Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #45

[Al Hoffman]

the whole of who he is and date of birth, etc. is so shady it might have been better as a john doe and unknown date of birth. I hope they have more than just his word on who he is. sure he had social media in the CR name but it could also be a another fake or assumed name.

Hey, you gotta work with what comes through the door......especially true in LE and Healthcare practices. You do the best with what they give you!

 

[otto]

Yeah I’d sure hope they have more than his word as well. According to the story so far, the math works that he arrived in the US when he was 16 years of age about 7 years ago, born in 1994, started working at the farm at age 20, just turned 24.

But if he was born in 1997, the story has to shift 3 years forward in time. Arrived in the US at age 13??? Just turned 21? If so, the entire storyline needs a retrofit.

Early on, it was reported that he arrived in Iowa 4-7 years prior to the murder.

His father said that he immigrated at the age of 16. Assuming he was born in 1997, then he arrived in 2013, shortly after his 16th birthday, and after completing grade 10 in the Preparatoria 35. He and his girlfriend were expecting a baby in 2013, so the timeline still works.

"Investigators in the case to find missing Iowa woman Mollie Tibbetts say a suspect is in custody Tuesday. A complaint and affidavit names 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera from Poweshiek County, in the charge of Murder in the First Degree. Authorities believe River has lived in rural Poweshiek County for 4-7 years as an undocumented immigrant."​

Man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts waives preliminary hearing

 

[gliving]

And this translation issue will be key to any "Blocking Out" Diminished Capacity defence.

A previous up thread native Spanish speaker pointed out that there are phrases in Spanish that specifically refer to "the heat of passion" and associated foggy memory afterwards. (Maybe other native Mexican Spanish speakers can weigh in on this).

What is germaine, is how CR said "blocked out" in HIS native Spanish, and what that means in the common parlance and dialect of his adolescent and current community.

This is a cultural milieau issue. The exact same issue that I have previously said could be used as a grounds to overturn CR's Miranda and throw out any confession before he first saw an attorney. This as CR may have truly believed that he had no "right" to not tell the truth to the Federalies. (Becaue of the "rubber hose" he believed to be in the other room, no matter what Miranda assurances were given to the contrary.)

This cultural milieu issue will be important to both the defense and the prosecution. One will build it up, the other must tear it down!

I suspect, that this is why the Defence has asked for a "live" arrangement. They were cited as doing so for language issues, so that the Judge could be certain that CR understood exactly what he was pleading to. I think that language issues will be a major part of the Defense's "blocking case".

Yep, and for clarity, the affidavit states CR "blocked" his "memory". Why the double quotation marks are there on the affidavit - that I don't know. Is this something that is lost in translation? And speaking of translation, remember that the affidavit is from what CR said to a translator, then what the translator said to Deputy Sheriff Steve Kivi. Then to what Deputy Sheriff Kivi wrote on the affidavit. It becomes a game of telephone by the time it is signed off by Julie "Last Name illegible" Clerk of Court Designee. Julie, who I can find no record of at the Powesheik County website.

Hopefully we'll get some clarification on Wednesday.

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

 

[Al Hoffman]

Good Morning!
I am from the cloth that everything CR has said is BS. The block/blackout none of it makes any sense. The easiest thing to say is I remember nothing,....which is what he did. Let's not forget also that he had 5 weeks to come up with something for if and when the trail led to him. And I can bet he conferred with some of his working buddies/family.
So I personally am not hell bent on trying to figure out the earbud/trunk thing because I myself believe it is all BS.

I totally agree! Too much emphasis is being placed on this "blocked out" BS. By WS, MSM and who knows who else!

You know, I've read that D. Trump's most used line on prior depositions (before his current job) was "I don't recall". This response is common with sociopaths and criminals. Politicians say "I'll get back to you about that" when they can get away with it.

I "blocked it out" is just a sociopath's way of saying "I don't want to talk about it".

