IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #37

[duster1979]

I wonder if his uncle's trailer home is located on the east side of Brooklyn along Mollie's route.

I thought the uncle lived in Blairstown?

 

[oviedo]

At the very least.

The surveillance footage in which the Malibu was seen was not able to capture the vehicle's license plates, but there were "unusual markings" on the car which helped lead investigators track it down, Rahn told said.

The special agent said there were "some distinct features to the vehicle that allowed us to basically search the area for it and just happened that we were able to locate the vehicle, and subsequently identify Mr. Rivera driving the vehicle."

Mollie Tibbetts investigation: Chevy Malibu seen in surveillance video not registered to suspect Rivera, source says
Curious - did they identify him as the driver, then track down where he lived at that trailer, or did they follow him to the trailer??

 

[SharonNeedles]

Is there any chance that he's just a fall guy for someone else? I know it's pretty far-fetched, but the whole thing makes no sense to me. When LE comes, he willingly goes with them (not a bad idea, more should do it!), he almost immediately confesses to basically everything except the details of the actual crimes (except for disposing of her body), someone hires an attorney for him who people say seems pretty incompetent, and someone is trying to collect money to bail him out. It almost seems like someone used his car and committed the abduction and murder (and whatever else happened), but has somehow made him say he did it. If someone threatened him and/or someone he cares about, he might confess to avoid the same fate MT had. The bail money collection could just be someone looking for some quick cash, knowing they won't collect enough to get him out, or it could be someone who wants to get him out so they can stage a quick "suicide". Sorry, I'd be totally surprised if any part of this was true, but I hate sitting around waiting for justice to prevail and don't want to switch cases yet. MOO

“and someone is trying to collect money to bail him out.”

Wait, what???

 

[kkdj]

I cannot understand his baby mama coming to court with his daughter. IMO that seems like a form of child abuse........intentionally bringing a little daughter into a courtroom where her daddy is being accused of murder of a young woman! WTH? Seem like it could do some psychological damage to the little girl. Plus I think she should never be allowed to see him again. He murdered an innocent woman for no good reason! There is no good reason he should have any parenting rights! Imo it is not in her best interest. Hopefully his gf will come to this realization.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Oh I know. Auntie Bee dropped him on his head when he was small. He witnessed violence in Mexico. He has blackouts as a result. Look at his abnormal PET scans yadayadayada. Nope not his fault GRRRRRRR..............!

I understand your sentiment Bravo, and agree. Regardless of contributing factors, if convicted, he must pay the penalty. Some people are are abused ("A child called it") and go on to contribute materially to society. Joyce Meyers comes to mind. Others become offenders.

I would however, be very interested in learning even more about the brains of killers so that maybe we can somehow catch signs early on, and provide intervention. What that intervention would look like is out of my realm of expertise. None the less, I think it's a worthy study. I'm sure violent offenders would sign up for a brain scan just to get out of prison for a day. I think the study and the results might be very interesting. BTW, a brain scan is non-invasive, so I'm not suggesting anything ghoulish.

 

[RavenCC2020]

Juries and trials...someone earlier (can't find it) stated that they believed jurors take their job seriously. I agree and believe everyone understands the severity of getting it wrong, especially in a life sentence/death penalty case. Most would be as conscientious as possible taking notes if necessary and open discussion during deliberation.

It's impossible to find a jury anywhere that didn't have knowledge of this case and those that followed it to the end form an opinion or lean in a certain direction. That doesn't mean they can't be impartial. I for one believe he is guilty BUT I also understand how serious it is and would with utmost care take notes and listen to all perspective during deliberation. I would want a juror like myself if I were ever on trial.

