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Laken Riley’s convicted killer seeks new trial
Jose Ibarra’s new legal team argues that mistakes made during his initial trial warrant a fresh hearing. The motion will be reviewed by Judge Patrick Haggard in Georgia, the same judge who presided over the original case and imposed the maximum sentence.
A 19-year-old man is facing accusations of assaulting a University of Georgia student in downtown Athens. According to police, the suspect allegedly offered to accompany her home, only to later force her behind a building and commit rape.
Police officers from Athens-Clarke County responded to a reported rape incident shortly after 1:30 a.m. on February 28, near the University of Georgia campus in the downtown area.
Upon investigation, authorities identified Tydarius Wingfield, a 19-year-old resident of Athens, as the suspect. He reportedly approached the UGA student, whom he did not previously know, and offered to escort her home.
During this encounter, Wingfield is accused of coercing the woman behind a building, where the alleged sexual assault took place.
Tydarius Wingfield, 19, was charged with kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery, battery and rape following an alleged assault involving a University of Georgia student in downtown Athens. (Classic City News/Athens-Clarke County Police Department)
Authorities say the department’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) played a key role in identifying the suspect. Investigators used downtown surveillance cameras to monitor the scene and track the movements of both the victim and Wingfield following the attack. Officers were able to follow Wingfield through the downtown area and positively identify him using the camera system.
Wingfield was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery, battery and rape. Jail records show he was denied bond and remains in custody.
Court records show Wingfield was also already on probation in a prior criminal case at the time of his latest arrest. He pleaded guilty in November 2025 to misdemeanor theft by taking and was sentenced to 12 months probation and community service.
He had also previously been charged with battery in a separate 2024 case, though that charge was later dismissed.
The alleged assault comes as the university community continues to grapple with safety concerns following the 2024 high-profile murder of nursing student Laken Riley.
Jose Ibarra, left, was found guilty on 10 counts in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, right. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
On Feb. 22, 2024, 22-year-old Riley went for a morning jog on UGA’s intramural fields and never returned. Authorities later found her unresponsive in a wooded area near the popular campus trails.
Prosecutors said Riley was killed during a violent struggle with Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who was in the United States illegally at the time. According to trial testimony, Ibarra spotted Riley running shortly after 9 a.m., attacked her, dragged her approximately 60 feet into a wooded area and repeatedly struck her in the head with a rock, killing her.
Ibarra was later convicted of Riley’s murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He has since requested a new trial.
An exterior view of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in Athens, Georgia. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Now, Riley’s father, Jason Riley, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Gwinnett County State Court against the University System of Georgia and the owners of the apartment complex where Ibarra lived.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, Jason Riley is seeking $1 million in damages for the loss of his daughter’s life and companionship.
The suit, filed two years after her death, alleges the University System of Georgia failed to provide a safe environment in Athens and did not warn students after Ibarra was allegedly seen spying on someone at a UGA dorm on the same day Riley was killed.
Jason Riley, father of Laken Riley, attends the trial of Jose Ibarra, accused of killing the Georgia nursing student earlier this year at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
“Had defendant Board of Regents warned the public, the Athens community, and students such as Ms. Riley of the threat posed by Ibarra, Ibarra would not have had the opportunity to assault and murder Ms. Riley,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint also alleges the university system failed to properly screen employees when it hired Ibarra’s brother, who authorities said provided a fraudulent green card to obtain a temporary job in a UGA dining hall. It further claims the apartment complex where Ibarra lived did not adequately vet residents.
In statements to FOX 5 Atlanta, a UGA spokesperson said, “Out of respect for Laken and her family, we have no comment on the recently filed lawsuit.” A University System of Georgia spokesperson added, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to UGA for additional comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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