Trump tries to blame Biden for Georgia student’s jogging murder

Former president Donald Trump has blamed Joe Biden’s “border invasion” as contributing to the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.

Riley, 22, was murdered after going for a run on the University of Georgia Intramural Fields earlier this month.

The murder suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was accused of “disfiguring her skull” and of dragging and hiding her body in a “secluded area.”

Mr Ibarra is not a US citizen, transforming the charges against him into a rallying cry for the right — including Mr Trump.

On Truth Social, the former president wrote, “Crooked Joe Biden’s Border INVASION is destroying our country and killing our citizens!” He wrote that Riley’s murder “should have NEVER happened” and described Ibarra as a “monster.”

He “illegally entered our Country in 2022…and then was released AGAIN by Radical Democrats in New York after injuring a CHILD!!” Mr Trump continued.

If elected president, the 2024 GOP frontrunner promised to “immediately Seal the Border, Stop the Invasion, and on Day One, we will begin the largest deportation operation of illegal CRIMINALS in American History!”

Jose Antonio Ibarra charged with murder of Laken Riley

The Independent has reached out to the White House for a response to Mr Trump’s accusation.

Speaking to Fox News, a White House spokesperson said, “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Hope Riley.”

“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,” the spokesperson continued.

In a statement, ICE said that Mr Ibarra was a Venezuelan citizen who “unlawfully” entered the US in September