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Prosecutors reveal Laken Riley’s last text message to her mother
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Prosecutors reveal Laken Riley’s last text message to her mother

On the third day of the trial of the suspect in the February murder of Laken Riley, prosecutors shared evidence of the nursing student’s last known message: a message to her mother.

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University, was killed on February 22 after going for a morning jog on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

Jose Ibarra, 26, was arrested and charged with several crimes, including murder, kidnapping and assault, according to court records, and is scheduled to stand trial this week in Athens County.

On Tuesday, November 19, prosecutors shared in court the last text message Riley sent to her mother, a semblance of terrifying ordinariness just before the family would face a horrific tragedy.

“Good morning,” Riley wrote, according to a UGA investigator who read the message in court, WSB TV and 11 Alive reported.

The rest of the message, which she sent at 8:55 a.m., read: “…about to run when you’re free to talk.”

Laken Riley.

Laken Riley/Facebook


At 9:03 a.m., Riley called her mother, but there was no answer, according to the timeline shared by 11 Alive.

At 9:11 a.m., Riley allegedly called 911, prosecutors say, but the call was abruptly disconnected. There were two return calls from 911 to her phone, but no one answered.

By the time her mother called her back at 9:24 a.m., Riley was unresponsive.

After follow-up calls and a text message to Riley went unanswered, her mother became concerned.

“You make me nervous when I don’t answer while you’re running,” his mother wrote in a text message. “Are you okay?”

Over the next two hours, Riley’s phone records show several calls from her family, as well as concerned messages asking for her whereabouts.

José Antonio Ibarra.

Clarke County Sheriff’s Office


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During the trial, prosecutors presented forensic evidence, testimony from her roommate and a jail cell phone conversation between Ibarra and his wife in which she painfully begged him to tell her what happened.

Immigration officials have said Ibarra is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, putting the case in the spotlight for many who support newly elected President Donald Trump’s policies on illegal immigration.

Ibarra, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, told the court Tuesday that he will not testify in the trial, CNN reported.