Student's murder inflames immigration debate in southern US
The Peninsula
Athens, United States: Along the edge of a peaceful lake in the southern US state of Georgia, a pile of sneakers forms a makeshift memorial to Laken R...
Athens, United States: Along the edge of a peaceful lake in the southern US state of Georgia, a pile of sneakers forms a makeshift memorial to Laken Riley, a nursing student who was murdered nearby while out on a morning jog.
Riley's death, blamed on a 26-year-old undocumented migrant from Venezuela, has catalyzed the immigration debate in Georgia, one of the key swing states in November's US presidential election.
"It makes me afraid for myself," said Emma Turner, a 23-year-old university student in Athens, the site of the murder 90 minutes east of Atlanta.
Riley's body was found in a wooded area near a lake on the University of Georgia campus, and authorities determined the 22-year-old died of blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxiation.
The suspect was charged with murder, aggravated assault and intent to rape Riley, a student at Augusta University in Athens.
