IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #36

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Inthedetails said:
Thank you for that! Very helpful to understanding the discussion. Thanks.

I can see how people are interpreting that as they searched the same exact location where she was. I can also see this meaning that they searched the area in general but it would've been impossible to find her because she was covered. I don't think they walked past her, in other words....though I suppose it is possible.

jmo
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Yes.
I took it to mean the general area as well.

Did they use cadaver dogs?
 
EaglesSpeical said:
I do not think it was established he required an interpreter. The Court offered or mandated the interpreter as it is required to do by law since English not his primary language. Avoids an appeal issue later using the the theory "lost in translation.".
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Would it be possible to get some kind of permanent post at the top of the thread with a legal explaination on why CR has an interpreter? This question keeps coming up and it's hard to keep up with the threads. IMO TIA
 
rebel123 said:
However the body was placed; even at 5' 3'', you would stumble across it; I can't see how it was missed; they should have used search dogs; (The fact that we now know that it was 20 metres into the field; the body would of been found quickly).
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I believe they did use dogs as well as infrared cameras. It does seem hard to believe they couldn't find her, yet I hear this often as being the case. It must be harder than we think.
 
netbrsr said:
To me its all been way to neatly wrapped up in a matter of hours.

Some of what doesn't make sense to me is he refused an appointed attorney, didn't speak any English in the arraignment, not even yes and no. So I don't see him jogging beside her having a conversation as there would have been a language barrier.

Maybe this guy found the body on a farm he worked on and reported it?

Does this guy even know what the police report says?

If I see DNA in his trunk etc, that's enough for me. They said in the police report she was bleeding in his trunk so should be plenty there.
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From what I've read, when first talking with LE, people often want to unburden themselves and/or get "credit" for their work. However, once the enormity of the situation begins to dawn on them, they want to start protecting themselves.

Answering your reservations, one by one:
* he refused an appointed attorney -- he already had an attorney, did not need one appointed by the court which he might not trust;

*didn't speak any English in the arraignment, not even yes and no -- following orders from his attorney now that he has realized he can go to prison for the rest of his life;

*So I don't see him jogging beside her having a conversation as there would have been a language barrier. -- He has been in the country for years. His GF and Mollie were on the track team together. I think it's likely he knew enough English to get by, plus we have no idea how much Spanish Mollie might have been capable of.

* Maybe this guy found the body on a farm he worked on and reported it? -- Possible, I suppose. But then there would have to be corruption to the highest level of the justice system, not just in that single Iowa County, but across the State in into the FBI to believe that they would set up a farm worker for this. Sorry, I find that scenario much less believable.

*Does this guy even know what the police report says? -- He had an attorney and two translators in court with him. Yep, I'm pretty confident they're making sure he knows what's happening, and that's why he's suddenly not talking. Not that he doesn't understand, but that now he's come down from the high of unburdening himself, he understands only too well.
 
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Hatfield said:
JMO
Thats a good point that translations could have been happening online sites they used.

I would also not be surprised at all if his lawyer is making him appear to not understand english as much as he really does.

I watch the "Cops" TV shows and in multiple cases when the cops first start to question a suspect that is from another country they pretend they do not understand one single word of english. In one episode the officer happened to know their language and that is when he gave up the lying and started to converse fluently in english.
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You know Hatfield, yesterday I said there was a case I’m reminded of but I couldn’t remember which one it was, where the subject really did speak English but pretended not to...I realize now I was thinking of COPS lol.
 
Dushi said:
IMO, the translators are a precaution.
English is not his first language
Why would prosecutors take the risk?
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His attorney hiring a second one was all for show, as in he wanted to convey he doesn’t trust the court appointed one, IMO

Will be interesting to see if he continues to pay for one
 
The Judge asked him 'closed questions'; they simply require a 'yes or no' answer; even those went through the interpreter, when he could of said 'yes or no'.
 
CuriousCricket said:
From what I've read, when first talking with LE, people often want to unburden themselves and/or get "credit" for their work. However, once the enormity of the situation begins to dawn on them, they want to start protecting themselves.

