The tragic murder of Laken Riley allegedly at the hands of a illegal immigrant has generated extensive media attention that as times taken pains to avoid the link to the border crisis.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the Augusta Medical College’s campus in Athens, was found dead on the University of Georgia campus Thursday after her roommate reported to authorities that she had not returned home from her morning run.
Police have charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call and concealing the death of another. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since confirmed that Ibarra entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and had previously been arrested in New York City but some news organizations have referred to him simply as an “Athens resident” while burying his immigration status in their reports.
AP REPORT ON LAKEN RILEY MURDER OMITS SUSPECT’S IMMIGRATION STATUS, FOCUSES ON DANGERS OF WOMEN JOGGING ALONE
OutKick columnist Mary Katharine Ham, who ran on the same trail when she attended the University of Georgia, believes the media should tell the truth about what transpired.
“The media needs to talk about the facts of the case, and many sources are, sort of, just leaving out that this person was in the country illegally and did have arrests already on the books,” Ham told Bill Hemmer on “America’s Newsroom.”
“He crossed illegally, he then says he wants to apply for asylum, he’s in New York,…
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