Not being able to remember is the same evasive maneuver that the sociopathic stepchildren I attempted to raise would use, when they did not want to talk about something embarrassing or criminal. The girl murdered her daughter, the boy admitted to me about a contract murder job he did for $10K.

Sometimes you just need to look in the translating Sociopath to English dictionary.
There should be one on Google, if there isn't already!

 

[otto]

I have found it tricky to select details from the arrest warrant pdf, so I converted it to a word document. Here's the actual statement in the arrest warrant split into paragraphs to make it more readable:

"On 7/19/2018 Mollie Tibbetts [DOB 05/08/98] was reported as a missing person to the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office. Shortly after Tibbetts was reported missing video footage was collected from an area on the east side of Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa. The video was from the evening of July 18, 2018. After review of the video it was determined that Mollie Tibbetts was running near the area of Boundary and Middle Streets when a dark colored Chevy Malibu was in the same vicinity.

The dark colored Chevy malibu can be seen numerous times driving back and forth in the area. It was determined through other investigation that the dark-colored Chevy Malibu was connected to Christian Rivera. Rivera was then questioned by law enforcement about the disappearance of Tibbetts on 8/20/2018.

Rivera admitted to making contact with a female running in Brooklyn and that he pursued her in his vehicle in an area east of Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa. Defendant Rivera stated he parked the vehicle, got out and was running behind her and along side of her. Rivera stated she grabbed her phone and said "I'm gonna call the police".

Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then "blocked" his "memory" which is what he does when he gets very upset and doesn't remember anything after that until he came to at an intersection. Rivera stated he then made a u-turn, drove back to an entrance to a field and then drove into a driveway to a cornfield.

He noticed there was an ear piece from headphones in his lap and that is how he realized he put her in the trunk. He went to get her out of the trunk and he noticed blood on the side of her head. The Defendant Rivera described the female's clothing, that she was wearing including an ear phone or head phone set.

The defendant further described during the interview that he dragged Tibbetts on foot from his vehicle to a secluded location in a cornfield. Rivera described he put her over his shoulder and took her about 20 meters into the cornfield and he left her covered in some corn leaves and that he left her there, face up.

The Defendant was able to use his phone to determine the route he traveled from Brooklyn. Rivera then later guided law enforcement to her location from memory. Law enforcement located the remains of a deceased female in the area Rivera took them to. The physical surroundings of her location and other factors at the scene matched his earlier physical description of the area as that where he placed her body.

Based on the interview with Rivera, the clothing found at the scene where the body was located and tentative identification by the medical examiner based on information about certain articles of her clothing, the deceased female is Mollie Tibbetts."

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

 

[PommyMommy]

I have found it tricky to select details from the arrest warrant pdf, so I converted it to a word document. Here's the actual statement in the arrest warrant split into paragraphs to make it more readable:

"On 7/19/2018 Mollie Tibbetts [DOB 05/08/98] was reported as a missing person to the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office. Shortly after Tibbetts was reported missing video footage was collected from an area on the east side of Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa. The video was from the evening of July 18, 2018. After review of the video it was determined that Mollie Tibbetts was running near the area of Boundary and Middle Streets when a dark colored Chevy Malibu was in the same vicinity.

The dark colored Chevy malibu can be seen numerous times driving back and forth in the area. It was determined through other investigation that the dark-colored Chevy Malibu was connected to Christian Rivera. Rivera was then questioned by law enforcement about the disappearance of Tibbetts on 8/20/2018.

Rivera admitted to making contact with a female running in Brooklyn and that he pursued her in his vehicle in an area east of Brooklyn, Poweshiek County, Iowa. Defendant Rivera stated he parked the vehicle, got out and was running behind her and along side of her. Rivera stated she grabbed her phone and said "I'm gonna call the police".

Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then "blocked" his "memory" which is what he does when he gets very upset and doesn't remember anything after that until he came to at an intersection. Rivera stated he then made a u-turn, drove back to an entrance to a field and then drove into a driveway to a cornfield.

