MACON — The brother of a man accused of killing Athens nursing student Laken Hope Riley on the University of Georgia campus Feb. 22 made his first appearance in federal court here Monday on a charge that he had a phony green card.
Diego Ibarra, 28, was taken into custody last month when investigators probing Riley’s death learned that Ibarra was carrying what state and federal authorities alleged was a bogus permanent resident card.
He has not been charged in Riley’s slaying.
On Monday, he went before magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle in Macon’s U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, which includes Athens.
Weigle, through an interpreter, formally informed Ibarra of the charge that he faces and set a probable-cause hearing and a detention hearing in the matter for 10 a.m. Thursday. At that hearing, federal prosecutors are expected to argue against releasing Ibarra while the green card case is pending.
Riley, 22, was found slain Feb. 22 after she was said to have gone for a run near a lake and nature trails along the southern edge of the UGA campus.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, who is Diego Ibarra’s younger brother, has since been jailed on state charges that include murder and aggravated assault in Riley’s death.
The brothers, from Venezuela, separately entered the United States illegally, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Diego Ibarra first entered the United States illegally on April 3, 2023, near Eagle Pass, Texas, ICE has said. According to the agency, he was returned to Mexico the same day, but then reentered the U.S. illegally on April 30, 2023, near El Paso, Texas.
Federal prosecutor Michael Morrison asked the court on Sunday to detain Deigo Ibarra due to a serious risk that he will flee if released from custody.
Diego Ibarra is also facing a Georgia misdemeanor charge in the Athens-Clarke County State Court of possessing a fake green card. He is due to be arraigned in that case on April 18.
Staff writer Rosie Manins contributed to this report.
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