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

[PommyMommy]

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Now going back to Pamela Romero interview. Frese: Were you aware she was an officer for 2.5 years/16 hours of training? Vileta: Yes. I knew she had little experience. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:53 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Frese now wants to know about Pamela Romero. "Did you know she was an officer for two years?" Y. "Did you know she had 16 hours of interrogation training?" "Yes."
10:54 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Of all the people that were there it was your decision to send Pamela Romero? Why did you choose the officer with the least amount of training. Vileta: That's how it evolved. CBR seemed to engage with her. Sometimes you have to make a gut call. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:55 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Agent Vileta says Romero is fluent in Spanish, but Sgt. Fink was "proficient." He says CBR was comfortable w/Romero and engaged. Says her level of training was somewhat of a concern but he was able to control interview from behind the scenes.
10:56 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Nicole Agee on Twitter
They took several breaks during Bahena Rivera's interview so Officer Romero could share information with Vileta and others. He says foreign language interviews are difficult - utilizing an experienced person is best - Romero had relatively little experience. @KCRG
10:57 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
10 min break now.
10:58 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

 

[Bravo]

Well this is painful!

 

[otto]

CBR was a predator who not only was rejected by Mollie but his "good life" in Iowa was threatened and it infuriated him. MOO

I'm not convinced that she threatened to call police, therefore he attacked her. I think he concocted the story that she threatened him (mentioning police). He wants to blame Mollie for causing him to black out, and make it her fault that she ended up in the trunk of his car.

 

[Shelby1]

I don't think I've ever seen a trial with so many breaks.

 

[BUF]

Defense attacking Officer Romero again because she's not educated and her claim of fluency in Spanish is not supported by a certificate!

She was a woman who was from Mexico, same as Rivera speaking the same Spanish dialect. I can tell you that I have had to deal with Spanish translations for work and dialects vary depending on where you are from... and as she testified, she showed us her master of the English language. She was the perfect person for that interview... nothing was lost in translation. She got CBR to tell where Mollie’s body was found.

 

[geevee]

Well this is painful!

Terribly!

 

[JudgeJoe]

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Now going back to Pamela Romero interview. Frese: Were you aware she was an officer for 2.5 years/16 hours of training? Vileta: Yes. I knew she had little experience. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:53 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Frese now wants to know about Pamela Romero. "Did you know she was an officer for two years?" Y. "Did you know she had 16 hours of interrogation training?" "Yes."
10:54 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Of all the people that were there it was your decision to send Pamela Romero? Why did you choose the officer with the least amount of training. Vileta: That's how it evolved. CBR seemed to engage with her. Sometimes you have to make a gut call. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:55 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Agent Vileta says Romero is fluent in Spanish, but Sgt. Fink was "proficient." He says CBR was comfortable w/Romero and engaged. Says her level of training was somewhat of a concern but he was able to control interview from behind the scenes.
10:56 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

I knew it! Romero may have been new/inexperienced & may have needed the guidance she received behind the scenes, but Agent Vileta’s gut instincts were spot on. ROMERO GOT CB TO CONFESS & GOT MOLLIE’S REMAINS LOCATED. A more experienced FBI credentialed dude with a Spanish proficiency certificate prob would not have gotten there w CB. Imo

 

[PrairieWind]

I'm not convinced that she threatened to call police, therefore he attacked her. I think he concocted the story that she threatened him (mentioning police). He wants to blame Mollie for causing him to black out, and make it her fault that she ended up in the trunk of his car.

I think it is very questionable. Certainly she might have threatened to call police, but honestly I don't think that she had an opportunity. I think he came up on her and immediately attacked. The "threat to call police" in my opinion is an attempt to use his illegal immigrant status as sort of a defense. He "snapped" when she threatened that.

 

[geevee]

I'm not convinced that she threatened to call police, therefore he attacked her. I think he concocted the story that she threatened him (mentioning police). He wants to blame Mollie for causing him to black out, and make it her fault that she ended up in the trunk of his car.

Agreed, he wants the blame on anyone except himself.

But even if the jury believes she did, who wouldn't after a guy circles you several times with his car, then parks behind you, gets out, and runs after you? But I'm also not convinced she did.