He noticed there was an ear piece from headphones in his lap and that is how he realized he put her in the trunk. He went to get her out of the trunk and he noticed blood on the side of her head. The Defendant Rivera described the female's clothing, that she was wearing including an ear phone or head phone set.

The defendant further described during the interview that he dragged Tibbetts on foot from his vehicle to a secluded location in a cornfield. Rivera described he put her over his shoulder and took her about 20 meters into the cornfield and he left her covered in some corn leaves and that he left her there, face up.

The Defendant was able to use his phone to determine the route he traveled from Brooklyn. Rivera then later guided law enforcement to her location from memory. Law enforcement located the remains of a deceased female in the area Rivera took them to. The physical surroundings of her location and other factors at the scene matched his earlier physical description of the area as that where he placed her body.

Based on the interview with Rivera, the clothing found at the scene where the body was located and tentative identification by the medical examiner based on information about certain articles of her clothing, the deceased female is Mollie Tibbetts."

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

I have been meaning to do this very thing. Thanks for saving me the time!

 

[otto]

Yep, and for clarity, the affidavit states CR "blocked" his "memory". Why the double quotation marks are there on the affidavit - that I don't know. Is this something that is lost in translation? And speaking of translation, remember that the affidavit is from what CR said to a translator, then what the translator said to Deputy Sheriff Steve Kivi. Then to what Deputy Sheriff Kivi wrote on the affidavit. It becomes a game of telephone by the time it is signed off by Julie "Last Name illegible" Clerk of Court Designee. Julie, who I can find no record of at the Powesheik County website.

Hopefully we'll get some clarification on Wednesday.

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

I don't see anything lost in translation. He got mad, and he admits that when he gets upset, his memory is blocked. I think it's a rather brilliant defense because it has the potential to reduce the conviction to second degree.

The trial argument has to try to prove that his memory was intact, or that the sharp object injuries occurred at the cornfield.

"Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then "blocked" his "memory" which is what he does when he gets very upset and doesn't remember anything after that until he came to at an intersection."​

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

 

[gliving]

I don't see anything lost in translation. He got mad, and he admits that when he gets upset, his memory is blocked. I think it's a rather brilliant defense because it has the potential to reduce the conviction to second degree.

The trial argument has to try to prove that his memory was intact, or that the sharp object injuries occurred at the cornfield.

"Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then "blocked" his "memory" which is what he does when he gets very upset and doesn't remember anything after that until he came to at an intersection."​

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

I guess you missed my point. But that's okay.

 

[Al Hoffman]

You are Welcome! The more I read the more irritated I got. You are right on all your points you stated!

Thank You! And I respect your input also (really, I do)!

 

[otto]

I guess you missed my point. But that's okay.

You mean the point about why "blocked" and "memory" are in quotation marks? I think they are in quotation marks because Rivera used those exact words in describing his memory loss. They are probably in separate quotation marks because when spoken in English and Spanish, they may not be in the same order. I don't speak Spanish, but I do know that sentence structure varies depending on language.

 

[Charliegizmo49]

I know I've seen other posts saying CR might have driven right past his house, but I didn't know he literally lived off 200st. I thought he was closer to the farm. That is only 1.5 miles straight north from the LE POI map 430th and 200st. location. If he drove the easiest route south, he did go right past his house. That is wild, imo.

Top red circle is CR's house, bottom red is LE's POI.

Am I seriously always the last person to figure these things out?

You’re not. In fact you’re one of the smartest people here

 

[TL4S]

You’re not. In fact you’re one of the smartest people here

You should have put a MOO behind that. But seriously, I've learned so much from everybody here, and I am thankful for that. I think if nothing else we help each other see with a broader perspective!

 

[Al Hoffman]

I thought the same thing about him using his phone at first, but then some other posters pointed out that most smartphones have a locator history built in. My guess is maybe LE did ask him if his phone had information from that night. If he had blocked out the memories during his drive, but saw his route on his phone, he easily could have driven them there by memory from either what he'd seen on his phone, or because he was familiar with those roads, anyway. JMO

But, the biggest hole I see in his blocked memory story, as many folks have also pointed out, is the 'earbud on lap = body in trunk.' It makes no sense unless the earbud triggered some kind of memory, which means the memories aren't blocked entirely. That, or he's had a body in his trunk before.

