Laken Riley murder: Lawyer of Mollie Tibbetts’ killer comments on ‘bizarre parallels’ between tragic cases

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Laken Riley’s family lays college student to rest in Georgia

Laken Riley’s family on Friday held a funeral for the 22-year-old Augusta University student killed while jogging on Feb. 22.

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The lawyer who represented Mollie Tibbetts’ killer broke his silence about the Laken Riley murder, admitting that it wouldn’t “surprise” him if the murderers, who were both in the U.S. unlawfully, were connected.

Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley, 22, was murdered in Athens, Georgia, on Feb. 22. The prime suspect in the murder, Jose Ibarra, is a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

Riley had gone for a morning jog on University of Georgia’s campus – located near Augusta University – when she was attacked and died of blunt force trauma. Her body was found by police later that morning.

In an interview with the New York Post, the attorney who represented convicted killer Cristhian Bahena Rivera called the parallels between the Tibbetts and Riley cases “bizarre” and “staggering.”

LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT LIVED WITHIN 5-MINUTE WALK OF UGA CRIME SCENE

Lawyer Chad Frese said in a recent interview that the parallels between the Mollie Tibbetts (left) and Laken Riley (right) murders are “bizarre.” (AP Photo and)

Tibbetts, 20, was stabbed to death by Rivera while she was running in Brooklyn, Iowa on July 18, 2018. He was sentenced to life in prison in August 2021 after being convicted of first-degree murder.

“Illegal immigration does come with an element of – well, problems,” lawyer Chad Frese said in the recent interview.

“With any immigration, legal or illegal, you’re going to have some people who come here with bad intentions.”

Frese also spoke about the possibility of Ibarra and Riley’s suspected killer being connected somehow, and said it is not inconceivable for migrants to move between Iowa and Georgia.

LAKEN RILEY MURDER SUSPECT’S BROTHER FIRED FROM UGA AFTER PRESENTING FAKE PASSPORT

Jose Ibarra was arrested on Feb. 23 in connection with Laken Riley’s Feb. 22 murder in Athens, Georgia. (Clarke County Sheriff’s Office)

“We’ll have locals who immigrate to the central Iowa area, who have come from the Georgia area, or move to the Georgia area.” the attorney explained. “So it’s not atypical to have a Mexican national living in the central Iowa area working at a packing plant, who previously lived in East Point, Georgia, for instance.”

“Could there be some connection there? Absolutely, because they move and they go where they’re familiar and they’re comfortable.”

Frese also added that he thought there was “something larger at play” in the Tibbetts case.

“I’ve always thought there’s something larger at play than just my client randomly picking out Mollie Tibbetts and randomly killing her,” the attorney said. “I don’t think it’s as simple as a Mexican national going up beside a beautiful young woman and passively stabbing her.”

Cristhian Bahena Rivera was convicted of brutally killing Mollie Tibbetts on July 18, 2018. (Kim Calderwood via AP/ The Gazette)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Frese for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

Andrea Vacchiano is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. You can follow her on X at @andrea_vacch or send story tips to andrea.vacchiano@fox.com.