A judge denied a motion for a new trial from the man convicted of murder in the 2018 stabbing death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a farmhand who entered the United States illegally when he was a teenager, was convicted of first-degree murder on May 28 after a jury trial. Defense lawyers argued he was coerced into killing Tibbetts by masked agitators. Earlier in the month, Rivera’s attorneys suggested he be allowed a new trial as two separate witnesses alleged a man named Gavin Jones confessed to the murder.
Judge Joel Yates denied the motion on Monday, paving the way for Rivera to be sentenced on Aug. 30 for the grisly killing, according to documents filed in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Yates cited multiple “discrepancies” in the “versions of events” presented at the May trial and in the motion for a new hearing.
MURDER TRIAL OVER DEATH OF 20-YEAR-OLD MOLLIE TIBBETTS BEGINS
Prosecutors said Rivera stalked Tibbets in July 2018 while she was on a run in Brooklyn, Iowa, before stabbing her to death and leaving her corpse in a cornfield. The 20-year-old’s body was not recovered for a month after she was reported missing.
Rivera, a Mexican national now in his mid-20s, initially denied knowing about Tibbetts but then admitted seeing her on the night of her disappearance. Prosecutors also said Rivera said he found Tibbetts attractive and circled back to have another look at her.
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“He admits taking Mollie’s body out of the trunk. He admits seeing blood on Mollie’s body and neck,” Poweshiek County Attorney Bart Klaver said at the beginning of the trial in May. “He admits putting Mollie over his shoulder. He admitted taking Mollie into the field, placing her face up and putting corn stalks on her body, and then leaving.”
Tibbett’s death spurred national outcry, particularly with conservatives who oppose loosening immigration laws. At the time, the incident drew the attention of former President Donald Trump.
This “incredible young woman is now permanently separated from her family,” the 45th president said in 2018. “A person came in from Mexico illegally and killed her.”