Maybe he could guide LE to the cornfield dump site, by memory, because he drove past it multiple times in the weeks after the killing to reassure himself that it was undisturbed.

They always say that the criminal always returns to the scene of his crime for a reason.

He had to use his cellphone to find his way home (one of those neat little apps that Google may retain Geolocation data from on THEIR Cloud, even after you delete it on YOUR "phone") because he may have driven to the dump site (and past the "hog farm") in a daze (not really remembering how exactly he got there), and it was likely after dark when he started home (the Homocide was over by 20:28, and the end of Civilian Twilight - when you must turn your headlights on - was by 21:15 that night in Brooklyn, IA.

Locals (Sharon Needles) have already told us how easy it is to become disoriented, in the dark, driving past Iowa corn fields. (I went through the same thing while riding 20 miles through Illinois corn fields on a motorcycle, on 2-lane blacktop. I kept looking at my paper map to make sure that I was not lost and on my way to the "Children Of The Corn" farm. And this was on a bright, sunny afternoon, long before Google Maps!)

Remember the last time you zoned out on the Interstate for 20 - 30 miles, and drove right past your exit, in a "daze"? Same thing! The ear bud comment was just his way of saying to LE that he dropped out of his post-homicide driving "daze" (or "block out") and said to himself: "Dios mio, I still have a body in the trunk I gotta far rid of...."

Keep It Simple Sailor! Good work swabby!

 

[otto]

You should have put a MOO behind that. But seriously, I've learned so much from everybody here, and I am thankful for that. I think if nothing else we help each other see with a broader perspective!

Locating his house, and knowing that he did not have a valid driver's license, reinforces the theory that he did take the backroads between the abduction and body sites, and that he knew exactly where he was going after the abduction.

 

[otto]

Maybe he could guide LE to the cornfield dump site, by memory, because he drove past it multiple times in the weeks after the killing to reassure himself that it was undisturbed.

They always say that the criminal always returns to the scene of his crime for a reason.

He had to use his cellphone to find his way home (one of those neat little apps that Google may retain Geolocation data from on THEIR Cloud, even after you delete it on YOUR "phone") because he may have driven to the dump site (and past the "hog farm") in a daze (not really remembering how exactly he got there), and it was likely after dark when he started home (the Homocide was over by 20:28, and the end of Civilian Twilight - when you must turn your headlights on - was by 21:15 that night in Brooklyn, IA.

Locals (Sharon Needles) have already told us how easy it is to become disoriented, in the dark, driving past Iowa corn fields. (I went through the same thing while riding 20 miles through Illinois corn fields on a motorcycle, on 2-lane blacktop. I kept looking at my paper map to make sure that I was not lost and on my way to the "Children Of The Corn" farm. And this was on a bright, sunny afternoon, long before Google Maps!)

Remember the last time you zoned out on the Interstate for 20 - 30 miles, and drove right past your exit, in a "daze"? Same thing! The ear bud comment was just his way of saying to LE that he dropped out of his post-homicide driving "daze" (or "block out") and said to himself: "Dios mio, I still have a body in the trunk I gotta far rid of...."

Keep It Simple Sailor! Good work swabby!

According to the suspect's statement and known timeline, Rivera claims that Mollie was stabbed multiple times after his memory was blocked, and before he got her out of the trunk and noticed blood on the side of her head. I wonder what her Fitbit tells us about her heart rate between 7:45 and 8:28, and what blood pooling in the trunk tells us about her injuries.

 

[MistyWaters]

Early on, it was reported that he arrived in Iowa 4-7 years prior to the murder.

His father said that he immigrated at the age of 16. Assuming he was born in 1997, then he arrived in 2013, shortly after his 16th birthday, and after completing grade 10 in the Preparatoria 35. He and his girlfriend were expecting a baby in 2013, so the timeline still works.

