Diego Ibarra, brother of man accused of killing 22-year-old on UGA campus, to appear in court

CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — Diego Ibarra, the brother of Jose Ibarra who is accused of killing 22-year-old UGA nursing student Laken Riley, is set to appear in court.

Ibarra’s first appearance will be Monday at 2:30 p.m. in Macon.

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According to a UGA spokesperson, Diego, 29, presented a fake green card to the hiring unit to begin a temporary position as a dishwasher in Bolton Dining Hall at the University of Georgia on Feb. 6, 2024.

According to court documents, Athens-Clarke County police officers approached him because he matched the description of his brother, 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, who was wanted for homicide.

UGA said Ibarra never submitted further documentation required to keep the job and was never paid by the University.

He has since been fired.

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Authorities said since being in Athens, Diego Ibarra had been arrested three times for multiple charges, such as driving under the influence, shoplifting, and failure to appear for a fingerprintable offense.

Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco previously reported that authorities believe Diego Ibarra arrived in Georgia from New York by Sept. 2023 after officers arrested him for the first time and charged him with driving under the influence without a license.

A month later, officials said Diego Ibarra was arrested again for shoplifting. Court documents said he was then arrested in December for failing to appear for fingerprinting.

An investigation into Diego Ibarra’s criminal background remains ongoing.

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