Hubby on jury duty was selected for a trial. Sexual assault case with a rotating pro-bono attorney representing the defendant. Hubby said during the trial he felt just about certain the guy was guilty BUT he said the attorney basically put on a crappy case for his client. There were points he should have made but neglected to (heavily reported prior to the trial) that leaned in the defense favor so he couldn't consider them. The prosecution on the other hand presented some evidence which hubby felt could go either way and if it leaned towards the defendent, he had the duty to side with the guy on trial. End of the trial his gut was the guy was guilty as sin BUT that one witness the prosecution put on that made him realize it could very well have gone the other way which would mean the guy was not guilty, he felt compelled during deliberation to bring it up and discuss it. No other juror agreed with him. He listened to all those wishing to speak on it and nothing they said changed his mind. I forget exactly how it went but I do recall the gist of it was it was very possible someone else did it and that someone else had already been named during the trial as he was present during and after the assault. Bottom line he wouldn't give in and slowly the others came around. They voted not guilty.

BTW when he came home and I asked him how it went he said I think I just caused a rapist to go free. This verdict bothered him so much that he had problems sleeping at night. We have a daughter was 27 at the time and the victim was 28. It weighed on him so much that the next time he was called for jury duty he didn't want to even go even though I had been telling him he did the right thing since the end of the trial. He said he just didn't want to get it wrong again because he really did believe the guy was guilty BUT there was testimony given under oath in the courtroom that POSSIBLY could exonerate the guy. In my opinion he is the perfect juror that defense especially would want on a criminal case.

 

[rosesfromangels]

“and someone is trying to collect money to bail him out.”

Wait, what???

Sounds about right. With a case so high profile, you will see publicity seekers and politicos popping out of the woodwork left and right. typical.

 

[gillglock]

What kind of deal do you think they might offer him? Wouldn't the family have to agree?

No idea but the DA has no legal obligation to consider the family opinions. IMHOO

 

[EaglesSpeical]

What kind of deal do you think they might offer him? Wouldn't the family have to agree?

I would think he has only two outcomes. Convicted and life in prison or acquittal followed by deportation. So not sure what deal could be offered in this situation to "make it better" for him since Iowa is not a death penalty state and that typically is the "carrot" in these cases. JMO

 

[Al Hoffman]

Given the rules of discovery, the prosecution must turn over all evidence to the defense well before trial, blindsiding is not condoned by the court.

You're right, but rules of discovery don't mandate that LE has has to disclose to the public details of an on-going investigation, as this is what started this line of inquiry.

Sorry Barrister, but as Bluto said about the guitar in Animal House (Worf in STNG?), I just had to do it. NO disrespect intended!

 

[yurena]

It’s hard to say what, if any, his background has on his personality and psychology, because we don’t know the specifics. People can live in violent places, and not grow up to be violent. But your point is valid, as Mexico is one of the most violent places on earth, especially the area that he is from.

Just because one likes music that is disrespectful to women (rap music as an example), doesn’t mean that they espouse those views (although he clearly does).

No offense but I don't really think you have ever read some of the lyrics on Narcocorridos songs. That type of music is not only disrespectful to women. It goes much much much further than that. The lyrics of some of the most popular songs are about different methods of torture. In fact the vocabulary used in them is so explicit these are not played on Mexican TV channels and are banned from all media there. CR even had pictures, on his FB profile, of one of the singers who has long been suspected of being fond of employing sicarios in Guerrero.

 

[MassGuy]

I cannot understand his baby mama coming to court with his daughter. IMO that seems like a form of child abuse........intentionally bringing a little daughter into a courtroom where her daddy is being accused of murder of a young woman! WTH? Seem like it could do some psychological damage to the little girl. Plus I think she should never be allowed to see him again. He murdered an innocent woman for no good reason! There is no good reason he should have any parenting rights! Imo it is not in her best interest. Hopefully his gf will come to this realization.

I don’t understand bringing the child either. She’s young enough not to know what’s going on, but there isn’t much of a benefit. If this was at trial, I could atleast understand it, as it would be a message to the jury that CS is a good guy.

 

[Gardenista]

“and someone is trying to collect money to bail him out.”

Wait, what???

It's a photoshop

 

[Charliegizmo49]

I think most mothers (myself included) would agree that they would feel slight comfort in knowing that despite the brutal crime that took place that sexual assault wasn’t involved. I only brought it up because I think knowing whether or not she was sexually assaulted could give lots of clues in to what actually transpired.

At this stage of grief there is no comfort. They have barely braced against being told she’s dead.

