Laken Riley murder: Students on UGA campus, joggers nationwide shocked after alleged illegal immigrant killing

OutKick columnist Mary Katharine Ham reacts to the murder of a Georgia college student, allegedly by an illegal immigrant, and the dangerous consequences of open border policies.

The brutal murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week has sparked concerns among other students and women joggers who run alone.

Riley, a student at Augusta University, was allegedly murdered by 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, while she was jogging along dirt trails near Lake Herrick in Athens in what UGA Police described as a "crime of opportunity."

"It's a mother's worst nightmare," Michelle, the mother of a female UGA student and a UGA alumnus, previously told Fox News Digital.

Michelle said she’s told her daughter countless times to be careful when she walks alone and to only go running with her Labrador retriever.

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

Laken Riley smiles for a photo while running. Riley, a nursing student, was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus Feb. 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Instagram)

"It shakes people to their core because it makes people realize there’s a dirty underbelly we don’t see," she said. "My heart breaks. I’ve been praying for [Riley’s] mom every time she comes to mind."

Numerous women have taken to social media to share safety tips for solo female joggers and share their own stories of scary encounters while running. Sarah Lyoness, a Chicago-based runner who is training for a marathon, produced a video sharing jogger safety tips that went viral on TikTok.

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

"I used to live in Omaha,