Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #48

[geevee]

They might try to make a big deal about the lack of blood in the trunk, but I think that only points to him being a big fat liar about carrying a dead body into the field and her feeling like she had fainted against his body. I think she was alive, he forced her, walking/dragging, into the field, raped her, and then stabbed her. The only clothing of hers that was found away from the body was her shorts and underwear; they were not securely ON her body anymore.

Considering one of the stab wounds was through the front of the sports bra, and the wounds were on her rib cage, I think he stabbed her and then raped her while she was dying.

 

[Seattle1]

It is so ridiculous. He cheated when he was about 18. Who doesn't cheat at that age? Talk about grasping at straws.

How do they explain him being out of town during her murder? And what is his motive? And how did CBR know where her boyfriend hid the body?

Because he heard it from the cemetery worker that's a friend of DJ's!

ETA: And they dated in 2013 when they were like age 14!

 

[katydid23]

The defense keeps claiming the bf has 'anger issues.' So this ex gf probably had some arguments w/him in which he got very angry. maybe punched a wall or acted out loudly in front of others....typical teen type stuff, imo.

But the jurors are smart enough to know it means nothing in terms of this murder. An argument he had with an ex, or cheating with an ex, cannot overcome the pile of evidence against the defendant.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I don’t think the small amount to blood in the trunk is a big deal because I don’t think she had been stabbed yet when she was in the trunk. I think he injured her while subduing her and she bled a little in the trunk. Defensive wound occurs then. Not sure if she was conscious.
At the cornfield he took her out there, not sure if conscious, and sexually assaulted her. Then he stabbed her.

 

[PrairieWind]

I agree, I don't see how this helps. If they had to subpoena her it means she refused to testify voluntarily. At best she probably feels guilty about the whole thing and will cry on the stand which is bad for the defense. At worst (for the defense) she'll be a hostile witness and they'll be left to bully a young woman who will just be in staunch contrast to the predator at the defense table.

There is some reason they are still willing to risk all of that. I guess we will see it is. I can't imagine it will be too useful. The prosecution succeeded in essentially getting his confession in. Who cares what this woman says about Mollie's bf. He wasn't the one that admitted grabbing Mollie and dumping her in the cornfield and then leading police to her body. I think the Judge is predisposed to give the defense a LOT of leeway here, just to limit issues to appeal. So I am afraid this questioning could get hard to listen to.

 

[PrairieWind]

I don’t think the small amount to blood in the trunk is a big deal because I don’t think she had been stabbed yet when she was in the trunk. I think he injured her while subduing her and she bled a little in the trunk. Defensive wound occurs then. Not sure if she was conscious.
At the cornfield he took her out there, not sure if conscious, and sexually assaulted her. Then he stabbed her.

The way I see it, the AMOUNT of blood in the trunk is irrelevant. It is the presence of blood that is key. It puts her in his trunk, where she clearly didn't belong and would never have been voluntarily.

 

[Shelby1]

The way I see it, the AMOUNT of blood in the trunk is irrelevant. It is the presence of blood that is key. It puts her in his trunk, where she clearly didn't belong and would never have been voluntarily.

What??? You don't normally ride around in trunks with gaping wounds....? Strange.



(sarcasm of course)

 

[PrairieWind]

What??? You don't normally ride around in trunks with gaping wounds....? Strange.



(sarcasm of course)

I rode in a trunk once, but that was just to sneak in to a drive-in movie 30 years ago.

 

[BeachSky]

There is some reason they are still willing to risk all of that. I guess we will see it is. I can't imagine it will be too useful. The prosecution succeeded in essentially getting his confession in. Who cares what this woman says about Mollie's bf. He wasn't the one that admitted grabbing Mollie and dumping her in the cornfield and then leading police to her body. I think the Judge is predisposed to give the defense a LOT of leeway here, just to limit issues to appeal. So I am afraid this questioning could get hard to listen to.

ITA.
Will turn the jury off IMO.

