Two years later: Hundreds honor Laken Riley with 5K, memorial on UGA campus

ATHENS — Lauren Phillips says calling Laken Riley her sister doesn’t do their relationship justice.

Riley was her best friend and a mother figure who always cared, Phillips said Saturday nearly two years after Riley was killed while out for a jog on the University of Georgia campus.

Speaking during the “Run for Your Life” 5K and memorial service at Tate Plaza near Sanford Stadium, Phillips reflected on the bond the two shared from childhood onward and leaning on faith amid the grief that followed Riley’s death.

Lauren Phillips (right), Laken Riley’s younger sister, recalls her sister’s warmth and religious faith, and described how Riley inspired her, as Macy Rutledge, one of the event’s organizers, holds Phillips’ hand. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

“I would not be here today if it wasn’t for God and the way he’s shown up in my life,” Lauren Phillips said Saturday. “I give all credit to Laken because that was my inspiration, and that’s who I looked up to.”

People gather for a memorial service honoring Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Athens. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed Feb. 22, 2024, near wooded trails at the UGA intramural fields. Her killer, Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who unlawfully entered the U.S. in 2022, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in November 2024.

Phillips offered words of remembrance as part of the public gathering Saturday, which featured hundreds of runners early in the morning followed by a memorial and worship service.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, author of the Laken Riley Act signed into law by President Donald Trump a year ago, also spoke.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson (center), speaks during the memorial service for Laken Riley. Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law a year ago. Nick Kammerzell (right), president of UGA’s Young Americans for Freedom, interviewed Collins. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

The act requires mandatory U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention of certain undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of crimes, with no bond or release hearings allowed in most cases.

As of late December, more than 17,500 criminal undocumented noncitizens were arrested and detained for crimes covered by the Laken Riley Act, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Ibarra had prior arrests: in New York City in 2023 for charges including acting in a manner injurious to a child (related to a minor on a scooter without a helmet); and in Athens later in 2023 for theft/shoplifting, after which he was released on bond and had a bench warrant issued for failing to appear in court.

Collins said Saturday he asked Riley’s parents, Allyson and John Phillips, for their permission to name the Laken Riley Act after their daughter.

Allyson Phillips (center), Laken Riley’s mother, prays at UGA’s Tate Plaza on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, during a memorial service for her daughter. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

They said, “if it’ll help save lives so that there’s a possibility no other family has to go through this, then we’d be honored and please do that,” Collins said.

Allyson and Lauren Phillips sat with first lady Melania Trump at the Capitol during Trump’s joint congressional address last year.