Mollie Tibbetts suspect's past begins to emerge as scrutiny expands

Show Caption Hide Caption Mollie Tibbetts murder suspect arrives in court Cristhian Bahena Rivera arrives at the Poweshiek County Courthouse for his first appearance after being charged with the murder of Mollie Tibbetts.

BROOKLYN, Ia. — Investigators looking into Mollie Tibbetts' disappearance say they have not discovered any evidence suggesting that she and murder suspect Cristhian Bahena Rivera knew each other.

Rivera, 24, a Mexican immigrant who for years lived and worked at Yarrabee Farms' cattle operation in rural Poweshiek County, made his first court appearance Wednesday. The farm's manager said that Rivera, who officials say was in the U.S. illegally, provided a different name and false identification before he started work.

Rivera's first interview with authorities came Monday, 33 days into the search for Tibbetts, 20, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt said Wednesday.

"His name hadn’t surfaced," Mortvedt said.

Investigators were provided video late last week from a resident's home surveillance system that briefly captured Tibbetts jogging July 18, the night she was last seen. It also showed a black Chevrolet Malibu passing through the same area two or three times around the same time that evening, Mortvedt said.

MORE: What we know about the man charged with Tibbetts' murder

After that, "it took hours upon hours of reviewing it" before officials could connect the vehicle to Rivera, who officials said is not the registered owner. Investigators said he led them to what is believed to be Tibbetts' body in the early-morning hours Tuesday.

Mortvedt declined to provide more details about the surveillance video or the investigation of the vehicle. Residents who live near the intersection monitored by the camera said the video didn't come from them.

Suspect's actions after abduction still being investigated

When Rivera was interviewed, Mortvedt said, he was cooperative and willing to speak with agents. Authorities used interpreters from another agency to speak with Rivera during the interview because he does not speak much English.

"There is nothing that we have come across as of yet that shows they had any type of relationship," he said. "And I don’t mean intimate dating — I mean friendship, acquaintance, what have you."

"He had mentioned, I believe, that he had seen her before. In what context — I don’t know if it was just in passing or had seen her in town somewhere, but it sounded like he at least had recognized her," he added.

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Now that Rivera has been identified and charged with a crime, Mortvedt said investigators will dig more deeply into his background, including social media, contacts in the area and his work and criminal history.

Mortvedt said officials do not anticipate filing additional charges against Rivera, but that decision will depend on where the evidence leads, and he cautioned there was still a large period of time unaccounted for.

"We want to account for everything that he did in that time leading up to the abduction (and) until he was in our custody yesterday," he said.

First degree murder charges filed in Mollie Tibbetts investigation Rick Rahn with Iowa DCI provides details on the murder suspect in the disappearance of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts.

Lawyer criticizes remarks about immigration

Rivera's lawyer, Allan Richards of Tama, said in court Wednesday that his client entered the U.S. as a minor. He disputed the claim that Rivera was in the U.S. illegally, after authorities said his client was an undocumented immigrant.

Richards said comments about Rivera's status could infringe on his constitutional right to a fair trial.

Richards wrote in a motion to bar media from court proceedings that "the Government knows Cristhian has legal status." He said Craig Lang, whose family owns Yarrabee Farms, "has verified that Cristhian is in this jurisdiction legally."

But that corroboration appeared to crumble later Wednesday, when Dane Lang — the manager of the farm and Craig Lang's son — told reporters at a news conference that "our employee was not who he said he was."

Lang said Rivera provided a state-issued government ID and Social Security number when applying for employment four years ago.

Family members checked the Social Security number using a government service, Lang said, but did not use E-verify.gov, which allows employers to check if the information provided by a prospective employee matches Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security records.

Rivera went by a different name at Yarrabee, Lang said. He did not provide the other name.

MORE: Farm owner says 'our employee was not who he said he was'

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Michael Bars told USA TODAY on Wednesday: "A search of records by USCIS revealed Rivera did not make any DACA requests, nor were any grants given. We have found no record in our systems indicating he has any lawful immigration status."

DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, protects from deportation undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.

State officials have deferred questions about Rivera's status to the federal government.

Rivera makes first court appearance in Mollie Tibbetts case Cristhian Bahena Rivera makes his first appearance at the Poweshiek County Courthouse after being charged with the murder of Mollie Tibbetts.

Rivera says little at first court appearance

After rejecting Richards' bid to hold secret proceedings in the case, a Poweshiek County magistrate set bond Wednesday for Rivera at $5 million in cash.

Rivera wore a black and white jail jumpsuit and participated in the hearing through a court interpreter, who spoke Spanish. He did not speak much, providing yes or no answers to questions and at one point asking to consult with Richards. Sheriff's deputies stood behind him.

A preliminary hearing on the murder charge was scheduled for Aug. 31.

Most of the observers in the courtroom declined to identify themselves or comment afterward.

President Donald Trump, Gov. Kim Reynolds and others have weighed in on Tibbetts' slaying, tying it to a debate over the nation's immigration laws. Richards pointed to those highly publicized comments in asking Magistrate Diane Crookham-Johnson to issue a gag order and keep reporters outside the courtroom.

"The coverage that’s out there is leaning all one way," Richards said. "And in fact the government has weighed in at the highest levels ... that this young man, Cristhian, is guilty."

The White House tweeted about the case during the Wednesday hearing. The White House post included video testimony of family members in other cases whose loved ones were killed by “repeat illegal alien” criminals.

For 34 days, investigators searched for 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts. Yesterday, an illegal alien, now charged with first-degree murder, led police to the cornfield where her body was found.



The Tibbetts family has been permanently separated. They are not alone. pic.twitter.com/BBskwHEJoU — The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 22, 2018

Richards urged the court to be fair to Rivera, saying his client has the equivalent of a seventh- or eighth-grade education.

Iowa assistant attorney general Scott Brown said that media coverage is routine in high-profile crimes in Iowa. Crookham-Johnson denied Richards' request for a closed hearing.

No announcement on autopsy findings

State agents said Tuesday that Rivera had described pursuing Tibbetts east of her hometown of Brooklyn while she was jogging the night she disappeared.

Following Rivera's interview with law enforcement, he led them to a body in a cornfield in rural Poweshiek County outside the town of Guernsey that authorities believe is Tibbetts. Authorities have not announced the findings of an autopsy.

More Mollie Tibbetts coverage:

Rivera told officials he exited his vehicle and started "running behind her and alongside her," according to a criminal complaint. Tibbetts grabbed her phone and told him she was going to call the police, according to the criminal complaint.

He then told officials that he "got mad" and panicked and blocked his memory, which happens when "he gets very upset," according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators believe Tibbetts was abducted around the 1900 block of 385th Avenue.

Rivera told investigators he doesn't remember anything after that until he arrived at an intersection, according to the complaint.

Rivera then told officials that he made a U-turn, drove to an entrance of a field, pulled into a driveway and drove into a cornfield, according to the complaint.

He then realized he had earpieces in his lap, which made him realize that Tibbetts was in the trunk, according to the criminal complaint.



