[5] Her body was found in Oconee Forest Park near Lake Herrick;[6] her death was caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation.

[5][13] On March 7, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would require federal detention of illegal immigrants arrested for burglary or theft.

Ibarra initially stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter in New York before taking a flight to Georgia, where his brother lived.

[36][37] UGA police stated that he lived in an apartment complex about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the wooded area where Riley's body was found.

[38][37][39][40][41] In October 2023, José and his brother, who was reported by authorities to be a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua who temporarily worked at UGA,[42][43][44] were arrested by Athens police on theft charges for reportedly possessing stolen merchandise from a local Walmart, and were later released.

[45][46] Ibarra had a bench warrant issued for his arrest in December 2023 after failing to appear in court in a shoplifting case in Georgia.

[26] On May 8, 2024, a grand jury in Clarke County indicted Ibarra with ten charges: three charges of felony murder,[48] malice murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to rape, hindering a 911 call, concealing the death of another[7] and peeping Tom.

[48] In a court filing, the defense attorneys submitted a motion to move the trial to another county due to the media attention surrounding the case,[51] but Judge H. Patrick Haggard denied it.

[53] On November 20, 2024, Judge Haggard found him guilty of all charges and sentenced him to life in prison without possibility of parole.

[11][54] Riley's murder drew widespread public interest and international media attention,[55] especially in the United States.

[59] Sarah Dorn, writing for Forbes, said Riley's murder became a "national political case" during a "historic surge in border crossings during Biden's tenure".

[61] Riley, along with other women and girls reportedly killed by illegal immigrants including Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old Houston girl killed in June 2024, were heavily featured in Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and his political advertisements on illegal immigration and border security.

[65] This also marked the first piece of legislation passed by the House of Representatives in the newly elected 119th Congress, which began on January 3, 2025.