MAY 28, 2021
ATTORNEY REACTION: Bahena Rivera found guilty in Tibbetts' death (kttc.com)
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"This is the verdict we wanted," Poweshiek County Attorney Bart Klaver said following the verdict. "It was the verdict the evidence demanded. Great for all parties. Justice is served."
The prosecution attorneys credit their win to three core elements. The first, was the surveillance video where Bahena Rivera was found driving within seconds of Tibbett's jogging. Second, the defendant confession and lastly, the DNA evidence found in Bahena Rivera's trunk.
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Additionally, Bahena Rivera's story changed when he took the stand Wednesday. While what he said surprised the state, prosecutor Scott Brown says it didn't hurt the state's case.
"I think it ended up helping us," Brown said. "He told us something totally new, I can't imagine that it helped him that much."
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"The very first day we met Mr. Bahena, the story he put forth on the stand was exactly the version of events he told us August 2018," defense attorney Chad Frese said. "He never varied. Not one detail. We had to get something up there and we thought the jury needed to hear directly from him."
Frese adds that he didn't do much coaching with Bahena Rivera before his testimony, as they wanted him to sound authentic.
"Apparently there was speculation that we were like, let's figure out a story," defense attorney Jennifer Frese said. "If we were going to make something up, we were going to come up with something better than that."
Chad says finding the two individuals Bahena Rivera claims killed Tibbets would be like "trying to prove Santa Claus doesn't exist"-- and that's the reasoning their case was built targeting others, like Tibbett's boyfriend.
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After the verdict was read, state prosecutors representing the Tibbetts' family spent a few emotional moments together.
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