Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #47

[katydid23]

Chris Gothner KCCI
@CGothnerKCCI

Romero: He told me (#MollieTibbetts') body felt like a person who had just fainted.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Brown: Could he remember a weapon? Romero: No.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Romero: CBR said he had no shirt on when he carried her inside the cornfield because it was bloody.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Romero says after pressing CBR for details he said "I brought you here, didn't I? I don't remember how I did it, but I did it."
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Jennifer Frese now cross-examining Romero about CBR motioning to neck. Qs "My client specifically said there was blood on her neck?" "You understand that her injuries were not consistent with that?" A: "I wasn't aware of the injuries."
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Frese: "He did lead you to the body, is that right?" Romero: Yes. Frese asking about Romero pressing for specific details. Frese: When he said "What changes?" - he knew he was on an immigration hold, right?
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


"He knew once you were there, he was going to be arrested, wasn't that right?" Frese. Romero: He was in custody. Frese: "He knew he was going to be placed under arrest?" Romero: I'm not sure what his thoughts were.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Frese: You're trained in intv techniques, right? Romero: Yes Frese: Have you ever heard the term 'false confession' Romero: I can't explain because I do not have the exact knowledge. Training did not go into details into what that entails.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Now talking about rapport techniques in interviews.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

 

[katydid23]

How does a false confession lead you to a body hidden in a random cornfield?

 

[Bravo]

11 hr. interrogation and he was tired

 

[Shelby1]

This witness has the patience of a saint.

 

[Seattle1]

Denise Hnytka
@DeniseWQAD


Romero says Bahena Rivera told her worked under the name John Budd, because he is undocumented. He would cash his paycheck and use cash, didn't have credit cards.
@wqad
#MollieTibbetts

1:54 PM · May 20, 2021 PT

Defense now questioning Romero about how she pressed for more details from Bahena Rivera about how Mollie died. BR said he would black out when angry, and he didn't know what happened to her.
@wqad
#MollieTibbetts

1:38 PM · May 20, 2021

Romero says she pressed for more details, and Bahena Rivera responded "I brought you out here, didn't I?
@wqad
#MollieTibbetts

1:17 PM · May 20, 2021·

Romero said Bahena Rivera got angry with Mollie when she threatened to call police. Says they started fighting, and she slapped him. Says he normally blacks out when he's angry. Doesn't recall how she got in the trunk. Says he carried body into the field.
@wqad
#MollieTibbetts

1:13 PM · May 20, 2021

Romero goes with Bahena Rivera to this cornfield opening, where her body would be found. Inside the vehicle, she read him his Miranda rights. Asked him for all the details of what happened with Mollie.
@wqad
#MollieTibbetts



1:08 PM · May 20, 2021·

 

[justtrish]

11 hr. interrogation and he was tired

She did say he had his phone and he was told he could leave at any time right? I thought I heard that, but wasn't sure if that was during the entire interview or just the beginning?

 

[katydid23]

Jennifer Frese now cross-examining Romero about CBR motioning to neck. Qs "My client specifically said there was blood on her neck?" "You understand that her injuries were not consistent with that?" A: "I wasn't aware of the injuries."
@KCCINews


OK, HOW would that not be consistent with her injuries? Just because you might have blood on your neck, that doesn't mean you were stabbed there.

You can end up with blood on your neck, no matter where you were stabbed. In fact, he said his shirt was bloody so he took it off. So he could have smeared blood on her neck, no matter what where injuries were.


I really think this no-nonsense, down to earth, Iowa jury is going to dislike the faulty inferences this defense team keeps making.

 

[MsBetsy]

Chris Gothner KCCI
@CGothnerKCCI

Romero: He told me (#MollieTibbetts') body felt like a person who had just fainted.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Brown: Could he remember a weapon? Romero: No.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Romero: CBR said he had no shirt on when he carried her inside the cornfield because it was bloody.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Romero says after pressing CBR for details he said "I brought you here, didn't I? I don't remember how I did it, but I did it."
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Jennifer Frese now cross-examining Romero about CBR motioning to neck. Qs "My client specifically said there was blood on her neck?" "You understand that her injuries were not consistent with that?" A: "I wasn't aware of the injuries."
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Frese: "He did lead you to the body, is that right?" Romero: Yes. Frese asking about Romero pressing for specific details. Frese: When he said "What changes?" - he knew he was on an immigration hold, right?
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


"He knew once you were there, he was going to be arrested, wasn't that right?" Frese. Romero: He was in custody. Frese: "He knew he was going to be placed under arrest?" Romero: I'm not sure what his thoughts were.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

Frese: You're trained in intv techniques, right? Romero: Yes Frese: Have you ever heard the term 'false confession' Romero: I can't explain because I do not have the exact knowledge. Training did not go into details into what that entails.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Now talking about rapport techniques in interviews.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

I don't know how having blood on her neck would not be consistent with her injuries. That's like saying his bloody shirt was not consistent with his stabbing her to death.

