Mollie Tibbetts

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Killer Gets Life Without Parole in Slaying of Mollie Tibbetts

Cristhian Bahena Rivera says nothing in Iowa courtroom as he's sentenced

(Newser) - "You, and you alone, forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts," a judge told Cristhian Bahena Rivera in an Iowa courtroom on Monday. "And for that, you and you alone will receive the following sentence." Judge Joel Yates then imposed a sentence of...

Mollie Tibbetts' Killer Loses His Bid for New Trial

Cristhian Bahena Rivera says two masked men killed Iowa college student

(Newser) - A judge on Monday rejected a convicted man's request for a new trial in the 2018 killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, whose body was found in a cornfield weeks after she disappeared while out for a run near her small hometown. Judge Joel Yates' ruling cleared...

Witnesses Say Mollie Tibbetts Was at Sex Trafficking House

Cristhian Bahena Rivera's sentencing delayed as attorneys seek new trial

(Newser) - Cristhian Bahena Rivera, convicted of killing Mollie Tibbetts in Brooklyn, Iowa, was supposed to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday. Instead, sentencing will be delayed as a judge hears a motion to throw out his first-degree murder conviction and hold a new trial....

Jury Returns Guilty Verdict in Slaying of Mollie Tibbetts

First-degree murder conviction means a life sentence without parole for killer

(Newser) - A jury returned a guilty verdict Friday in the 2018 slaying of Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old Iowa college student. Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a farmhand and Mexican national, was convicted of first-degree murder after seven hours of deliberations, NBC reports. Rivera, 26, faces the state's mandatory sentence of life in...

Mollie Tibbetts' Alleged Killer Reverses Confession

Wednesday's testimony came as surprise to prosecutors

(Newser) - The man on trial for the 2018 stabbing death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts took the stand Wednesday to claim her killers were walking free. Testifying through an interpreter, Mexican national Cristhian Bahena Rivera said two masked men, one carrying a gun and another a knife, showed up...

Prosecutor Warns Jury Pool: Details of Trial Won't Be Easy

Jury selection starts in 2018 stabbing death of Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa

(Newser) - A prosecutor warned prospective jurors Monday that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the 2018 fatal stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear. Prosecutor Scott Brown said the first-degree murder trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera...

In Mollie Tibbetts Case, a Surprise Move by Her Mother

Laura Calderwood takes in teen son of immigrants who knew alleged killer

(Newser) - A remarkable twist in the story involving the murder of 20-year-old Iowa college student Molly Tibbetts , delivered via Terrence McCoy of the Washington Post . Tibbetts was allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant named Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 24-year-old who worked as a farm laborer in the rural community of Brooklyn,...

Mollie Tibbetts' Suspected Killer Pleads Not Guilty

Trial date set for Cristhian Bahena Rivera

(Newser) - The man accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts will stand trial in April. Cristhian Bahena Rivera on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder during his arraignment in Montezuma, Iowa. KCRG reports the 24-year-old waived his right to a speedy trial, and an April 16 trial date was set. He remains...

Mollie Would Have Found Reaction to Her Murder 'Racist': Dad

Rob Tibbetts writes a column for the 'Des Moines Register'

(Newser) - Ever since Mollie Tibbetts was found dead, her father Rob has been asking people to stop using her murder—of which an immigrant is accused—to push political agendas. This weekend in the Des Moines Register , he made that request again, because many have been ignoring it. "They have...

Rob Tibbetts: Here's How to Remember My Mollie

'Mollie's nobody's victim,' dad says in eulogy

(Newser) - The father of the 20-year-old Iowa woman whose body was found in a cornfield last week wants people to remember her by "celebrating something wonderful"—not by the way she died. Mollie Tibbetts' father, Rob Tibbetts, urged the hundreds of people at his daughter's funeral on Sunday...

