Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #48

[gregjrichards]

Following with great sadness. Poor Mollie.
Will be watching the trial as it continues.
I will never forget the day her cause of death was revealed.
Chi
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I am thinking of Mollie’s family, friends, everyone who knew her and her community at this extremely distressing and difficult time. It is horrific and distressing to hear the details and evidence of the case and how Mollie was found after a month.

I am hopeful the defendant will be convicted and will receive LWOP.

 

[katydid23]

Regarding admissibility of the 11 hour interview, was that 7-part video compilation excluded from trial since it included a confession of sorts? Something about not being read his rights quickly enough?

Today, was a portion of that video compilation presented by the Defence to make the argument that he was asleep, even though there was previous testimony from an expert who counted something like 68 instances of sleeping? Why would his defence lawyer introduce excluded video to make a point that was already made? Is this an ineffective defence counsel guilty verdict trial?

About his Miranda Rights...They were given to him at the right time, but they also wanted to have the Miranda given to him in Spanish. So they brought in Officer Navarro, as a translator, to read him his rights and be his translator.

Problem was, she forgot one sentence of the MR---she forgot to say 'anything you say can be used against you'......

So they almost got this entire confession thrown out. ....but luckily, another officer had read him his rights again later, so only the portion that happened before it was reread, was thrown out.

But the judge agreed it was not on purpose...

 

[TL4S]

Thinking about his story - she allegedly waved at him while she was jogging, he was circling her with his car, next they were talking to each other, she was going to call police, her ear buds are in his car, she was bleeding and in the trunk of his car.

How does the cemetery factor in - is that where she was abducted, or was she assaulted first at that location. I was never clear on that point. I thought she was abducted fairly close to the CCTV house, so how does the cemetery fit into the scenario. Is that where her Fitbit pinged with a high heart rate?

I missed the part about the cemetery. Was something said during the trial that wasn't tweeted?

 

[TL4S]

Legitimate question because I don't know much about bleeding after death except that the blood pools in the lower parts (as in whatever is lowest to the ground).

If she was stabbed in the front of her chest and died before being put on her back in the trunk, is it possible the blood pooled towards her back and she didn't bleed out that much from her chest in the trunk? So the majority of the blood seen on the liner was from where the blood escaped out her head injuries that where facing down?

 

[Megnut]

I imagine Mollie put up a strong fight roadside and may have been injured then. Perhaps HE hit HER in the face. That might account for the blood in the trunk. Likewise she may have been injured by the debris in the trunk when she was thrown in or she may have cut herself trying to break out.

HE really doesn't want to acknowledge the depravity of his actions. I saw her, she waved at me, she threatened to call the police... then I was in a cornfield. Well, whatever ugly secrets he thinks he can keep, the evidence will tell the full story.

He stalked her. He managed to overpower her. He threw her in the trunk and drove her to at least one other location. What we don't know is what happened in that field. Was Mollie able to break free? Did he first tackle her in the area where her clothes were found? Did he chase her again to where her body was found? The terror she faced, unfathomable.

The data from her Fitbit will speak loudly.

My heart breaks for Mollie's family, to lose that bright light and in such a horrific way, but now to have to relive her horror -- layers and layers of devastation. So terribly painful... ripples of loss that reach out even to us here, following her story, never having known her in life....

She, such a beautiful, strong, loved woman with what should have been a long and rich and wonderful life ahead of her...

We're all so sorry, Mollie. You should've been safe.

JMO

 

[skyedaze]

I am so far, not even seeing any appeal issues. The defense was able to get the trial in another county. They can probably continue the "coercion" mantra, but I don't see that either. As for incapacity/incompetence for their client, he obviously understood what he did, tried to hide the evidence. He isn't the sharpest pencil in the box, but he doesn't meet the bar for borderline MR.

I want him convicted and zero room for valid appeal.

btw...just have to say, there is a pic of him and his child's mother with their infant daughter...IN A CORN FIELD. Is that real? He really takes a pic with his own daughter in a corm field and kills someone else's daughter in a corn field??? He puts his baby daughter's toys in the trunk of the car that he puts someone else's dead/bleeding/abducted daughter into???

Completely SOULESS
I have zero mercy for him...because he has no soul

 

[Alethea]

The defense hasn't laid out their Opening Arguments yet, nor have they laid out their case. But so far I am kind of underwhelmed.

