Athens, Georgia
CNN
—

The five pairs of sneakers resting in front of a popular forest trail serve as a daily reminder of the run Laken Riley never completed.

In the nine months since Riley was struck and killed at the University of Georgia’s Oconee Forest Park, students and recreational athletes have returned to the nature trail. But the tragedy has changed their behavior.

“At first… I’m a girl, so all my running friends and… everyone was texting each other. People shared locations,” UGA junior Victoria Kota said. “I have become really vigilant.”

UGA graduate Calvin Pettyjohn said he may not have been “a target group for that kind of violence” that Riley suffered. But he also takes extra precautions by making verbal contact with strangers on the road – “you know, just say hi, that kind of thing.”

“It kind of sends out a warning signal” to potential criminals that he’s watching them too, Pettyjohn said.

A lot has changed since Riley’s body was found in the woods near Lake Herrick on February 22. Her killer, Jose Ibarra, was convicted of murder, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and a series of other crimes. He was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Back on campus, UGA has implemented more safety measures, including new emergency call stations along the winding network of trails in Oconee Forest Park.

And students like Will Brenneman, who reflected on Riley’s death shortly before jogging through the same woods where she was killed, now have a different perspective on life.

“I don’t think many people realize that they can go about their day, even just a simple run, and that something like this can, unfortunately and unexpectedly, just happen,” the UGA junior said.

“As students, we often get caught up in our own world and are very much of a single track,” Brenneman said. “I think something like this allows us to realize that sometimes the world we’re in is, you know, not always safe.”

Oconee Forest Park is a popular retreat for nature lovers in the middle of a bustling college town. Much of the park’s trail system is unpaved, which attracts mountain bikers and rugged runners.

And the path that wound around Lake Herrick had long been a source of tranquility for visitors.

“It was a nice way to spend an afternoon after work, just unwind… just a form of relaxation for me,” Pettyjohn said during a walk through the woods.

But the popular trail was largely abandoned for weeks after Riley’s killing, he said.

“They had pretty much cordoned off the entire stretch for investigative purposes,” he said. Even after the trail reopened, “I haven’t been back here for another week or a week and a half… just to, you know, give it some space.”

Other visitors struggled to return to the place of tranquility that turned into a scene of tragedy. Almost no one ventured out for about a month, Pettyjohn said.

“It felt empty. And I could tell that people were trying to give it a little more space.”

UGA pharmacy student Margaret Fawcett said she walks with a heightened sense of consciousness at night and offers to accompany her friend, an avid runner, when her friend jogs on the same wooded path where Riley was attacked.

“Sometimes I get nervous for her,” Fawcett said.

“You would hopefully think that a campus is a safe place to be. But after Riley’s murder, I’m definitely becoming more alert.”

Since Riley’s death, UGA has implemented a slew of new safety measures, making students like Kota feel more comfortable running through the woods or walking back from the library at night.

She cited a significant increase in the number of officers seen on campus, as well as more security lights.

“I really appreciate what they did because they helped alleviate some of this fear,” Kota said. “We feel comfortable walking to my car at night again, while I didn’t do that for a while.”

She said students who don’t feel comfortable walking alone at night can ask a safety officer to guide them.

“If you feel unsafe, and it’s 7 o’clock at night or past, they’ll take you where you need to go,” Kota said. “They walk with you, which I really appreciate.”

But as Kota and Brenneman prepared to jog through the woods, they were greeted by a memorial reminding them of Riley’s death.

The monument to Riley was erected about nine months ago, visitors said. Unknown volunteers keep it in pristine condition and place flowers that are always in bloom, Brenneman said.

“I’m pretty sure close friends and other people will continue to replenish the flowers for it.”