MAY 20, 2021
'I brought you to here, didn't I?': Officer recounts 11-hour interview with Bahena Rivera (kcci.com)
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Bahena Rivera told Romero during their interview he used the Nissan Altima on gravel roads because it wasn’t up to date on registration, but used the Chevrolet Malibu to drive around town.
When initially in the interview room, Romero showed Bahena Rivera pictures of the vehicle from three security videos. Bahena Rivera told her it was his car and he was alone in the car at the time of the photos.
Romero showed the photograph of the security camera catching a jogger, but the gender of the jogger is unidentified. When showed the image, Bahena Rivera referred to the jogger as a female and recalled seeing her that day. He then told Romero he saw the jogger three times.
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The investigators and Bahena Rivera then went to 2478 460th Ave. at about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 21. Authorities located Tibbetts’ body in the cornfield.
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He told Romero he took Tibbetts to a cornfield at 2478 460th Ave. Bahena Rivera said he carried Tibbetts over his shoulder, and she felt like “a person who had just fainted.”
Romero testified that Bahena Rivera acknowledged injuries to Tibbetts’ neck, however defense attorneys said her injuries don’t reflect that. Romero told the defense that she couldn’t testify to Tibbetts’ injuries, only what Bahena Rivera told her.
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Defense attorney Jennifer Frese said Bahena Rivera fell asleep multiple times during the interview and his breaks, however Romero said she did not witness it. Romero said by the end of the interview everyone was tired.
Jennifer Frese said Bahena Rivera’s family came to the sheriff’s office that evening. Romero said she didn’t know how long the interview would go for and said they could go home for the night. She then told Bahena Rivera that his family had visited.
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The defense said as he was being interviewed, his vehicle was being processed. At a point during the interview, an investigator told Romero that a hair was found in the vehicle. She asked Bahena Rivera why there was hair in the vehicle and he claimed it was from his daughter.
Referring to the transcripts, Jennifer Frese mentions Bahena Rivera spoke about a date he was going to have on July 18, 2018, but it didn’t happen due to the tornado that hit Marshalltown. The date correlates with testimony given Wednesday by Bahena Rivera’s cousin.
Court adjourned for the day while Romero’s testimony had not yet concluded.
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Poweshiek County Deputy Steve Kivi took the witness stand first Thursday to detail authorities’ search for Mollie Tibbetts.
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During testimony, Kivi stated that FBI cell phone analysis helped authorities narrow down where Tibbetts may have disappeared.
“There was some kind of what (the FBI) called an ‘event’ at a certain point along 385th Ave., and all of the sudden (Tibbetts’) phone is traveling, like, 55 to 60 mph down south down a gravel road,” Kivi said. “And then it just shuts off.”
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Poweshiek County resident Logan Collins gave witness testimony Thursday regarding security footage he provided to investigators during the search for Tibbetts.
Collins’ security footage showed the black Chevrolet Malibu affiliated with Bahena Rivera.
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Special Agent Derek Riessen, with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, gathered surveillance footage around Brooklyn during the search for Tibbetts.
Riessen obtained the footage of the black Chevrolet Malibu from Collins. Attorneys played the footage during Riessen’s testimony, which also showed what investigators believed to be a runner.
The car affiliated with Bahena Rivera appeared on the surveillance multiple times.
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Special Agent Mike Fischels with the Department of Homeland Security gained permission from the owners of Yarrabee Farms to speak with employees.
Fischels said he was proficient in Spanish and spoke with Bahena Rivera who provided permission to search his residence, a black Chevrolet Malibu and a Nissan Altima, another vehicle affiliated with Bahena Rivera.
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Fischels testified that Bahena Rivera told authorities he hadn’t met Tibbetts, but mentioned “something about Facebook.”
Authorities also testified to taking a DNA sample on Aug. 20, 2018 from Bahena Rivera.
The defense questioned Scott Green with the Division of Criminal Investigation about their canvassing practices. Green said they had canvassed all of Brooklyn and Yarrabee Farms.
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Green told the court agents found running shorts in the front seat of the Nissan Altima and a grey pipe in the back seat.
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Big THANK YOU to @katydid23 and @Seattle1 for posting the tweets yesterday. I think I'm all caught up. 