Answering your reservations, one by one:
* he refused an appointed attorney -- he already had an attorney, did not need one appointed by the court which he might not trust;

*didn't speak any English in the arraignment, not even yes and no -- following orders from his attorney now that he has realized he can go to prison for the rest of his life;

*So I don't see him jogging beside her having a conversation as there would have been a language barrier. -- He has been in the country for years. His GF and Mollie were on the track team together. I think it's likely he knew enough English to get buy, plus we have no idea how much Spanish Mollie might have been capable of.

* Maybe this guy found the body on a farm he worked on and reported it? -- Possible, I suppose. But then there would have to be corruption to the highest level of the justice system, not just in that single Iowa County, but across the State in into the FBI to believe that they would set up a farm worker for this. Sorry, I find that scenario much less believable.

*Does this guy even know what the police report says? -- He had an attorney and two translators in court with him. Yep, I'm pretty confident they're making sure he knows what's happening, and that's why he's suddenly not talking. Not that he doesn't understand, but that now he's come down from the high of unburdening himself, he understands only too well.
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Do you have a link that says he already had an attorney? Please keep reading posts about how he obtained and paid for the attorney, but I can't find any information to back up what people are saying. Please provide a link so I can understand what people are talking about in terms of his attorney.

Thank you!
 
About the cornfield. Every Halloween a couple farmers that grow corn around me have a Halloween maze that runs through the cornfields. They sell pumpkins, cornstalks, apple pies etc. Now they are not gigantic and after looking at the video of Brooklyn's cornfields they are of a smaller size. People get lost in them every year.....lol They have a route planned out and they still get lost, plus by then the stalks are no longer green but brown and dry and after the Halloween event they are mowed down.
I can honestly see how she could have been missed. Except for one thing. The smell. It is summer and would not have taken long for the smell to inhabit the area.
 
netbrsr said:
I agree the language thing could all be an act.
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Even ESL students who have been here for years do not have a grasp on the language. That is the whole reason they are placed in an ESL class, and may remain there throughout their entire education. It would take an exceptional and extremely intelligent student to pick up the language that fast. Since we dont even know if he has been in school here NOR is he very intelligent, there is no doubt whatsoever that a translater is necessary.
 
Give him a team of translators! We can't compromise our system of justice no matter how low he is, and it's reasonable that no matter how well he speaks or texts or Facebooks in English, legal proceedings are a whole different language arena. Mollie and her family deserve a by-the-book prosecution of this person so the state's case is well-tested and there are no appeals on claims of misunderstanding of language or denial of proper translation. That also applies to his own defense. Mollie loses if he claims later that he didn't understand his attorney's counsel to him and his defense strategies.
 
rebel123 said:
The Judge asked him 'closed questions'; they simply require a 'yes or no' answer; even those went through the interpreter, when he could of said 'yes or no'.
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Before he could answer yes or no, he would need to understand the question, right?

Why the reluctance to allow a Spanish speaker a translator in court? I don't get this at all....especially since denying one could lead to any conviction being overturned. Is it hate or spite or unwillingness to pay for our judicial system? Seriously, what is the problem people are having with the translators?? I don't understand at all.

jmo
 
MsBetsy said:
I believe they did use dogs as well as infrared cameras. It does seem hard to believe they couldn't find her, yet I hear this often as being the case. It must be harder than we think.
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Well, I think they found her about 12 miles from where she was abducted. If you draw a circle with a 12 mile radius, that encloses about 450 square miles, much of which is corn fields. I believe that the corn is planted in rows, so close together that you have to have someone walk down each row, if you're going to search properly. That's a lot of searchers needed. A lot of time.
 
netbrsr said:
Some of what doesn't make sense to me is he refused an appointed attorney, didn't speak any English in the arraignment, not even yes and no. So I don't see him jogging beside her having a conversation as there would have been a language barrier.
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Not if you read the article linked above from the Daily Mail - he was conversing with a group of local kids. I do not assume they were all speaking Spanish. It is not unusual Spanish speakers who are fluent in English to not speak in English if it suits their purpose.
 
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