 

[lisaNYC]

This was really touching. The FBI agent on the stand said:
"Mollie Tibbetts was extremely low-risk." "A lot of our victims...there's drugs, alcohol, there's abusive relationships." Mollie Tibbets had none of those. She "probably had the nicest text messages we've ever read," Vileta says.

 

[Warwick7]

They might try to make a big deal about the lack of blood in the trunk, but I think that only points to him being a big fat liar about carrying a dead body into the field and her feeling like she had fainted against his body. I think she was alive, he forced her, walking/dragging, into the field, raped her, and then stabbed her. The only clothing of hers that was found away from the body was her shorts and underwear; they were not securely ON her body anymore.

I agree also

 

[Warwick7]

Considering one of the stab wounds was through the front of the sports bra, and the wounds were on her rib cage, I think he stabbed her and then raped her while she was dying.

I agree with this also.

 

[otto]

I don’t think the small amount to blood in the trunk is a big deal because I don’t think she had been stabbed yet when she was in the trunk. I think he injured her while subduing her and she bled a little in the trunk. Defensive wound occurs then. Not sure if she was conscious.
At the cornfield he took her out there, not sure if conscious, and sexually assaulted her. Then he stabbed her.

This is the blood in the trunk. The pool of blood would be from the initial head wound. I don't have the link anymore, but it was linked upthread.

 

[mickey2942]

ITA.
Will turn the jury off IMO.

Yes. This is not the jury that will buy into that. Iowa. Not buying it. California, maybe.

I think that they are going to nail down on potential cross contamination in the DNA in the car, via lab tech. That tics one box.

The next one, the murder weapon was never found. Nothing else connects CBR to Mollie except that "blood/DNA" evidence.

CBR leads the police to Mollie in a field...this hurdle they will really have to double down on this one. That, and CBR states he "blacked" out. Are there any medical professionals on the defense witness list?

 

[tmar]

Same article as above:

"I brought you here, didn't I? So that means I did it, right? I don't remember how I did it," Romero said the defendant told her.

Romero said she remembers “he shrugged his shoulder” and told her “I didn't think about it." Asked if he felt bad, the defendant said "No," she testified.

To answer "No", reveals what a monster he is.
After such actions, you would think he was remorseful, (or pretended) now that he is being questioned.

 

[otto]

Yes. This is not the jury that will buy into that. Iowa. Not buying it. California, maybe.

I think that they are going to nail down on potential cross contamination in the DNA in the car, via lab tech. That tics one box.

The next one, the murder weapon was never found. Nothing else connects CBR to Mollie except that "blood/DNA" evidence.

CBR leads the police to Mollie in a field...this hurdle they will really have to double down on this one. That, and CBR states he "blacked" out. Are there any medical professionals on the defense witness list?

Let's suppose Mollie said something that caused this farm worker to black out and put her in the trunk of his car. Then, his rage subsided, he came out of the black-out, her earbuds were on his lap, and he realized that she was in the trunk of his car. That's the moment that he can do the right thing.

That doesn't explain why he drove her to a corn field, dragged her out of the car, stripped her, stabbed her in the head, back, chest and neck, presumably raped her, and left her covered with corn stalks.

Black out might explain putting her in the car, it doesn't explain what he did next.

 

[otto]

To answer "No", reveals what a monster he is.

After such actions, you would think he was remorseful, (or pretended) now that he is being questioned.

I do wonder what the suspect experienced during his childhood to make him such a vicious, remorseless killer at the age of 24.

 

[gliving]

Mollie's last moments were brutal and merciless.

 

[otto]

Mollie's last moments were brutal and merciless.

And for what - an hour alone with a woman that he thought was attractive?

I wonder if the reason he sneaked into the USA was because he did something like this in his home town in Mexico. I'm curious about his back story.

 

[PrairieWind]

And for what - an hour alone with a woman that he thought was attractive?

I wonder if the reason he sneaked into the USA was because he did something like this in his home town in Mexico. I'm curious about his back story.

I also wonder if this was his first time doing something like this. Maybe first time killing, but I'd bet anything it wasn't his first time assaulting a young woman.