"Investigators in the case to find missing Iowa woman Mollie Tibbetts say a suspect is in custody Tuesday. A complaint and affidavit names 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera from Poweshiek County, in the charge of Murder in the First Degree. Authorities believe River has lived in rural Poweshiek County for 4-7 years as an undocumented immigrant."​

Man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts waives preliminary hearing

For now his DOB is yet another unknown. As you’ve pointed out, LE has consistently referred to CR living in Poweshiek County as an undocumented immigrant for 4 to 7 years, which happens to also account for a 3 year DOB year gap. That suggests LE may have been aware from the onset there was cause for confusion, after CR disclosed his legal name.

If CR came over with the Uncle, as is reported, why doesn’t the Uncle know what year he arrived in Poweshciek County? If CR met IM in Brooklyn, why doesn’t she know if he’d just recently arrived or had already been hanging around 3 years prior? If reporters were able to talk to the father, wouldn’t LE have as well? Wouldn’t they have clarified his DOB and departure date as well?

All unanswered questions as we don’t know the reason for the ambiguity. Either data records are wrong or unreliable. Or someone is wrong or not telling the truth, because LE can’t have just pulled the 1994 birth year out of a hat.

 

[TL4S]

Locating his house, and knowing that he did not have a valid driver's license, reinforces the theory that he did take the backroads between the abduction and body sites, and that he knew exactly where he was going after the abduction.

I agree. Where his house was located he'd have no choice but to take back roads on a daily basis, even to get onto the interstate. If he wanted to head south at all he'd likely stay on 200th, then the most convenient through roads to get onto hwy. 21 would be east on 420th, or 460th. So yes, I think he knew 460th, at least on the west side of hwy 21.

It also makes me do a 180 in my thinking. Instead of him knowing that cornfield road like I thought before, now I wonder if he wanted to leave her somewhere he didn't normally drive by, which might explain why he left her on the east side of hwy 21. When he got to that intersection of 460th and Poweshiek-Iowa Rd., he didn't know where those roads would lead, so he turned around and chose the cornfield pull-off. JMO

Here's a map to help explain. From what I can tell on google, the other east/west roads between CR's and 460th are not through roads, or are minimum maintenance roads. I might be wrong.

 

[otto]

For now his DOB is yet another unknown. As you’ve pointed out, LE has consistently referred to CR living in Poweshiek County as an undocumented immigrant for 4 to 7 years, which happens to also account for a 3 year DOB year gap. That suggests LE may have been aware from the onset there was cause for confusion, after CR disclosed his legal name.

If CR came over with the Uncle, as is reported, why doesn’t the Uncle know what year he arrived in Poweshciek County? If CR met IM in Brooklyn, why doesn’t she know if he’d just recently arrived or had already been hanging around 3 years prior? If reporters were able to talk to the father, wouldn’t LE have as well? Wouldn’t they have clarified his DOB and departure date as well?

All unanswered questions as we don’t know the reason for the ambiguity. Either data records are wrong or unreliable. Or someone is wrong or not telling the truth, because LE can’t have just pulled the 1994 birth year out of a hat.

I don't think that police "pulled 1994 birth year out of a hat", but I do think that Rivera's false documents used the year 1994. When Rivera filled out the paperwork for PI funds, I think he used his true birth year of 1997.

For work, he needed to be older, for criminal activity, in most countries younger typically means potential for rehabilitation and lesser sentence.

 

[Ragnarok]

adding that we don't know how water resistant her phone would have been, nor do we know how good the drainage is in that area. (if rain water will pool or is immediately drained)

Do we know the phone was found with MT?

 

[TL4S]

Do we know the phone was found with her?

Nope, we don't know about the phone, FitBit, or earbuds. Very frustrating! I only guess the phone was with her (or in the vehicle and turned on) until the cornfield because LE seemed to have a digital trail that lead to the general area early on. From there, who knows.