Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #38

[otto]

Iowa is very humid in the summer. I’ve always thought it was from all the plants.

Also, when I was young I detasseled corn. The rows were wide enough to walk through but you did brush leaves. I understand there are new planting machines that make the rows much closer together. No room to walk through now.

Isn't distance between rows based on root systems and not how close the machine can plant a row?

 

[MassGuy]

Is that how high school dropouts feel about those who try to make a life for themselves? Is there resentment?

If motive necessary in Iowa courts?

Motive is not a necessary element. Juries always like to know why though.

 

[TL4S]

I don't think she rejected him. I think he snatched her off the street while she was jogging.

I can see that, but if he's done this before, maybe he gets off on the coercion.

 

[MyBelle]

Iowa is very humid in the summer. I’ve always thought it was from all the plants.

Also, when I was young I detasseled corn. The rows were wide enough to walk through but you did brush leaves. I understand there are new planting machines that make the rows much closer together. No room to walk through now.

When we drove I-80 a couple of weeks ago, we noticed the extreme closeness of the rows of corn. It look impossible to walk through without damaging the corn.

 

[KaaBoom]

Pre-pay?

For the shower? They go to a terminal and swipe their rewards card. Select Free Shower and it prints them a ticket for it. If you want to be cheap you can find a trucker in the store, and ask them if they have any extra rewards points for a shower. If they are feeling generous they might print out a shower ticket for you. Most of them have way more than they need anyway.

 

[MsBetsy]

I'm surprised she was allowed to bring a child into a court room. In some countries, it is not allowed. It is considered to be an entirely inappropriate environment for children, regardless of relationship to defendant.

In our courthouse there is a playroom that you can sign your child in and who is not to be released to anyone other than that person. The child never sees the inside of the courtroom. I don't think they are even permitted, but I may be wrong. I've never seen a child in court. The kids love the playroom.( there's an awesome Thomas the train set)

 

[otto]

I’m very curious about the time he lived with his aunt and uncle. After he crossed the border. Why didn’t he finish high school?

Growing up in a similar community- soybeans and sweet corn as our main agriculture, migrant workers are woven into the fabric of much of the Midwest. Our migrant community had their own housing complex, but we all went to school together. There wasn’t this huge divide that many may think exists. We all went to school together and were classmates and friends. Our parents were friends. Even in my small town they opened a Mexican market. (Best candy ever, btw.) So from my first-hand experience, there wasn’t as much of a “us against them” as the media tries to spin.

What did he do while living with his aunt and uncle? Did they try to enroll him in school? I’m very curious about these years before he arrived in Brooklyn. I’m also wondering if 24 is even his correct age. There are a lot of gaps in his background. And now I’m also curious about his aunt and uncle. I wonder if he was a problem child at their home. Many questions.

I agree. How old is he - where's his birth certificate, and where did he live before the dairy farm. So far, from news articles, he may have lived in Blairstown with his uncle at some point, and he has facebook contacts in Tama and Marshalltown.

If he was truly 16, why was he not immediately enrolled in school? If he was 20, then it makes sense that he was too old and uninterested to sit in grade 10 classes. If he wasn't at school and didn't work, what did he do? What name did he use? When did he start using that name?

 

[TL4S]

For the shower? They go to a terminal and swipe their rewards card. Select Free Shower and it prints them a ticket for it. If you want to be cheap you can find a trucker in the store, and ask them if they have any extra rewards points for a shower. If they are feeling generous they might print out a shower ticket for you. Most of them have way more than they need anyway.

How about the non-trucker, say... black malibu drivers?

 

[MyBelle]

I’m very curious about the time he lived with his aunt and uncle. After he crossed the border. Why didn’t he finish high school?

Growing up in a similar community- soybeans and sweet corn as our main agriculture, migrant workers are woven into the fabric of much of the Midwest. Our migrant community had their own housing complex, but we all went to school together. There wasn’t this huge divide that many may think exists. We all went to school together and were classmates and friends. Our parents were friends. Even in my small town they opened a Mexican market. (Best candy ever, btw.) So from my first-hand experience, there wasn’t as much of a “us against them” as the media tries to spin.

What did he do while living with his aunt and uncle? Did they try to enroll him in school? I’m very curious about these years before he arrived in Brooklyn. I’m also wondering if 24 is even his correct age. There are a lot of gaps in his background. And now I’m also curious about his aunt and uncle. I wonder if he was a problem child at their home. Many questions.

