Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #34

[PommyMommy]

I thought he spoke English to Mollie. Why does he need a translator? Is he going to downplay his ability to understand her?

He may speak English, but not proficiently. Rivera needs to understand his rights, the charges against him, the process, etc. Nobody wants a do-over.

 

[Charliegizmo49]

Not to discount it, but I don't think I would call this super close. She was targeted and assaulted (physically for sure, maybe more) by someone who at least knew of her (99.9 percent sure). He targets her. There was nothing accidental in it.

I’m waiting to see his past criminal record. I’ll almost bet he’s going to have a serious accusation. I think it was preplanned and I think there’s a lot more to this man than we can think of right now. A lot more.

 

[Copper]

sadly this case will turn into an international spotlight... RIP Mollie, justice will be served!

It might. But I also think it might not. Iowa does not have the death penalty. So it's not like Mexico can start screaming about one of it's citizens being railroaded into the death chamber.

 

[kpm]

I think, even if he makes bond, the moment his feet hit the ground, he is picked up on the ICE detainer and placed in a detention facility.

Only if they are notified though, right?

 

[castilloisno1]

Did perps lawyer do this pro bono? No words just mad.The tie did me in how unjust.

That tie was for show!! How in the world did he get a private attorney? How is he even going to get paid? Unless he is doing it for the publicity.

 

[Stormy21]

He can’t meet the conditions for release, because of his immigration issues. Doesn’t matter if they do find $5mil cash.

That's right. Seems if someone posts bail, ICE grabs him. He's going nowhere.

 

[gobble]

I can tell you that our Canadian media has been covering it.

Well, the family doesn't deserve any of this of course. But I truly hope that this case will be closely watched around the Western world and sparks some thought on how we want to handle our border, immigration and cultural compatibility issues in the future. If that was my family member that's what I would pursue.

 

[Icechick]

He looks evil, super explosive, and throw in a little bit of “women can’t resist me” entitlement and it’s a bomb waiting to drop.
I feel he had been wanting or resenting Mollie for some sort me while. JMO
You don’t just go for a drive and decide to kill the first female you see in a burg of 75 including cats and dogs.

 

[buggiegirl]

IMO a murderer having a good lawyer is a good thing. If he gets some crappy lawyer and gets convicted he'll have more of a shot at appeal if his lawyer made mistakes left and right. Everyone deserves a competent defense lawyer and him having one will ensure that he doesn't get off on technicalities.

 

[Al Hoffman]

May be something the Prosecution can use to debunk his story?

Why, at this point do you want to debunk his story? At this point, Justice is not about the absolute "truth" about what happened, but about a reasonable narrative that supports the prosecution's case to a successful outcome.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Even if by some miracle he bonds out, he's not going far. There's an immigration hold.

 

[Seattle1]

@PommyMommy said: ↑
Thank you, must have been wishful thinking, lol. I stand corrected.

I heard the same as you lol

Defense attorney already requested next hearing re. media in district court.. Seems he's personally looking for as much media attention as HE can get! MOO..

 

[Crystal Regan]

I think media will be denied because of the hot mic moment between lawyer and client.

 

[Margrock]

Some questions. How do we know he's guilty? Could he be a fall guy? How did they not discover her body earlier?

 

[Alethea]

Well, he's not going to come up with $5million in cash. But, there were also conditions the judge stated. He has to meet those conditions to be released from jail. He would come up with the money and he won't make those conditions.

He's not going anywhere.

jmo

Yes, this. Also it's a cash bond - you need to put up the full amount in cash, not through a bail company. Most people make bond by paying a small fee to a bond company who puts up the money on your behalf and it is returned to them when you show up at court. Here, he'd need $5m cash in the bank just to meet the Iowa bond. Then there's a DHS hold so he would need to meet whatever conditions DHS had - which would likely be no bond on the immigration violations.

 

[EaglesSpeical]

Does anyone know if any of those present in the courtroom were either family or friends of Mollie? Appears a few may have been especially in the first row. Important she have someone in every proceeding although I completely understand how her immediate family and the Jack family would not be present at this time give the raw emotion. I do not know how one could control themselves given the situation.

 

[Gardenista]

Looks like he has lots of people on his side.

 

[Charliegizmo49]

He may speak English, but not proficiently. Rivera needs to understand his rights, the charges against him, the process, etc. Nobody wants a do-over.

Or for an appeal that could take 10 years. I’m still confident this guy has done something very bad before. Perhaps not caught or charged.

 

[SuperTmo]

I can’t believe that this guy murdered Mollie because he was afraid of being deported. That is ridiculous, IMO. That “fear” would have taken place prior to the situation escalating to the point that it did. It makes no sense to go murder someone if one is afraid of being deported.

If I’m afraid to go to jail because I might get caught shoplifting from the grocery store, would it make sense to go ahead and stage a full fledged armed robbery? No!

Pulling up along side a girl and catcalling isn’t illegal. Flirting isn’t illegal. Saying something crude most likely isn’t either. If she had called the cops, he could have turned his vehicle around and driven away if he was so afraid. They wouldn’t have gone looking for him for catcalling or saying something crude. That would have been the end of it. That SHOULD HAVE been the end of it.

This guy killed Mollie and it has nothing to do with his immigration status. Blaming it on a fear of being deported seems, IMO, to be trying to make his crime seem understandable. Like it’s hard to blame him; he just didn’t want to get deported for flirting with or harassing a pretty girl because he wants to be here for his own child. That is wrong though.

He is a predator. He killed her simply because he wanted to. Nothing more, nothing less. If he was a citizen, he would have killed someone. If he were here visiting family on a valid Visa, or living here on a green card, he would have killed someone. If he were vacationing in Canada, he would have killed someone. If he were in his country of origin he would have killed someone. Why? Because this is who he is, it’s what makes him tick, and this is what he wanted to do.

 

[Crystal Regan]

Only if they are notified though, right?

I have a feeling they are there.

 

[Inthedetails]

And I wonder if they will need two court reporters - one native in Spanish for the trial transcript? that will be expensive for the state. The bond also carried restrictions beyond payment of the 5 million cash.

Whatever is needed for a fair trial is a worthwhile expense, imo. We can't put someone on trial who doesn't understand what is happening....AND we can't a defendant later claiming he couldn't understand. Best to pay the expense of doing it right, for many reasons.