Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #44

[MsBetsy]

What the heck... Is there a link to any MSM articles that state LE said the vehicle CR was driving when he abducted Mollie was stolen? TIA

That's exactly what I would like to know. I have seen it mentioned more than once and would like to know where it came from.

 

[Seattle1]

Didn't they say at first the car was stolen? Or at least registered to someone else? Do we know for sure who actually owns the car? Would it even be a factor in the trial?

Not in a murder trial.

 

[MyBelle]

In the US many things are settled out of court; there could be a settlement and only the parties would know about it because of a confidentiality agreement.

Very true and I hope that happens in this case.

 

[RavenCC2020]

Yes for that very reason it’s possible he was either sent or arrived with his uncle.

In a DM article posted way up thread the one with the 53 year old woman who had been "flirting" with CR she stated he came here at the request of his father to have a better life. His uncle brought him across the border. That is the story she claims he related to her anyway.

 

[kpm]

Not in a murder trial.

If MT was in the trunk bleeding and transported to a cornfield I think the car would be used in trial as evidence

 

[MsBetsy]

Not in a murder trial.

So why does there appear to be such a huge discussion in regard to the car if it won't even be a factor in the trial?

 

[Twistinginthewind]

No, I certainly didn’t say CR is innocent - he confessed. But it’s a reason why he might not implicate others who were also involved.

And a code of honour can run the opposite direction as well. His friends/coworkers didn’t report him to LE yet I think it’d be really amazing if he didn’t incur any bruises or cuts, nobody connected a car wash, noticed no unusual behaviour, nothing suspicious whatsoever by those who knew him best.

Can you provide a link to where there is a published statement in fact (published from LE or MSM) that "His friends/coworkers didn’t report him to LE"? TIA

 

[MyBelle]

If MT was in the trunk bleeding and transported to a cornfield I think the car would be used in trial as evidence

Of course it would be. It was seized as evidence and he confessed she was in the trunk. It is entirely possible he abducted her using one car and disposed of her using the other one. That's the only reason I can think of for seizing both cars. It is very possible the dogs used in the search "hit" on both cars.

 

[MsBetsy]

Can you provide a link to where there is a published statement in fact (published from LE or MSM) that "His friends/coworkers didn’t report him to LE"? TIA

There isn't one

 

[kpm]

Of course it would be. It was seized as evidence and he confessed she was in the trunk. It is entirely possible he abducted her using one car and disposed of her using the other one. That's the only reason I can think of for seizing both cars. It is very possible the dogs used in the search "hit" on both cars.

Very possible

 

[MistyWaters]

Can you provide a link to where there is a published statement in fact (published from LE or MSM) that "His friends/coworkers didn’t report him to LE"? TIA

During the press conference LE said CR wasn’t on their radar at all until they tracked him down by connecting him to the black Malibu. Sorry I don’t have the link at hand.

ETA
Key word - radar

“It's not like he was on anybody's radar. We weren't aware of him throughout the investigation,' Rick Rahn, special agent from Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation told Today on Wednesday.”
How Mollie Tibbetts' killer Cristhian Rivera hid in plain sight | Daily Mail Online

 

[Twistinginthewind]

.
Photo at the beginning of every thread

That first section has helped me keep things in order.

Okay, thanks! That photo showing two vehicles being towed (including the 'dark Malibu' that LE may have towed that CR may have been driving when following Mollie - all 'allegedly" since evidence hasn't been published at this point in the case) has led to some confusion, probably more than once or twice on Mollie's threads! I think the second vehicle in the photo being towed was unrelated to Mollie's case, IIRC, but it keeps coming up in discussions here...

 

[Twistinginthewind]

So why does there appear to be such a huge discussion in regard to the car if it won't even be a factor in the trial?

JMO, probably just because it's something to posit on since there isn't much to go on with published evidence at this stage in the case for sleuthers here whom are upset about what happened to Mollie and want to make sure justice is done for her, and the vehicle CR used in the crime against Mollie is one of the facts he confessed to that has been published by LE and in MSM.

 

[Seattle1]

If it is irrelevant, LE would identify the owner of the car. He may have used the car with permission but he didn't have a driver's license.

First Degree Murder is a criminal matter. Allegedly driving without a valid drivers license simply will not be heard in Mollie's murder trial.

 

[Gardenista]

If it is irrelevant, LE would identify the owner of the car. He may have used the car with permission but he didn't have a driver's license.

That's the least of his worries.

 

[MyBelle]

Okay, thanks! That photo showing two vehicles being towed (including the 'dark Malibu' that LE may have towed that CR may have been driving when following Mollie - all 'allegedly" since evidence hasn't been published at this point in the case) has led to some confusion, probably more than once or twice on Mollie's threads! I think the second vehicle in the photo being towed was unrelated to Mollie's case, IIRC, but it keeps coming up in discussions here...

I'm pretty sure the second auto was shown parked at CR's house/trailer in media photos after CR's arrest. LE has to have probable cause to seize property.

 

[MyBelle]

First Degree Murder is a criminal matter. Allegedly driving without a valid drivers license simply will not be heard in Mollie's murder trial.

Of course it will be heard at trial. It's illegal to drive without a license. It is illegal to enter the country without authorization. It shows a pattern of illegal activity. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

If MT was in the trunk bleeding and transported to a cornfield I think the car would be used in trial as evidence

Absolutely the car will be tested for evidence, but that was not your question. I'm sure LE is looking at every car available to CR during the 5 weeks Mollie missing, looking for the murder weapon.

 

[MyBelle]

Absolutely the car will be tested for evidence, but that was not your question. I'm sure LE is looking at every car available to CR during the 5 weeks Mollie missing, looking for the murder weapon.

LE would seize a vehicle if they think there is DNA evidence of Mollie in it. I doubt CR was dumb enough to leave the murder weapon in the car. JMO

 

[Seattle1]

Of course it will be heard at trial. It's illegal to drive without a license. It is illegal to enter the country without authorization. It shows a pattern of illegal activity. JMO

Criminal matters are heard in criminal court, and civil matters are heard in civil court -- they're different jurisdictions. The charge of record is 1st degree murder. Driving without a valid drivers license has never been charged, and if/when it is, it will not be heard in criminal court regardless how much you want it to be.