IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #42

[rebel123]

None of these women after these incidents thought to mention this behavior to LE when MT went missing?

It could be that was his demeanor generally; so nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[MsBetsy]

Yes that’s certainly possible. On the other hand it might be there was nothing at all known about CR that ever gave indication that he was capable of committing such an atrocity.

My immediate thought when I read those type of it-could-of-been-me media reports is if CR was aggressive or creepy and they felt even remotely in danger, why didn’t any of those other females report the incident to police at the time it happened?

I think if women reported every time we felt harassed, persued, or offended by an unwanted male who doesn't seem to know when to stop ( or be able to tell that we're not interested) there would be a line outside the police station every day. In my experience, police don't want to write up a police report unless there was a direct, specific threat of violence. Jmo

 

[Jeng1810]

I think we all need to remember the IMO, JMO,MOO when discussing opinions. I was catching up on this thread this morning at 4am and people are throwing out “he did this” and “he is this or that”. We don’t know what he did, who he is or what he is....we have seen him on TV for about 20 minutes. While I don’t defend him in any way, the facts have to speak for themselves. I am sure he killed her as LE was because they filed the warrant based on his story. But to try an diagnose him or stating things as fact that are not fact doesn’t make them fact. Rant over....

 

[kpm]

LE is even perplexed by his actions, they are out of the norm.....


And so, among the mysteries still swirling in the case, is the nagging question:

What may have motivated someone like that to do something like this?

“All of a sudden he just does it,” says Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, referring to suspect Cristhian Rivera.

“Who escalates to abduction, kidnapping and homicide that fast?”

“That is part of the ongoing investigation,” Mortvedt tells PEOPLE.

“We want to dig into his background — and not just the last four weeks.

Who is this guy?

Where has he been?

What has he done?

How can we verify that?”



Cops Wonder: If Mollie Tibbetts' Accused Killer Has No Record — Who Jumps to Murder That Fast?

 

[Bravo]

I suppose I could ask the question - why do we care if CR “blamed” Mollie?

That’s still no excuse for murder.

I don't care but I do find it interesting as a very small piece of who/what this guy is.

 

[jillycat]

I don’t think anybody here is giving him the benefit of the doubt, and I for one certainly couldn’t care less about his feelings. Nobody doubts his guilt, nobody feels sorry for him.

That said, there’s no reason to twist his history before the murder into a narrative that says he must have been a creepy stalker monster all along and probably planned this for years. He doesn’t seem to be that way at all. He could be the guy that lives right down the street from you that smiles and waves when you run into him at the grocery store. And that should scare the hell out of you more than any monster you were hoping to find.

I haven't seen anyone say he planned this for years. I do believe that his behavior with Mollie was that of a predator.

I have a narcissist/ sociopath/psychopath (depending on what therapist we might ask) in my family circle. She looks 'normal', is viewed as a wonderful member of the family of Christ in her own circle, and was once called Wonder Woman because she's allegedly just endured so much. The truth is, she flies under the radar and is guilty of complicity in a death where she was viewed sympathetically by LE, she is spine-chillingly psychologically violent behind closed doors, she is an abuser of children, and she is a thief. And so much more. The chances of her ever getting caught are slim to none. I would describe her as a monster. The monster who lives next door who smiles and waves.

I don't know what brand of 'monster' this guy is but tragically, Mollie did before it was over. And I don't think he just suddenly became capable of this. People can be horribly depraved and lacking in empathy without appearing to be monstrous.

 

[SteveP]

I think we all need to remember the IMO, JMO,MOO when discussing opinions. I was catching up on this thread this morning at 4am and people are throwing out “he did this” and “he is this or that”. We don’t know what he did, who he is or what he is....we have seen him on TV for about 20 minutes. While I don’t defend him in any way, the facts have to speak for themselves. I am sure he killed her as LE was because they filed the warrant based on his story. But to try an diagnose him or stating things as fact that are not fact doesn’t make them fact. Rant over....

YES!!! THIS!! ^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Al Hoffman]

That's what I'm wondering. It seems to hold little importance in the grand scheme of things. (name that case!) He had no regard for her life, he freaking murdered her. It's so very far beyond 'did he blame her".


"Rapists nurture a lot of rage against their targets, habitually referring to them disdainfully and abusively, almost dehumanising them as a base object of desire. They have an insatiable sadistic desire to enact their sexual fantasies, mostly violent, bloody outrage; this sets them apart from a normal person. A normal person may indulge in wild fantasies of lurid sexual encounters, it’s only the rapist who works tirelessly towards realising it."

Newslaundry | Sabki Dhulai

Or rage against women in general.

 

[kpm]

I don't care but I do find it interesting as a very small piece of who/what this guy is.

And it’s supposedly the whole crux to his story, it was his turning point from being drawn to her to blocking out.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Or rage against women in general.

If this were the case I would expect his ex to maybe mention it.

 

[Bravo]

If this were the case I would expect his ex to maybe mention it.

Maybe she has. To LE. "If" he was abusive toward her she may be still afraid to speak out. Publicly. IMO

 

[MistyWaters]

Maybe. Or maybe this is just his first murder.

If he really had that much trouble controlling his anger and is easily ignited, this would have likely been noticed by now in other arenas of his life. I doubt that he could hold a job or avoid contact with LE if he lights up and melts down that fast. In fact, others who know him, including his employer, describe him as entirely predictable and even-tempered.

