IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #36

[bluedivergirl]

He worked at a dairy farm, not a sugar cane plantation. Machete's aren't standard issue, and it's not likely something an employee would carry with him all the time anyway.

A folding knife makes more sense.

I can't agree with this. Machetes are standard issue, along with other sharp knives. Farm animals need to be gelded.

 

[Copper]

To be fair tho, I have most of those things in my car too. You wouldn’t believe how many of these tools and supplies come in handy when setting up for softball tournaments.

I probably have at least four folding knives in my home or in my truck at the moment. Those kinds of things unintentionally accumulate over the years.

 

[Mica]

I just re-read the arrest warrant. It does not say “black out”. It says he claims to “block out” the memory. I don’t believe it for a second, but that’s distinctively different from having a blackout.

This is “selective” block out, IMO.

 

[duster1979]

Possibly a cattle prod
View attachment 143318

Cattle prods aren't sharp at all. One of the two tips is energized, when you touch the animal with both prods at the same time it completes the circuit and shocks whatever it's touching.

 

[Inthedetails]

He is claiming that Mollie threatened to call police and then he had a black-out. He is blaming the victim for the fact that he murdered her.

He's certainly distancing himself.

Rapists (if he is a rapist, which is not confirmed) often blame the victim. As you know, it's a rage crime. The victim enrages the perp just by existing and being there.

I think we need to be careful with the "blacked out" phrase. As someone posted above, it's likely "blocked out" as in he blocked out the memory. Which is another distancing tactic and different that blacked out. IDK - blocked out makes more sense to me in this case.

Honestly, it's a miracle he confessed and showed LE the body.

jmo

 

[jking]

I wonder if he used a rock.

Could "sharp force injuries" mean he used a knife?

 

[MassGuy]

One other point that your post brought to mind (and I know this has been discussed on here): For someone whose crime seems so reckless and impulsive, I think that he has definitely done something like this before...he didn’t leave a trace of evidence, he went to work the next day (would a first time offender not be shaken up and worried about being caught?), he managed to prevent the phone & Fitbit from tracking movements, he even seemingly tried to frame the hog farmer, diverting everyone’s attention early in the investigation toward someone with a locally-known history of mistreating women.

The way he characterizes it does make it sound impulsive but the execution of the crime itself looks quite sophisticated for a first timer, which is why I don’t think this is his first time.

I disagree. He took incredible risks. It doesn’t take any measure of sophistication to drag a woman into a field and kill her.

The police didn’t struggle to find him because this was so well planned, they struggled to find him precisely because it wasn’t.

When the victim doesn’t have a connection to the suspect, it is much harder to find the killer. This guy benefited from that.

 

[4SAM]

Would he be going to a maximum prison?

 

[NewYork625]

I just re-read the arrest warrant. It does not say “black out”. It says he claims to “block out” the memory. I don’t believe it for a second, but that’s distinctively different from having a blackout.

You're correct. It does say he blocked out his memory which he does when he gets very upset. I got it from multiple news sources that paraphrased it incorrectly. BBM: "At one point he tells us that Mollie grabbed a hold of her cell phone and that she told him 'you need to leave me alone, I'm going to call police', she then took off running, he then chased her down, he then tells us at one point he blacks out," said DCI investigator" First Degree Murder charge in Mollie Tibbetts disappearance

 

[Cortne]

The DM article says it was a friend of the killer that said he didn’t want to talk about Mollie and looking back it was odd. Not the gf or baby mama

 

[ChuckMaureen]

CR's immigration status is considered as 'fact'. IMO, that matters in this case only to this point: a motive for murder. When MT warned CR she would "call the police", he panicked for fear of being found out as having entered and living in the country illegally and his 'explosive' nature (as one or more CR acquaintances have described) led him to doing the only thing he thought he must do to prevent MT from making good on her warning.