They will rely on God and the people closest to them. They will struggle I understand how this horrible thing could have happened at all. They are trying to wake up from a nightmare that no parent should face. They are deep in the first stage of grief, denial.


No one and nothing can change life as they faced it last Monday. By no choice, and nothing they did resulted in Millie’s death.

Law enforcement had to go to her mothers house and face the family as they opened the door instantly realizing the news that Mollie would ever be home again.

Gone were her voice, her innocence and every goood sweet thing about Mollie Tibbetts. No more laughter, no more calls from their child, Mollie was dead.

Mollie would never marry, have a child or experience so much of what life is supposed to be. She was incredible, happy and a positive young lady whose future should have been bright and promising.

But it was another human being, not a Mexican, or a Latino or any other racial descriptive term, a human being who decided Mollie Tibbetts was going to die. He has no ethnicity he’s best described as evil. And I know there is absolutely no comfort in evil.

They had to endure seeing Rivera’s photo for the first time, and perhaps they didn’t turn on the tv to see his face or to watch his mother look on as scared as the Tibbets family was since the first second Mollie was missing.

Theee short days later another horrific realization. This monster from within their innocent community had hunted her down chased her terrified until he won. She died a slow painful death from stabbing. In the trunk of a car. Alone.

Millie’s family couldn’t do anything to help her or make the pain any less. It might have lasted an hour. 60 long minutes of terror for their only little girl.

The final human desecration would be Mollies tiny body laying in the soil of a farm so close yet to far to help her now.

For 5 long hot weeks her body laid under the brilliant blazing sun while insects began the final stage of life. Her body wasn’t beautiful when law enforcement was guided to the field of corn. The soil that gives life also takes it away breaking down nutrients to nurture food for the next generation.

Comfort?? No I don’t think they found any comfort in much of anything for 5 long weeks. They were numb and in fearful pain.

The only comfort I can begin to think they may have experienced is a strong faith in God, in each other and the people who reach out to them every day.

And there will be no comfort if they discover even more heinous facts when final autopsy reports are handed to them along with a death certificate all neatly packaged in a pale ivory folder from the funeral home. No comfort in life’s final paperwork.

There will be little comfort for the Tibbetts family. There lives will never be “comfortable” or the same again.

 

[flourish]

I cannot understand his baby mama coming to court with his daughter. IMO that seems like a form of child abuse........intentionally bringing a little daughter into a courtroom where her daddy is being accused of murder of a young woman! WTH? Seem like it could do some psychological damage to the little girl. Plus I think she should never be allowed to see him again. He murdered an innocent woman for no good reason! There is no good reason he should have any parenting rights! Imo it is not in her best interest. Hopefully his gf will come to this realization.

How old is the child? There is no legal reason the child can't see her father at this point in time, is there?

 

[pamelado2]

Every house in America isn't a boarding house for illegal workers using fake IDs harboring a murder suspect for three weeks. And LE does actually wait around and collect trash in investigations all the time. It is considered discarded and not subject to search and seizure protections.

It's a well known fact that LE tries to get DNA from suspects that's not what I'm questioning. Since when do they gather DNA evidence from people who simply live next door to a suspect (or roommates of a suspect)? Why would close proximity to a murderer make anyone a suspect in other random crimes in the area?

Also, unless you know something that we don't - where's the proof that anyone else in that house and trailer we're here illegally and who was "harboring" this killer exactly?

 

[Gardenista]

This is one of CR's FB likes. Does anyone know what this is?

Narco blog

 

[BelleIsle]

You have to know that now that he has an attorney, the story will change.

Yes, he approached her and yes, he took her body out of the trunk and she had a head injury, and yes, he led them to her body. But he doesn't know what 'the other guy who he saw on that road' did to her, because he blocked that out.

(I made the 'the other guy on the road' up---just to be clear.)

I see your point, but his (CR) DNA is going to be all over the place.

 

[kkdj]

How old is the child? There is no legal reason the child can't see her father at this point in time, is there?

not yet.....

 

[Gardenista]

I thought the uncle lived in Blairstown?

That's where they lived when they first came to Iowa