We really don't know what kind of encounter he had with Mollie, what she said or did, if anything, depending on what kind of opportunity she had or didn't have, or what he did to her and when. We only know he took 5 weeks to admit where she could be found after he stabbed her to death, and that was only because he was confronted and backed into a corner by police. That right there makes him a special kind of reprehensible in my book.

His employer described CR as even-tempered?

One thing I’d question is how closely the owner of the dairy operation worked with CR or associated with him. I’m thinking not much because in larger commercialized operations, a farm manager is hired to manage the daily grit work and the owner involves himself with other higher level matters, well beyond milking the cows.

 

[MsBetsy]

I don't understand the effort to give him the benefit of the doubt and look through the lens of his feelings.

Trolling and circling, and (maybe) chasing her down on foot, isn't reflective of a desire to just be social or date a woman. Any rebuff or 'leave me alone' message in reaction to his behavior isn't a "lifestyle-threatening event" for him. Murder 1, now that's a lifestyle ender.

Presumably we all agree that there are crimes of passion, or events that can escalate leading to harm and even death, and that what someone does in an extreme situation under extreme fear can be different than what they'd do normally. I just don't see how that applies here.

It's untenable that someone with so much to lose would engage in a sequence of risky behaviors so likely to threaten his lifestyle, then carry out a vicious crime to hold onto his life as he knows it.

It's as if we need to understand his perspective, where his years of pretense and hiding could have gone on indefinitely if only Mollie hadn't reacted negatively to his predator weirdness, and his only option was to abduct and stab her to death.

Im not sure anyone is giving him the benefit of the doubt, unless you are referring to making excuses that this was just a scared, lost individual who just suddenly snapped. I don't believe this is the case and certainly does not excuse his behavior in any way even if it was. Chasing her down is definitely not reflective of his desire to date her, I wouldn't even say maybe. I feel he acted deliberately, and people are just trying to put the pieces of the crime together by gaining a better understanding of the kind of killer he is. That is exactly what investigators do. Imo, I don't think there is anyone who is trying to make excuses for his behavior in any way at all!

 

[MistyWaters]

Maybe she has. To LE. "If" he was abusive toward her she may be still afraid to speak out. Publicly. IMO

If this case goes to trial, it’ll be difficult enough to find an impartial jury without potential witnesses including IM telling their story to the media in advance. I’d imagine LE has advised her why it’s important to remain silent until her testimony is required.

 

[DizzyB]

Scenario: your child’s father is abusive, so you leave him. He continues to give you money for the baby, but leaves you alone and maybe even is a decent father to his child. You know his background. Do you call the cops about his behavior which will result in, at best, getting him arrested, or worst, deported. Either choice makes him unable to provide for his child. Maybe you think leaving him and not saying a word about him to LE is the right thing. Never expected this.

 

[Deleted member 718]

Im not sure anyone is giving him the benefit of the doubt, unless you are referring to making excuses that this was just a scared, lost individual who just suddenly snapped. I don't believe this is the case and certainly does not excuse his behavior in any way even if it was. Chasing her down is definitely not reflective of his desire to date her, I wouldn't even say maybe. I feel he acted deliberately, and people are just trying to put the pieces of the crime together by gaining a better understanding of the kind of killer he is. That is exactly what investigators do. Imo, I don't think there is anyone who is trying to make excuses for his behavior in any way at all!

MsBetsy, do you have a msm link stating he wanted to date her? I hadn't heard that before your mention.

 

[rebel123]

If this case goes to trial, it’ll be difficult enough to find an impartial jury without potential witnesses including IM telling their story to the media in advance. I’d imagine LE has advised her why it’s important to remain silent until her testimony is required.

That's why any Trial would more then likely be moved to another location; the Defence can request that as long as the prosecution agree.

 

[zecats]

I think we all need to remember the IMO, JMO,MOO when discussing opinions. I was catching up on this thread this morning at 4am and people are throwing out “he did this” and “he is this or that”. We don’t know what he did, who he is or what he is....we have seen him on TV for about 20 minutes. While I don’t defend him in any way, the facts have to speak for themselves. I am sure he killed her as LE was because they filed the warrant based on his story. But to try an diagnose him or stating things as fact that are not fact doesn’t make them fact. Rant over....

Especially when labeling him as a sociopath or having a personality disorder. Unless we are clinical psychologists (and I’m married to one but still gives me no expertise to diagnose) then we should be careful with that.

 

[MooseMeMuch]

I haven't seen anyone say he planned this for years. I do believe that his behavior with Mollie was that of a predator.

I have a narcissist/ sociopath/psychopath (depending on what therapist we might ask) in my family circle. She looks 'normal', is viewed as a wonderful member of the family of Christ in her own circle, And so much more. The chances of her ever getting caught are slim to none. I would describe her as a monster. The monster who lives next door who smiles and waves."

yes, COVERT Narcs. Sorry about your luck on your cruel relative.

 

[SharonNeedles]

If this case goes to trial, it’ll be difficult enough to find an impartial jury without potential witnesses including IM telling their story to the media in advance. I’d imagine LE has advised her why it’s important to remain silent until her testimony is required.

I really don’t even see IM as even being a potential witness to call at trial. The case against him will be built on interrogations and forensic teams.