Politics
Mollie Tibbetts murder trial starts almost 3 years after Cristhian Bahena Rivera ‘killed student & dumped body in field’
MOLLIE Tibbets’ trial begins today almost three years after her alleged killer Cristhian Bahena Rivera stabbed the student to death and dumped her body in a field.
Jury selection for the high-profile trial began on Monday morning in a Scott County courtroom in Iowa after proceedings were halted for several months as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mollie Tibbetts was brutally murdered in July 2018[/caption]
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a Mexican national who came illegally came to the US as a teenager, is charged with her murder[/caption]
Hundreds searched for Tibbetts in July 2018[/caption]
Rivera, a Mexican national who came illegally came to the US as a teenager, is charged with first-degree murder for the 2018 slaying of the 20-year-old University of Iowa student.
The 26-year-old will participate in the trial through a Spanish-speaking interpreter.
Lawyers for both sides on Monday began to whittle down the 175-person jury pool to 12 jurors and three alternates.
However, legal experts have claimed that ensuring a fair trial for the farmhand will be difficult after former President Donald Trump weighed in on the case.
Rivera was identified as a suspect a month after her disappearance[/caption]
The 26-year-old will participate in the trial through an interpreter[/caption]
Rivera had no previous criminal history[/caption]
Rivera, a father of one, was blasted by Trump as a criminal who exploited lax immigration laws and was used as an example by the ex-president as he pushed for harsher immigration policies ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Trump branded Rivera, who had no previous criminal history, as guilty almost immediately, with Iowa’s governor Kim Reynolds also calling him a “predator.”
The Republican family who housed Rivera reported they received death threats and a white supremacist group blanketed Iowa with robocalls calling for mass deportations.
The temperature cooled after Tibbett’s family spoke out about her death being used to promote immigration policies that she would have opposed.
They slammed politicians using immigrants as “scapegoats” and said they should be treated as “neighbors.”
The Associated Press noted that Rivera will face a jury that is mostly white and that takes place in a state which Trump carried in the 2020 election.
“This case has a double-edged problem with picking fair and impartial jurors. They can be overcome, but they are problems,” said former federal judge Mark Bennett.
Tibbetts was brutally attacked and killed in July 2018 while going for her routine run in the small, 1,700 person town of Brooklyn, Iowa.
Tibbetts was reported missing after she failed to return from a run[/caption]
She had been dogsitting for her boyfriend in Brooklyn, Iowa[/caption]
The 20-year-old was studying to become a child psychologist[/caption]
She never made it back to the house where she was dog sitting for her boyfriend and his brother.
The 20-year-old was studying to become a child psychologist.
Her disappearance sparked a massive search involving hundreds of law enforcement and volunteers.
Rivera was identified as a suspect a month later after surveillance video revealed a dark Chevy Malibu appearing to circle Tibbetts as she ran.
A deputy later spotted the farmhand driving in the town in the same vehicle.
Investigators interviewed Rivera at the dairy farm where he was working.
He initially denied involvement in her death.
Yet after hours of interrogation, he confessed to approaching Tibbetts as she ran, killing her in a panic when she threatened to call the cops, and hiding her body in a cornfield.
Rivera reportedly led police to the place where he had hidden her body under leaves.
A massive search was mounted after Tibbetts was reported missing[/caption]
An autopsy report revealed Tibbets died of sharp force injuries after she was stabbed.
The murder weapon has not been discovered but blood found in the trunk of Rivera’s vehicle matched Tibbetts’.
Bennett has described her as an extremely likable victim who “probably didn’t have an enemy in the world.”
He added that the jurors are also likely to question Rivera’s immigration status due to his use of an interpreter, even if the judge doesn’t allow mention of him being undocumented.
Legal experts told Associated Press that they believe jurors who admit a bias against noncitizens or non-English speakers could be disqualified.
They added that Trump supporters who remember his descriptions of Rivera as an “illegal alien” who killed “an incredible, beautiful young woman” may also be dismissed.
Tibbetts was allegedly approached by Rivera as she ran[/caption]
She allegedly threatened to call the cops before he attacked her[/caption]
Other jurors who may be dismissed include female runners scared by the crime and those who posted social media opinions about the highly-publicized case.
The trial had already been moved 100 miles away to Scott County after defense lawyers noted local residents had “very strong opinions” about Rivera’s guilt and Mexican nationality.
Rivera’s trial is expected to last two weeks.
Judge Joel Yates has said he expects jury selection will last at least two days with opening statements predicted to begin by Wednesday.
“That seems like a really short time for jury selection, given the issues this case raises,” said Iowa defense lawyer Dan Vondra.
“Jury selection is the best way that I have seen to get people to open up and talk about their background. If you limit that dialogue, that’s where you run into the risk of having a mistake made.”
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The trial has been barred from the public due to Covid restrictions but Judge Yates is allowing it to be live-streamed by media outlets.
If convicted, Rivera faces life in prison without parole.
Defense lawyers have not indicated what approach they will take.
