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Suspect accused of looking through UGA employee’s window

A man arrested in February on charges that he raped and murdered Laken Hope Riley on the University of Georgia campus is now reportedly accused of peering through the window of a female university employee the same day.

Jose Antonio Ibarra was charged with 10 counts, including murder, rape with intent, rape and “Peeping Tom,” among several other crimes. The Atlanta Journal Constitution11 Alive and NBC News reported, citing the indictment filed Tuesday.

Riley, 22, was found dead on Feb. 22, hours after she went jogging on the school campus in Athens, Georgia, UGA officials said in a statement at the time. An Athens-Clarke County coroner previously told PEOPLE that the young woman died from blunt force trauma.

Ibarra, 26, was arrested the following day and later accused of “disfiguring” the skull of Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, authorities previously said.

Jose Antonio Ibarra.

Clarke County Sheriff’s Office


On Tuesday, more than two months after Riley’s death and Ibarra’s arrest, the suspect was charged, multiple media outlets reported.

Authorities say Ibarra entered a university apartment on the same day as Riley’s murder “to become a peeping Tom by peering through the window and spying on and invading the privacy of another alleged victim.” Charge, 11 Alive reported.

The evidence tampering charge stems from police’s alleged discovery that Ibarra had hidden a jacket and a pair of gloves to evade authorities, according to WGAU Radio. The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Atlanta News First reported.

The indictment also accuses Ibarra of “choking Riley in a manner unknown to the jury,” Atlanta News First reported.

Sheet Riley.

Sheet Riley/Facebook


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The indictment also accuses Ibarra of “pulling up items of (Riley’s) clothing” to rape her and then “severely disfiguring” her head with a rock. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

Ibarra is a Venezuelan citizen who immigration authorities say entered the United States illegally in 2022, CBS reported. He has pleaded no contest to the charges and remains in custody The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.