IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #42

[Jaclin]

If they had been broken, why/ how could she still be wearing the other half? I don't think he would put the broken piece back on her and I also don't think she could still be wearing half it if he ripped part of it off. JMO though.

I just copied and pasted my post I think you can also click on quote and then copy and past the entire message from the old thread reply box into the new reply box

I am not convinced that MT was still wearing headphones or even half of one while in the trunk. I think there were lots of questions and lots of answers and not all of them made it to the summary statement we can see. I think the statement about the clothing may have been asked sometime after CR mentions MT being in the trunk. Also, I don't see how the headphones get on his lap unless they're caught in his zipper or he pulled her into his car. I don't know how gravity would allow them to be on his lap any other way.

 

[kpm]

I am not convinced that MT was still wearing headphones or even half of one while in the trunk. I think there were lots of questions and lots of answers and not all of them made it to the summary statement we can see. I think the statement about the clothing may have been asked sometime after CR mentions MT being in the trunk. Also, I don't see how the headphones get on his lap unless they're caught in his zipper or he pulled her into his car. I don't know how gravity would allow them to be on his lap any other way.

Your last two sentences have been bugging me too, how did they get in his lap?

Do he grab her phone from her and they were attached?

 

[MistyWaters]

He was clearly larger and stronger then she was. It's not at all inconceivable that he could have easily overpowered her and dragged her into the cornfield. But more than likely he did it by threatening her with the knife.

So do you think that Mollie was abducted from the side of the country road by knifepoint and she complied?

By the description of her personality by her family, I disagree. It’s also common knowledge that the odds of survival are greater if a victim fights to prevent an abduction, as opposed to the unknown fate in an unknown location as abductors rarely allow their victims to walk free.

 

[Al Hoffman]

CR has had a month to think about this and devise a plan if 'interrogated'.
As he knows possibly traces of blood may be left in boot (even after loads of cleaning), he has decided to state he saw blood on her head when he opened the boot (this would cover, any traces found).
Of course, he can't remember, due to his blackout, how head injury occurred.
He doesn't state there are stab wounds over her body, implying Mollie hasn't been stabbed (that during his blackout, he didn't inflict the stab wounds).
He states, he places her in the cornfields.

Mollie was located in the cornfields as CR led LE to the site.
We are informed Mollie has multiple stab wounds.
So CR has had another blackout, as now Mollie has stab wounds: previously he only observed blood on her head.
Where did this stabbing occur: at initial interaction, in car, in cornfields, elsewhere?
Poor CR blacks out during any/all of these times as cannot remember.
So CR has recurrent blackouts, and only remembers his plan for LE. Poor CR.

If there is a trial, could the Defence use the fact, anyone could have stabbed Mollie in the cornfields, after CR left her there?
Jurors would be required to think of possibilities, creating doubt.

These are all my thoughts only, and wonder, if anyone may think similarly: could Defence use this tactic, to create doubt, or am I too imaginative !!!!
There have been many cases, when verdict has been 'not guilty', due to doubt created, where the majority of the public think otherwise.

Good posit, but I think that FitBit and other overlapping digital footprints along with video and the confession and other forensics will convince jury otherwise. And just who would be hanging around in the middle of a nowhere corn field to walk up and administer the non-merciful coup de grace to MT? Try to look at some Google satellite images of the dump area. There are some buildings less than a 1/2 mile away, but it is literally a SEA of corn plants.

While an intriguing idea, I don't think that it will fly with a jury. JMHOO

 

[Arog]

It’s very unlikely any female would allow themselves to be placed in a trunk of a vehicle without a tremendous fight to avoid being abducted.

Do we even know if she had a head injury or is that what he told the detectives. The autopsy said she died from multiple stab wounds but never said where.

 

[KaaBoom]

So do you think that Mollie was abducted from the side of the country road by knifepoint and she complied?

By the description of her personality by her family, I disagree. It’s also common knowledge that the odds of survival are greater if a victim fights to prevent an abduction, as opposed to the unknown fate in an unknown location as abductors rarely allow their victims to walk free.

I don't think she had any choice but to comply, or maybe she didn't and that is why she got stabbed.

 

[kpm]

Do we even know if she had a head injury or is that what he told the detectives. The autopsy said she dies from multiple stab wounds but never said where.

They only thing we know from the autopsy is that in Iowa they will only state the cause of death and not any of the other info to the public.

So we won’t hear about any other injuries until the trial.

 

[MistyWaters]

I found what I had read, she and Mollie lived about 2 miles apart growing up.

If he worked all day chances are he only spotted Mollie while she out running late afternoons, that’s why I was thinking he could have been in town visiting his baby at those times.

Mollie worked away from town so they most likely wouldn’t bump into each other at lunch spots and any spots as they both worked.

So that leaves after work and weekends to “stalk” her

Yes, we don’t know if Mollie always ran at appx the same time most day but sadly, it’s certainly possible she was being stalked for days or even weeks prior.

 

[Al Hoffman]

So do you think that Mollie was abducted from the side of the country road by knifepoint and she complied?

By the description of her personality by her family, I disagree. It’s also common knowledge that the odds of survival are greater if a victim fights to prevent an abduction, as opposed to the unknown fate in an unknown location as abductors rarely allow their victims to walk free.

Yeah, I think that she fought, and that is part of what triggered CR to "go red" and kill her! But her death is not her fault, as he may have killed her anyway, even if she willingly acquiesced. Sometimes you can't win for losing, and MT really had no good options to play out once CR made up his mind about what he wanted, and what he wanted to do.

Fighting may have not been her best option, but at least she went down swinging, for what that matters.

 

[gliving]

Maybe there was a security camera at the house under construction at the 1900 block. Catch the thieves stealing wiring and tools. A friend of mine uses a game cam after losing a HVAC unit at a job site.

