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

[MsBetsy]

I really can't fathom *no one* noticed any sort of change in him that night or in the weeks after. He must really be a silent type, cool as a cucumber. Or the folks around him pay him no mind. I mean, some people just aren't observant, I guess. But then, we don't exactly go thru our days thinking someone we interact with has just murdered a woman basically the whole world's looking for. Just puzzling, imho.

It probably was not noticed by anyone because he had no emotions or feelings for what he did. If you don't have a conscience, you don't feel guilty.

 

[Meem]

Not to be morbid, but I am honestly shocked that scavengers did not do away with most of her remains. A month is a long, long time for a dead body to lay around in the country, especially during summer, and not be... well I just am surprised I guess. I hope whatever happened, it was quick and she didn’t suffer too much. I just had a thought that maybe she has not been in that spot this entire time. Poor girl

 

[callyn]

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

I grew up on a dairy farm with 500 cows and a few bulls and have never seen or heard of castration by machete. This was before dairy farms employed so many immigrants so maybe things have changed?

 

[Copper]

I'm a little confused. I keep reading that CR's employer insists he was 'cleared' to work because he gave a fake name. However, the only 'alias' I can find in MSM is Cristhian Bahena, which is actually part of his name. Can anyone clarify this discrepancy for me? TIA.

If he had false identification, I assume his name at work was "Leif Erikson" or something equally ludicrous for a Mexican native.

 

[Deleted member 227458]

Please, please, please, warden, put him in general population...also, as an added request, please allow DJ 30 minutes of unsupervised visitation with the evil twerp in his cell.

 

[MsBetsy]

I really can't fathom *no one* noticed any sort of change in him that night or in the weeks after. He must really be a silent type, cool as a cucumber. Or the folks around him pay him no mind. I mean, some people just aren't observant, I guess. But then, we don't exactly go thru our days thinking someone we interact with has just murdered a woman basically the whole world's looking for. Just puzzling, imho.

It probably was not noticed by anyone because he had no emotions or feelings for what he did. If you don't have a conscience, you don't feel guilty.

 

[Dudda]

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

"Honestly, it's a miracle he confessed and showed LE the body." this.......why did he? This is the part I do not understand he says he in essence can't remember the killing but the shows LE where the body is. Make no sense to me at all. Why not just deny it completely.

 

[duster1979]

Sorry I wasn't clearer! The machete would be for overgrown grass and brush. Heck, we have one.

Sure, but that's doesn't make it likely at all that an employee of a dairy farm would carry one in the trunk of his car. If he needed one on the job he'd get it out of the tool shed, complete his task, and return it to the shed.

If he used one to commit this crime it was because he planned it that way, not because it would be something he'd be likely to have with him.

 

[margarita25]

This is my first time following a case, so I have a lot to learn.

Firstly, coincidences (MT staying alone, co-op camera being out, etc) are sometimes just coincidences.

Secondly, maps are extremely valuable for LE.

Thirdly, keep an open mind.

Yes very good, the element of “coincidence”...as I’ve said before, there have been some amazzzzzzing coincidences in WS, like coincidences you wouldn’t believe!

 

[otto]

He 'remembered' what he chose to tell police, the rest was conveniently 'forgotten', but since these kinds of liars always tell part of the actual story in their lie, the bleeding from the head tale may simply be an unintended blab-like disclosure that this was a greater bloody crime involving a sharp weapon. She may not have had a head injury. Or she may have if he used some sort of blunt force to initially subdue her. He could have also injured her like Hannah and Morgan's killer (he has no name as far as I'm concerned) is known to have injured the victim who got away from him. He slammed her head into the ground right before he was about to rape her (he was seen and he ran off). Mollie's killer could have swiped her face or head with the sharp weapon as she fought and that's where the bleeding head tale came from, or she could have bled from her ear if it was blunt force. But whatever that's about, he is distancing himself from the important fact that he brutally took her life through a violent stabbing of some kind.

Since he's inserting a bloody head injury into the trunk part of the story, he may be saying something about an assault that occurred after the abduction and before the cornfield. I believe it was otto who said there may be two assault sites in addition to where he abducted her. (the cornfield being the final one)Please correct me if I read that wrong. But I do believe he had a longer night than the LE timeline.

This is what police expected with a violent offender:

• Unexplained lack of contact or inability to get in touch with someone you know the evening of July 18th into the morning of July 19th

That abduction, assault, murder, clean-up would have taken hours.

 

[duster1979]

"Honestly, it's a miracle he confessed and showed LE the body." this.......why did he? This is the part I do not understand he says he in essence can't remember the killing but the shows LE where the body is. Make no sense to me at all. Why not just deny it completely.

I think I posted this before so sorry if it's redundant, but by this time he knew he was busted for being in the country illegally. It's quite possible that he preferred the thought of life in an American prison to whatever might await him if he were deported.

 

[R.U.Kidding!]

It probably was not noticed by anyone because he had no emotions or feelings for what he did. If you don't have a conscience, you don't feel guilty.

Yes just your everyday Sociopath!

 

[Inthedetails]

I'm a little confused. I keep reading that CR's employer insists he was 'cleared' to work because he gave a fake name. However, the only 'alias' I can find in MSM is Cristhian Bahena, which is actually part of his name. Can anyone clarify this discrepancy for me? TIA.

AFAIK, they haven't released the name he used for employment.

jmo

 

[sleuther0192837465]

Poor MollieAnd her family...her loved ones To hear & know what she went through...just horrific

 

[cody22]

I don't go around telling every one normaly but I carry a hatchet in my car and it has moved threw three cars with me. I keep it there because I don't want it left where someone could pick up on their way in if they broke in. not that I think he would be worried about someone breaking in, but point being people carry some strange things in their cars sometimes.

I have a hammer in all my vehicles , in case the vehicle doors stay locked in an accident, etc. I want a way to get out in case of fire or deep water.

 

[MesquiteO21]

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.

i had this thought as well but didn't know how much credence to put on it, because i kind of think he probably would have still killed her even if he was legal and/or if she didn't threaten to call. but it very well could have been a contributing factor. (and again, no blame on MT whatsoever. you should say you're going to call the police if someone is harassing you and making you feel uncomfortable. she absolutely did the right thing.)

 

[jjenny]

"Honestly, it's a miracle he confessed and showed LE the body." this.......why did he? This is the part I do not understand he says he in essence can't remember the killing but the shows LE where the body is. Make no sense to me at all. Why not just deny it completely.

Police are good at interrogating. Have you ever been interrogated? They could get the info out of you whether you want to tell it or not.

 

[Jeng1810]

Yes just your everyday Sociopath!

Yes exactly. Sadly my sister committed a vicious crime against her newborn son and went about normal life just minutes later talking to her bf on the phone and having a cigarette. Went to prison and complained she was losing too much weight because the food sucked and talked about how unfair it was she was even there. Us “normal” folks couldn’t imagine that but it is reality.

 

[MsBetsy]

This is “selective” block out, IMO.

Right! We block out memories of things that occurred long ago, until it is basically gone from our memory. That takes years usually. Not a few minutes. I think he is claiming he " blacked out" because he was so upset and insulted that when he tried to make friends with Mollie she threatened to call police and the poor guy went into a uncontrollabe rage and now has no memory of what happened. In other words, it's Mollie's fault.

 

[bluedivergirl]

I grew up on a dairy farm with 500 cows and a few bulls and have never seen or heard of castration by machete. This was before dairy farms employed so many immigrants so maybe things have changed?

Oh, dear. I really didn't mean the imaginary machete would be used to neuter animals. I know it is too crude a tool. I inadvertently linked the the two.