Woman: Tibbetts' Alleged Killer Sent Me Online Messages

Cristhian Bahena Rivera had child with woman who attended same high school as Tibbetts

(Newser) - In a new profile of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the New York Times looks at how Mollie Tibbetts' accused killer "built a life in an Iowa farm town." It treads on some familiar ground—quoting people who describe him as a quiet but reliable farmhand at a local dairy...

Geraldo Rivera Doesn't Like Fox's Mollie Tibbetts Coverage
Fox's Mollie Tibbetts Coverage
Has a Surprising Critic
the rundown
Aug 24, 2018 10:00 AM CDT

Fox's Mollie Tibbetts Coverage Has a Surprising Critic

Network's own Geraldo Rivera criticizes immigration 'spin'

(Newser) - The Mollie Tibbetts murder continues to emerge as a flashpoint in the immigration debate, even if some members of the Iowa student's family aren't happy about it, reports NBC News . The reason? US immigration officials say 24-year-old suspect Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally, though his...

Autopsy: 'Sharp Force Injuries' Caused Mollie Tibbetts' Death

Accused killer due in court next week

(Newser) - The Iowa college student who was allegedly abducted by a stranger while running last month was killed by "multiple sharp force injuries," investigators announced Thursday. Preliminary autopsy results from the state medical examiner's office also determined that 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts was the victim of a homicide, the...

Mollie Tibbetts Murder Suspect 'Not Who He Said He Was'

Employer says Cristhian Rivera went by another name for 4 years

(Newser) - One of roughly 10 employees at Yarrabee Farms in rural Poweshiek County, Iowa, the 24-year-old lived in a mobile home on the property, always showed up for work, and got along with his co-workers as he took care of the cows over the course of four years. It was only...

Name of Mollie Tibbetts' Suspected Killer 'Hadn't Surfaced'
Lawyer: Mollie Tibbetts'
Murder Suspect Here Legally
the rundown
Aug 22, 2018 2:55 PM CDT

Lawyer: Mollie Tibbetts' Murder Suspect Here Legally

Cristhian Rivera wasn't interviewed until Monday

(Newser) - Officials say they didn't know the name of the man suspected of murdering Mollie Tibbetts until just days ago. "His name hadn't surfaced. Hadn't come across the radar," Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt tells the Des Moines Register . He says...

How Mollie Tibbetts Was Allegedly Abducted

Suspect says he 'blocked out' period of time

(Newser) - Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the 24-year-old man accused of abducting and murdering University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts , has admitted following her as she went for an evening run—but claims to have blocked out key details. Rivera, who led investigators to where he had concealed her body in a cornfield,...

Mollie Tibbetts' Suspected Killer Is Undocumented Immigrant

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder

(Newser) - Mollie Tibbetts' father confirmed the reports that emerged Tuesday morning: His daughter has been found dead. Rob Tibbetts made the confirmation to Fox News in advance of a 4pm local time news conference, at which time authorities revealed a first-degree murder charge has been filed in the case. The Des ...

Reports: Body of Missing Mollie Tibbetts Is Found

News conference scheduled for later Tuesday

(Newser) - News reports suggest the worst fears have been realized in the case of missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts . Fox News , the AP , and CBS News report that authorities believe they have found the body of the 20-year-old, who vanished on July 18 in the small town of Brooklyn,...

Month After Mollie Vanished, Dad 'Reluctantly' Leaves Iowa

Rob Tibbetts returns to California

(Newser) - After learning his daughter Mollie was missing, Rob Tibbetts flew from San Francisco to Iowa to look for her. He packed four days' worth of clothes, reports the Des Moines Register . The 20-year-old vanished on July 18, and on Saturday—the one-month mark—Rob Tibbetts told KCRG he was "...

Mollie Tibbetts' Father Has New Theory on What Happened

He thinks his daughter knows the person who took her on July 18

(Newser) - The family of missing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts hasn't really wavered on its position that they believe the 20-year-old is alive. On Tuesday, father Robert Tibbetts shared his theory on what may have happened with CBS News : He thinks Tibbetts may know whomever she's with. "I...

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