Crimeatorium
Part 4: The State of Iowa vs Cristhian Bahena Rivera | The Murder of Mollie Tibbetts
Fri, 10 Jan
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Part 4Before we begin, I want to take a moment to reflect on the life of Mollie Tibbetts, a young woman whose light touched everyone she met. Mollie Cecelia Tibbetts was born on May 8, 1998, in San Francisco, California, and raised in both San Francisco and Brooklyn, Iowa. She graduated from BGM High School in 2017 and was pursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Iowa, driven by her dream of becoming a child psychologist to help children struggling with mental health issues.Mollie loved life, and it showed in everything she did. She excelled in writing and speech, sharing her thoughts on complex topics like mental health and self-esteem. She made friends everywhere she went, and children adored her. She worked at a summer camp where her laughter and warmth left a lasting impression. She was a runner, a dancer, an actor, and a singer. But above all, Mollie was a young woman filled with kindness, ambition, and an undeniable joy for life.In July 2018, Mollie disappeared while on an evening jog near her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, sparking a massive search effort that united the community and drew nationwide attention. Sadly, her body was discovered weeks later.This episode covers the court trial in full, edited for length and clarity.Contact:[email protected] Blog for updates and insights:https://crimeatorium.com/blogSupport:Donations are appreciated, if you would like to help support the show, use the link below and buy me a burrito and a Diet Pepsi:http://Ko-fi.com/crimeatoriumFor $3 a month, you can support this show on Patreon, in return you will receive ad free, early, and bonus episodeshttps://www.patreon.com/crimeatoriumIf you like the podcast, please share it on social media and with friends, and take a minute to leave a review for Crimeatorium on Spotify, Podchaser or Apple Podcasts.https://www.crimeatorium.com/rate/Music:im Kulig (timkulig.com)Titles: Crimeatorium IntroLicensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0997280/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1Thank you for listening!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/crimeatorium9009/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Full Episode
Ms. Johnson, I want to take you back to the area in the cornfield that you examined. Let's go ahead and look at those photos we just admitted. 86 is on the screen. Do you see that? Yes, I do. Okay. Whenever we had you testify this morning, we had States Exhibit 27, which is now on the screen. That's a view into the corn near where Molly Tibbetts was found. Is that right? Yes, it is.
States Exhibit 86, which has just been admitted, is what view? This is the view facing back towards the gravel road facing north. Opposite direction of the photo we just viewed, is that correct? Correct. All right, and that distance again from this location back to the road is how far? Is it a little over 400 feet? 430, I believe it was. You did measure it with the wheel, is that right? Yes.
From where you stood at this location, could you see vehicles on the road? No. Could you see any persons on the road? No. Estates Exhibit 87 is what? This is the striped fabric that we feel was her underpants, a pair of underpants in the cornfield. And 87 is a photo of those underpants, correct? Correct. Did you collect the underpants, the headband, and the shorts as evidence? Yes, I did.
And were those transported back to the crime lab for any further analysis if that would have been needed? Yes, they were. State's Exhibit 44. There is an area here on the trunk liner that appears to be a blood stain. Would you agree? Yes, I do.
Okay. This area that appeared to be blood, you actually overlooked that at the Sallyport on that day. Is that right? Correct. We were able to collect that stain, though, two days later when the car was brought to the DCI lab? Yes. It's a reddish stain. I don't have a pointer on this view, but it's a reddish stain that we can see here on the rubber seal. Yes. That stain was collected when?
On the 22nd of August. Whenever the car was brought back to the crime lab, were the other items that we see here in the trunk, were those still there? Yes. Were they in, for the most part, the same position as you see them here in the photo? Yes.
Nothing else was added or taken away that you know of? We've talked to you a bit about how long you took to examine the Malibu on two different occasions. Whenever you were called out to the area where Molly Tibbetts was located, how long did you spend searching that area for any evidence or clues? We were there until at least lunch, so four or five hours.
Okay, and Jonna Berry was the person who assisted you at the field, is that right? Yes, she did. Okay, and was she with you on the time whenever you examined the Malibu at the Sally Porter at the garage at the sheriff's office in Montezuma? Yes, she was. And did she also assist you in the search of the Malibu on August 22nd of 2018? Yes, she did. At any time...
During your examination of the Malibu or the location where Molly Tibbetts was located, did you ever have access to any blood or bodily fluid of Molly Tibbetts? No. At this time, I have no further questions of Ms. Johnson. Thank you. Defense may cross-examine. Ms. Johnson, a couple questions. First of all, what does cross-contamination mean?
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