The brother of the suspect accused of murdering a woman on the University of Georgia campus has changed his plea in the green card case.
Court documents show Diego Ibarra pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a forged immigration document on Monday.
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Diego Ibarra is the older brother of Jose Ibarra, who a grand jury indicted on murder charges in the death of Laken Riley. The 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student was killed on a trail on the UGA campus on February 22.
According to court documents, Athens-Clarke County deputies approached Diego Ibarra because he matched his brother’s description. During the investigation, police said he gave them his fake green card.
Diego Ibarra will return to court on October 7th to receive his sentence.
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According to a UGA spokesperson, Diego Ibarra, 29, presented a fake green card to the hiring unit to begin a temporary position as a dishwasher in Bolton Dining Hall at UGA on February 6, 2024.
According to court documents, Athens-Clarke County deputies approached him because he matched the description of his brother, 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, who was wanted for Riley’s murder.
UGA said Ibarra never submitted the necessary documentation to keep his job and was never paid by the University. He has already been fired.
Authorities said that since he was in Athens, Diego Ibarra has been arrested three times on multiple charges, including drunk driving, shoplifting and failure to appear for a fingerprint offense.
Courtney Francisco from Channel 2 previously reported that authorities believe Diego Ibarra arrived in Georgia from New York in September 2023, after officers first arrested him and charged him with driving under the influence without a license.
A month later, authorities said Diego Ibarra was arrested again for shoplifting. Court documents say he was arrested in December for failing to appear for fingerprinting.
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