 

[Bravo]

She did say he had his phone and he was told he could leave at any time right? I thought I heard that, but wasn't sure if that was during the entire interview or just the beginning?

Yes that was stated but at what point exactly I dont recall

 

[Shelby1]

Ohhhh the date again. AND he bought flowers. What a gentleman.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

So is he on trial for being tired, or being an illegal immigrant or for murder. I don’t care if he was tired and if he is an illegal immigrant. Let’s talk about the murder charges.
Romero is holding her own against this crap. Good for her.

 

[katydid23]

Chris Gothner KCCI
@CGothnerKCCI
·
Continuing to talk about information Romero obtained through this, including about Bahena Rivera's immigration status and family. She told him that she was "not here to be the immigration police."
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Frese accuses Romero of presenting false information to CBR about hair in a vehicle and line of questioning about his immigration status.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial




Frese asks Romero if officers are sometimes trained to provide false information to elicit a confession. Romero says yes.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Frese: Did you ever tell him that his family there was to speak to him? Romero: I made him aware that he had family out in the lobby. Frese: If my client says you never made him aware, would you dispute that? Romero: It should be in the transcripts.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

 

[PrairieWind]

So is he on trial for being tired, or being an illegal immigrant or for murder. I don’t care if he was tired and if he is an illegal immigrant. Let’s talk about the murder charges.
Romero is holding her own against this crap. Good for her.

Her testimony is pretty devastating from what I am reading. She is letting the jury know all about his confession. All of the nonsense yesterday about Mollie's bf and where he was and when is totally pointless now. The jury knows Rivera killed her.

 

[katydid23]

Frese: Did you ever tell him that his family there was to speak to him? Romero: I made him aware that he had family out in the lobby. Frese: If my client says you never made him aware, would you dispute that? Romero: It should be in the transcripts.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

https://twitter.com/CGothnerKCCI

Should have noted this earlier, but anything without quotes is a paraphrase, BTW.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial




Romero says as a native Spanish-speaker, there are parts of the interview transcript that are incorrect, in her opinion.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial


Transcripts were authored by ICE. Romero says there are parts of the transcripts that are not translated correctly. Frese: "Is it fair to say that there are different dialects of Spanish?" Romero: Yes. -- different words to describe different things.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Frese trying to imply that Romero wore CBR down into a confessing after 14 hours of work and hours of interviews.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial



Frese: You don't believe my client fell asleep during the interview? Romero: I did not see him fall asleep during the interview. Romero, after another Q from Frese: I do not disagree that he was tired. We were all tired.
@KCCINews
#BahenaRiveraTrial

 

[Bravo]

Romero was an excellent witness.

 

[katydid23]

Her testimony is pretty devastating from what I am reading. She is letting the jury know all about his confession. All of the nonsense yesterday about Mollie's bf and where he was and when is totally pointless now. The jury knows Rivera killed her.

What about the 11 hr interview and him being too tired. Is that going to factor in with the jury?

 

[Seattle1]

She did say he had his phone and he was told he could leave at any time right? I thought I heard that, but wasn't sure if that was during the entire interview or just the beginning?

I believe it was early in the interview-- when his family was in the lobby. During the Evidence Suppression Hearing, I recall that three family members stated that they came to the Sheriff's Office early but two soon left when they could not get past the foyer to the sitting area after hours. The other family member waited in his truck in the parking lot before going home. I believe he had his school-age son with
him. MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Romero was an excellent witness.

I agree!

I think CBR regarded Officer Romero as a peer and they related to each other very well. In fact, I believe that CBR would agree that his attorney's translation was different than his own translation and would agree with Officer Romero's interpretation.

 

[Bravo]

Have a good eve all. Stay safe.

 

[katydid23]

I think there are 3 or 4 Hispanics on this jury. So they will be able to weigh in on the translation issues.

And I am glad to see they are there. If anyone thinks they will give CBR a pass because of his ethnicity, I disagree. No one will be harder on him than they will. I think they will be angry at him for bringing such shame to the hard working, God fearing Hispanic Community.