 

[PrairieWind]

I will be very interested to hear the Defense opening statement at the beginning of their case in chief (if they make an opening). The defense strategy is clearly to say "other people could have done this." But it is very chaotic at this point. It is common to use the "anyone could have done this" strategy, and it can be very affective. But when the victim's blood is in your client's car, and your client let the police to the body, you have to be able to show that one particular "other person" could have killed the victim AND placed the blame on your client. Blaming dozens of other potential suspects weakens that argument.

 

[JudgeJoe]

Witness still to come: Jordan L (affair w DJ) has been subpoenaed to the stand. Sheesh.

 

[geevee]

Mr. Brown ties this all up so nicely.

Though every time he says 'whenever' instead of 'when', it's like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

 

[Seattle1]

I believe the defense today also asked the lead investigator/witness if they investigated Ulises Felix. The irony is that the Calderwood family took Felix into their home so he could finish his senior year together with Mollie's brother Scott:

Ulises Felix, 17, is also an undocumented immigrant. His family decided to leave town after Rivera was arrested, but Felix wanted to finish his senior year of high school.

At the urging of her son Scott, Calderwood agreed to allow Felix to move in with them.

"He is a senior, and it was very important for him and for his parents to have him finish his senior year. So Scott simply asked me on a Sunday night, 'Can we adopt Ulises?' I told him no we can't adopt him, but if he needs a place to live, he's got one. So he moved in the following Sunday. I knew I did the right thing I saw it from the day he moved in, and I see it everyday."

Felix now lives in the same home as Tibbetts once did.

May 2019
Mollie Tibbetts update: Mom asks for donations to honor daughter's 21st birthday

 

[PommyMommy]

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Prosecutor Scott Brown starts redirect.
11:11 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

"Did you receive any information [Dalton Jack] was in Brooklyn around 7:45 pm?" "No," Agent Vileta says.
11:12 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

"Were any of those men associated with a vehicle that was seen repeatedly in the area where Mollie Tibbetts was seen jogging?" Brown asks about men of interest the defense brought up. "No."
10:14 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Agent Vileta says none of those men said they saw Mollie on 385th. Says CBR did, and even said he fought with her.
10:15 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Brown: Were any of those men (defense named) associated with a black Chevy Malibu with chrome mirrors/doors/etc? Vileta: No.
@KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:14 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Brown: Did any of those men indicate they were angry with #MollieTibbetts? Vileta: No. Brown: Did CBR? Vileta: Yes. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
11:15 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

 

[Shelby1]

Arrrgh this defense atty gets under my skin.

 

[geevee]

Did Frese kicked the door open??

 

[PommyMommy]

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
Brown asks if any of those men said they were angry w/Mollie Tibbetts? Vileta: No, only CBR. Brown hits the table for emphasis asking if any of those men said Mollie was "in the trunk of their car?" "No, only Rivera did."
10:16 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Chris Gothner KCCI on Twitter
Brown: Did any of these men make any admissions that #MollieTibbetts was in the trunk of their car (lightly pounds on table for emphasis) Vileta: Just Cristhian Rivera. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:16 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Brown: Did any other men besides CBR bring you to the location of #MollieTibbetts body? Vileta: No. Brown: Did any other men describe how she would have been found? Vileta: No. Just CBR. @KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:17 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Shannon Moudy on Twitter
"Did you find any other lead or find any other reason that Mollie Tibbetts' blood would have been connected to the vehicle exclusively driven by the defendant?" "No." Brown getting very animated here, emphasizing with his hands and pointing at CBR.
11:19 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Now back to re-cross. Frese asking about 11 hour interrogation.
@KCCINews #BahenaRiveraTrial
10:18 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

Nicole Agee on Twitter
During re-cross, Frese points out that there's no physical evidence that shows Bahena Rivera stabbed Mollie Tibbetts, only the confession. @KCRG
11:22 AM · May 24, 2021·Twitter Web App

 

[girlhasnoname]

Oh for Pete’s sake! Now cemetery cell ping dude is friend of DJ? So implication is DJ hired him as a hit man? This questioning is driving me nuts.

Ridiculous, but I expected as much from this Defense. CBR is entitled to a one, but it doesn't make it easy to hear.

 

[californiagem]

Also very interesting is the substantial reward money being brought up. Insinuation is that he led them to the body for reward money, and not that he killed her.

 

[JudgeJoe]

Prosecution gettn feisty in tone & question:
Paraphrased:
“Did any of the other men you interviewed in this case tell you he put Mollie Tibbetts in his trunk & took her to the cornfield where she was found & covered her in cornstalks?” No…