February 2024 crimes in the United States

On February 22, 2024, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student, was attacked and murdered while she was jogging at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, United States. Her body was found in Oconee Forest Park near Lake Herrick; her death was caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. The perpetrator, José Antonio Ibarra, was a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally. He was arrested by UGA police and charged with 10 counts, including felony murder, malice murder, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and kidnapping. Ibarra was found guilty on all charges on November 20, 2024, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.