They seem kind of tone deaf and not able to read the room. Like right immediately after the jury sees pictures of her body, in the dumpsite he took LE to---the defense jumps to questions about guns and knives belonging to her boyfriend and his brother. The jury knows they were in another city hours away during the murder.

And the jury knows their client confessed and had her blood in his trunk. They should be focused on shaking up those facts. Not repeatedly pointing to others who are clearly not involved. It makes them seem less credible.

I am always open to hear about crime scene contamination and LE being mistaken or having tunnel vision. Find reasonable doubt where it is reasonable. Show us others who may have had access to his car, or who he may be covering for.

But so far, they haven't made a lot of progress, in my opinion. JMO

Agreed, I am not sure what they are doing. I would NOT have taken this case but if I were a public defender and this was assigned to me, I would try to paint the picture that CR knew what happened but someone else did it. Someone else had access to his car, someone he's afraid of maybe did it and told him about it and he felt guilty so he brought LE to the body. I don't think it would work but without an eye witness I think that would have been their only chance.

 

[skyedaze]

I was wondering about that too - not much blood in the trunk, multiple stab wounds, carried over his shoulder to the cornfield, clothing strewn around. Perhaps she was hit in the head and bled from that injury in his trunk - leaving blood on the fishing rod grip. He carried her into the cornfield and perhaps there was a struggle, or did he toss her clothing into the corn? I think that is where she was stabbed.

He killed her in that cornfield. I have not heard that they found her shirt. He could easily have incapacitated her with her shirt or headband around her neck and attacked/stabbed her to get her in the trunk.
Then drive up that road in the cornfield where no one can see. She was strong and a runner but if she were stabbed in the chest already she would not be as strong.
:/

 

[skyedaze]

Regarding the blood evidence in the car, I'm guessing that she had a head injury - enough to cause bleeding. Did he have a tire iron, or something else equally lethal, as a weapon?Link

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Curious about the illuminated stains - is there more blood in the head area, was there a trail of blood when she was put in the trunk of the car?

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Didn't they say there was a pipe in the trunk or car?

 

[skyedaze]

Mollie's Fitbit has been the story from the beginning, particularly heart rate - as it most likely corresponds to the exact times that she was most threatened. This provides a timeline of her abduction, assault and murder.

"While details about the leads remain scarce, there is one new kind of data that might end up playing an important role: The Iowa law enforcement agencies have been working with the FBI to use her Fitbit and social media data to look for clues. They’ve been tight-lipped about what information they’re using, but Rahn said they’re trying to find any information that’s relevant to the case.

“We’re trying to use all avenues and techniques to locate Mollie, including any devices she might have, such as the Fitbit, as well as social media outlets,” he told Runner’s World by phone.

In Iowa, law enforcement agencies can use personal data from devices based on family consent, search warrants, and subpoenas. Most other states allow law enforcement officials to use data based on consent and search warrants as well, while some restrict using subpoenas to obtain information. The FBI declined to comment on “specific tools or techniques utilized in criminal investigations,” including this case.

But this isn’t the first time where law enforcement agencies and forensics teams have used smart device data to gain insight on things like GPS locations, heart rate data, steps, and other kinds of activity."
​

Mollie Tibbetts Disappearance - Fitbit Data in Investigations

I map my walks/runs...I wonder if she did that? I'm guessing not or they would have known exactly where she was unless her turned her phone off.

 

[MsBetsy]

Legitimate question because I don't know much about bleeding after death except that the blood pools in the lower parts (as in whatever is lowest to the ground).

If she was stabbed in the front of her chest and died before being put on her back in the trunk, is it possible the blood pooled towards her back and she didn't bleed out that much from her chest in the trunk? So the majority of the blood seen on the liner was from where the blood escaped out her head injuries that where facing down?

If you are referring to lividity, I don't think there would have been enough time for that to occur while she was in the trunk. Lividity usually takes around a half hour to four hours to begin after a person has died. The ME still may have been able to tell if she was dead before she was moved, though.

Stab wounds bleed a lot, depending on where the person was stabbed. I doubt she was stabbed seven times before being placed in the trunk because I think there would have been more blood found. I suppose he could have wrapped something, like his shirt around her to prevent the blood from getting all over the place.

But yes, once the person has died they generally stop bleeding, but I think it's possible for blood to seep out of the wounds when the person is moved.

Imo

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I missed the part about the cemetery. Was something said during the trial that wasn't tweeted?