Reading and interpreting what people who know/knew CR, either closely or in-passing at parties, etc., it seems he displayed little to no self-confidence, was mostly quiet, shy, seemingly disengaged or self-focused and that some girls/women were drawn to his appearance and realized the outside packaging didn't wrap a maturity capable of understanding or handling it. It was easy for him to present the appearance (hair, trimmed beard, slim and somewhat athletic) but that is where it ended. 'All look and no hat', to adopt a familiar phrase.

It is described (by those same people) that CR hung around mostly with the other male workers. I assume CR had become frustrated many times in his teen/adult life when he attempted to interact with girls/women in general, and even more frustrated when he felt the urge to engage with girls/women that 'piqued his interest' (I'm using a family-friendly phrase to describe what we all know it to be).

Frustration and confusion eventually led to desperation, and ultimately, anger when his misguided attempt to engage MT blew up in his face. That ultimate humiliation plus the fear of being found out (MT's warning she would call LE) led him to committing a heinous crime and unfortunately, MT had to suffer at his hand while her family, friends and quite frankly, many of us at Websleuths are left to suffer for CR's mental inadequacies and eventual criminal behavior.

MT was at the wrong place at the wrong time. This crime is not her fault, though, as this being a free country MT had every right to be where she was and to have been doing what she was doing. It was CR who had no right to be where he was and no right to do what he did.

MOO

 

[MassGuy]

Would he be going to a maximum prison?

After conviction? Absolutely.

 

[Copper]

Would he be going to a maximum prison?

The Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, I assume.

 

[MsBetsy]

Take it for what it is worth...he goes off on tangents but has great visuals right now.
{not endorsing anything he says, sometimes he is right-on, sometimes not...so just saying} Hughes live now.

jmo
And if I need to get this link deleted or it offends anyone, I understand and I am very sorry.
Chi (treading lightly)

I hope it doesn't get deleted, I found it extremely accurate and informative. When he brings up the phone being used to tell police the route to the location, I took that to mean he looked at a map on his phone because police had trouble (as did he) with his description. He does claim that police searched that area she was found 2 or 3 weeks ago. That I'm not sure of. But his maps and measurements helped alot.

 

[duster1979]

I can't agree with this. Machetes are standard issue, along with other sharp knives. Farm animals need to be gelded.

With a machete? I'm going to have to take for granted that you've never taken part in or witnessed a castration.

Besides, the dude worked on a dairy farm. No castration goes on at a dairy farm. It's all cows, which are female. Any bull calves born are quickly farmed out to someone who raises bottle calves.

Thanks for the image of castration with a machete, it gave me a solid chuckle.

 

[Jazzy5980]

A dog is in a cage covered with a blanket on the front porch of the dilapidated home where CR lived?
Pictured: The trailer on a secluded Iowa farm where Mollie Tibbetts's 'killer' lived | Daily Mail Online

I'll pay any local person $100 to go rescue that dog. PM me.

I’m in for $50

 

[SharonNeedles]

You're correct. It does say he blocked out his memory which he does when he gets very upset. I got it from multiple news sources that paraphrased it incorrectly. BBM: "At one point he tells us that Mollie grabbed a hold of her cell phone and that she told him 'you need to leave me alone, I'm going to call police', she then took off running, he then chased her down, he then tells us at one point he blacks out," said DCI investigator" First Degree Murder charge in Mollie Tibbetts disappearance

I would appear then that this spokesman also misinterpreted what was said. The arrest warrant (available in our no-discussion thread) clearly says “block out”.

 

[cluciano63]

LE brought up the carwash long before they even knew what happened to Mollie, much less who killed her. IF he used it...they did not know it back then.

 

[DJD]

Is it just me or does anyone else think CR looks older than 23? Wish we knew who he really is.

 

[NewYork625]

I would appear then that this spokesman also misinterpreted what was said. The arrest warrant (available in our no-discussion thread) clearly says “block out”.

You are right and that is an important distinction.