 

[kpm]

Yeah, I think that she fought, and that is part of what triggered CR to "go red" and kill her! But her death is not her fault, as he may have killed her anyway, even if she willingly acquiesced. Sometimes you can't win for losing, and MT really had no good options to play out once CR made up his mind about what he wanted, and what he wanted to do.

Fighting may have not been her best option, but at least she went down swinging, for what that matters.

I honestly don’t think she had a chance once he got her, no matter how she would have reacted, he had other plans and he didn’t want to be identified.

 

[MistyWaters]

I don't think she had any choice but to comply.

Mollie wasn’t a lot smaller than CR. A highly athletic female faced with an attacker banishing a knife has several self defence options. The first one that comes to mind is attempting a vigorous kick to a certain location on his body. Her fighting back is a reason for him to get very upset and block his memory of inflicting multiple sharp force injuries.

 

[TL4S]

I found what I had read, she and Mollie lived about 2 miles apart growing up.

If he worked all day chances are he only spotted Mollie while she out running late afternoons, that’s why I was thinking he could have been in town visiting his baby at those times.

Mollie worked away from town so they most likely wouldn’t bump into each other at lunch spots and any spots as they both worked.

So that leaves after work and weekends to “stalk” her

I know NOTHING about her place of work. Could CR's daughter have been in that program? Probably a stupid question...

 

[TL4S]

Maybe there was a security camera at the house under construction at the 1900 block. Catch the thieves stealing wiring and tools. A friend of mine uses a game cam after losing a HVAC unit at a job site.

I think that's a great idea, plus might offer an answer to those wondering why the footage wasn't handed over soon.

 

[MistyWaters]

Yeah, I think that she fought, and that is part of what triggered CR to "go red" and kill her! But her death is not her fault, as he may have killed her anyway, even if she willingly acquiesced. Sometimes you can't win for losing, and MT really had no good options to play out once CR made up his mind about what he wanted, and what he wanted to do.

Fighting may have not been her best option, but at least she went down swinging, for what that matters.

Yes I agree, if she had been abducted by someone who saw red just because she tried to protect herself, her chance of survival post-abduction was nil as well. The possible benefit to fighting is the odds are increased to attract attention or for the perp to be identified if the location of the attempted abduction can be determined, as occurred in this case.

If Mollie had been taken alive I also don’t think her body would’ve been haphazardly abandoned in a random cornfield, increasing the odds she’d have been discovered in the event CR had not later cooperated with LE.

 

[Confusion]

I might as well add my gory thoughts about what may have happened since it'll be a while before we're likely to know anything for sure. I see him seeing that she's going east on 385th, so he passes her and pulls into one of the field roads around the corner from her. That way he can just open the trunk and sit in his car and wait for her to come by without spooking her first and having her turn around toward town if he stops ahead of her, or having to chase her a mile from his car if he stops near or behind her. When she comes by him, he rushes out to grab her, and may have had a knife out to help keep her under control. He then dragged her to the car and put her in the trunk, hitting her head in the process. After he gets her in there, she continues to fight with him, trying to get out and keeping him from shutting the trunk. He finally totally loses his temper and stabs her each time she tries to get out or push open the trunk, until she finally passed out. During the scuffle, one of her earbuds could have gotten tangled in his shirt sleeve or a crease in his shirt and fallen out when he got it.

As he pulled up to the stop sign at the intersection, it may have fallen into his lap and reminded him that he couldn't just bring her home. He would also have likely just passed another field road which made him realize that cornfield would be the perfect spot to dispose of her. He may have originally planned to bring her into the field to assault her, but found that she had bled out and was already dead.The rest of his story there could be true, except that there was blood in a lot more places than just her head.

Sorry, it's the best I have right now. MOO

 

[Arog]

I honestly don’t think she had a chance once he got her, no matter how she would have reacted, he had other plans and he didn’t want to be identified.

I think when she told him she was calling the police if he didn't leave her alone that was it. He knew if they came it was over. He had to act.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Yes, we don’t know if Mollie always ran at appx the same time most day but sadly, it’s certainly possible she was being stalked for days or even weeks prior.

CR would have to have been particularly smart in his approach, such as parking his vehicle in specific locations along MT's running routes consistently to make it appear his vehicle being there would not be considered 'unusual' and he also would have to be sure not to be seen (by MT and possibly other runners / residents). How often could he do such a thing and not be noticed at the scenes or by others who might have expected him to be at his home or other places?

Of course he might have simply driven his vehicle around Brooklyn and perimeter roads from time to time and happened to pass MT on occasion so as not to have raised suspicion.

Either way, I believe he knew of MT (maybe other joggers as well?) and decided MT (because she looked very much like CR's ex-gf) would be his target.

Did CR know where MT lived (J house and/or her mother's house)? Did CR sit-in-wait of when MT exited the house or did CR simply drive through Brooklyn at times coinciding with MT's run schedule?

 

[SharonNeedles]

But in a MSM news article, it was reported that the local running community ran that stretch of 385th Ave in a memorial run for MT as it was "one of her favorite routes" for running, and is known by locals as "the blacktop". Sounds like the kind of route a cross-country runner in training for a half-marathon might use.

I KNOW you are not comfortable with the thought of her running out there alone, but up until now, no one had any reason to be afraid.

Hindsight is a real bear! Somedays you get the bear, some days he gets you!

That’s all of a sudden one of her favorite routes? I get what you’re saying but can’t understand why we only heard about it after the body was found.

 

[MistyWaters]

Maybe there was a security camera at the house under construction at the 1900 block. Catch the thieves stealing wiring and tools. A friend of mine uses a game cam after losing a HVAC unit at a job site.

Great suggestion!