The cemetery was brought up by the defense cross-examining about the security tape. They mentioned some former school mate of Mollie’s whose truck was also seen...once....on the security video. They asked the police officer if that truck might have been heading to the cemetery(a ridiculous and speculative question), and he responded he didn’t know. They asked if the cemetery had been checked out at any time during the investigation and he stated he had driven there to see what could be seen from there, like, I guess, if someone could have been lurking there looking for victims. He said he determined you couldn’t really see anything from there.
Just the defense stirring things up. I don’t think there is any relevance to the cemetery.

 

[PommyMommy]

Thinking about his story - she allegedly waved at him while she was jogging, he was circling her with his car, next they were talking to each other, she was going to call police, her ear buds are in his car, she was bleeding and in the trunk of his car.

How does the cemetery factor in - is that where she was abducted, or was she assaulted first at that location. I was never clear on that point. I thought she was abducted fairly close to the CCTV house, so how does the cemetery fit into the scenario. Is that where her Fitbit pinged with a high heart rate?

Investigators created a spreadsheet to record everything seen on the Collins video - vehicles, pedestrians, etc. 14 Vehicles were identified and 6 of those were CR's Chevy Malibu. One of the vehicles was a pickup truck driven by someone who knew Mollie. LE thought the truck drove into the cemetery and they searched the cemetery. Eventually, all vehicles except the Malibu were ruled out. Surveillance Video Shows Mollie Tibbetts, Suspected Killer's Car

Regarding the point of abduction, see Deputy Kivi's testimony from Day 2 of the trial.

'I brought you to here, didn't I?': Officer recounts 11-hour interview with Bahena Rivera (kcci.com)
During testimony, Kivi stated that FBI cell phone analysis helped authorities narrow down where Tibbetts may have disappeared.

“There was some kind of what (the FBI) called an ‘event’ at a certain point along 385th Ave., and all of the sudden (Tibbetts’) phone is traveling, like, 55 to 60 mph down south down a gravel road,” Kivi said. “And then it just shuts off.”

 

[girlhasnoname]

I don't believe for a minute that Mollie was smiling and waving at CBR. Most serious runners fall into a 'zone', especially if you are using earbuds and listening to music. Yes, you are aware of your surroundings, but you're not likely focused on random people driving by.

CBR saw her, he stalked her, then he attacked and murdered her. IMO

 

[geevee]

Agreed, I am not sure what they are doing. I would NOT have taken this case but if I were a public defender and this was assigned to me, I would try to paint the picture that CR knew what happened but someone else did it. Someone else had access to his car, someone he's afraid of maybe did it and told him about it and he felt guilty so he brought LE to the body. I don't think it would work but without an eye witness I think that would have been their only chance.

That's where I thought they would be going too, since he lived in a sort of communal situation and his car could 'possibly' be used by someone else there. Their opening statement ought to be interesting when their CiC comes around next week.

 

[girlhasnoname]

I map my walks/runs...I wonder if she did that? I'm guessing not or they would have known exactly where she was unless her turned her phone off.

Yes, I map my runs/rides now always.

 

[geevee]

Going from memory, but wasn't there a heavy rain around the time that she was found? That would eliminate all blood evidence from the scene.

According to timeanddate.com, there was heavy rain later the night she went missing (at 12:35 a.m.):

Weather in July 2018 in Brooklyn, Iowa, USA

So yeah, lots of the blood evidence would have been washed away within hours of her being killed.

 

[TL4S]

Now a law question. I know the defense seems like their arguments are reaching and haphazard, but maybe they are going somewhere with it all, in a way we can't see right now. But if, in the end, there is no cohesive reasoning, could there be a legal argument that he didn't receive proper representation? Could he get off on something like that?

 

[TL4S]

According to timeanddate.com, there was heavy rain later the night she went missing (at 12:35 a.m.):

Weather in July 2018 in Brooklyn, Iowa, USA

So yeah, lots of the blood evidence would have been washed away within hours of her being killed.

Lots of other physical evidence would have been washed away, as well, unfortunately.

 

[mickey2942]

I don't believe for a minute that Mollie was smiling and waving at CBR. Most serious runners fall into a 'zone', especially if you are using earbuds and listening to music. Yes, you are aware of your surroundings, but you're not likely focused on random people driving by.

CBR saw her, he stalked her, then he attacked and murdered her. IMO

This. And I wonder how long he had been stalking her. Waiting for the right time. I also think it was a quick, "blitz" style attack, drive up, stop, hit her with a crowbar or other object, throw her in trunk. That fast.