I think CR went to work at a dairy even though he was only 16. Enrollment in a school requires a birth certificate, immunization records and he didn't live with his parents. I'm also not sure of what kind of formal education he received in Mexico but I do think his aunt and uncle facilitated his illegal entry and his first job after arrival.

 

[MsBetsy]

In some places, motive is required, others not. It's likely that any motive arguments will be general and reasonable - like anti-social personality disorder.

I always thought it would have to more specific, like anger at being humiliated or something like that. I didnt even know it varied from state to state, I just thought it was useful but not necessary.

 

[otto]

I can see that, but if he's done this before, maybe he gets off on the coercion.

Blitz attack, which is probably what happened to Mollie as she was jogging to her mother's house on July 18, does not involve a friendly conversation where the victim eventually says "if you don't leave me alone I'm going to phone the police."

Mollie was probably well aware of the need to make the call without alerting the abductor. I'm just guessing that Mollie was immediately aware of the danger she was in as soon as she saw the suspect stop the car.

 

[MassGuy]

I always thought it would have to more specific, like anger at being humiliated or something like that. I didnt even know it varied from state to state, I just thought it was useful but not necessary.

There is a tendency to confuse motive with intent.

The motive is why. It’s not necessary for a prosecutor to prove this.

Intent is that you meant to commit a crime. In this case, it would be that the suspect meant to kill the victim. This is why you might see an insanity defense or something along those lines, as a prosecutor has to prove intent, because it is a necessary element of the crime.

 

[bcom32]

Isn't distance between rows based on root systems and not how close the machine can plant a row?

Corn has been genetically modified to point plants thrive off less soil potassium, nitrogen & other fertizers. Thus root systems require less arable land & physical space, enabling more seeds/plants per soil area. Resulting in more yield to the farmer.

 

[KaaBoom]

How about the non-trucker, say... black malibu drivers?

Some are only for truckers. If they accept non-truckers I guess you would go to a cashier and pay for it.

 

[MsBetsy]

Some states allow a student to drop out at age 16. So you wouldn't have to enroll at all. In answer to Otto, about why he didnt enroll in school when he moved here.

 

[MyBelle]

Corn has been genetically modified to point plants thrive off less soil potassium, nitrogen & other fertizers. Thus root systems require less arable land & physical space, enabling more seeds/plants per soil area. Resulting in more yield to the farmer.

ITA. Plus, we don't know what kind of corn it was. Ethanol production is big in Iowa. I just know the rows we saw were incredibly close together.

 

[MsBetsy]

There is a tendency to confuse motive with intent.

The motive is why. It’s not necessary for a prosecutor to prove this.

Intent is that you meant to commit a crime. In this case, it would be that the suspect meant to kill the victim. This is why you might see an insanity defense or something along those lines, as a prosecutor has to prove intent, as it is a necessary element of the crime.

I think I get the difference now, thanks. They shouldn't have any problem proving intent then, correct?

 

[otto]

There is a tendency to confuse motive with intent.

The motive is why. It’s not necessary for a prosecutor to prove this.

Intent is that you meant to commit a crime. In this case, it would be that the suspect meant to kill the victim. This is why you might see an insanity defense or something along those lines.

I'm pretty sure that as soon as he got in his car that afternoon, he knew he was going to look for that jogger - a random victim. He went to the location where he had tracked her before and circled the block a few times waiting for her. It's obvious that he watched her, it's very unfortunate that she was not aware of him.

He can't argue that he didn't have intent to harm her. How else does he explain circling the block? He wanted to asked her for a date and when she said no he decided to murder her?

 

[MassGuy]

I'm pretty sure that as soon as he got in his car that afternoon, he knew he was going to look for that jogger - a random victim. He went to the location where he had tracked her before and circled the block a few times waiting for her. It's obvious that he watched her, it's very unfortunate that she was not aware of him.

He can't argue that he didn't have intent to harm her. How else does he explain circling the block? He wanted to asked her for a date and when she said no he decided to murder her?

The defense could be that he was not in a mental state conducive to forming intent. He “blacked out” and didn’t intend to harm her, as he had no idea what he was doing. He “blacks out” when he gets mad, and he got mad because Mollie rejected him. Something like that.
It’ll never work, and I completely agree with you.

 

[prblythe]

living in trailer separate from others tells me he was not accepted even in his own community. He was an adapted loner wanting to fit in at times but ok not fitting in general. A loner type with boundaries.