she added, she and Mr.

Ibarra lived in a car parked on the street by the hotel.Ms.Flores-Bello said that Mr.

Ibarra’s brother Diego had constantly called him in New York, telling him to move to Athens because there were good work opportunities.ImageLaken Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University in Georgia.Credit...Augusta University, via Associated PressWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....