Murdered Georgia student Laken Riley’s parents reportedly turned down an invite from Rep. Mike Collins to the State of the Union on Thursday, March 7. Collins (R-Ga.) represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District of Athens. This is where Riley was attacked and killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant.
Collins took to X to announce that there will be a vacant seat at the presidential address in her honour. “I invited Laken Riley’s parents to the State of the Union address, but understandably, they have chosen to stay home as they grieve the loss of their daughter,” Collins wrote.
“Therefore, the seat reserved for my guest will remain vacant to honor Laken and all American victims of illegal alien crime,” he added. “As Joe Biden attempts to paint a rosy picture of the crime-ridden country he has created, he will look up at an empty seat that memorializes those we’ve lost because of his open border policies.”
Laken Riley’s murder
Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University and was out on a morning run last month when she was murdered. She was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens. Official police reports said she died from "blunt force trauma.”
{{/usCountry}}Riley was a nursing student at Augusta University and was out on a morning run last month when she was murdered. She was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia’s campus in Athens. Official police reports said she died from "blunt force trauma.”
{{/usCountry}}A White House spokesperson previously released a statement on Riley’s death. "We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Hope Riley,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "People should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be guilty. Given this is an active case, we would have to refer you to state law enforcement and ICE."
Ibarra, 26, was later charged with malice and felony murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping, concealing the death of another and other charges. Police said the incident was a “crime of opportunity.”