In court on Wednesday, Rivera’s attorney said the government has “weighed in at the highest levels of predisposition that this young man Cristhian is guilty. But in our system of justice he is entitled to that presumption of innocence.”
Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been arrested in the death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. The 20-year-old jogger from Brooklyn, Iowa, was found dead the morning of August 21, more than a month after she went missing in a case that drew nationwide attention.
Rahn said the investigation is ongoing, but at this point Rivera is the only person to be charged. He said they were still speaking to other people and looking to finalize details about what happened.
Police said Cristhian Rivera is an undocumented immigrant and has lived in the Poweshiek County, Iowa, area for about four to seven years. He is originally from Mexico, but police did not say when he moved to the United States, according to The Associated Press.
In documents filed on Sunday and Monday, Rivera withdrew his former attorney, Allan Richards, as well as several motions Richards had filed. Instead, he will now be represented by Chad Frese and Jennifer Frese.
Chad Frese has practiced criminal law for 25 years and does criminal defense work, while Jennifer Frese has been a criminal defense lawyer for 10 years. 2. This isn't their first case together. Though they’ve worked together in the past, they’ve never worked a case like this.
In an interview, Frese defended his post and said he wasn’t giving an opinion; rather, he was speaking to the law, saying that anyone who is accused of a crime “is deserving of a full and fair defense. ” .
Richards had initially filed the motion before being dismissed. “It’s not something Chad and I would have requested if we were on the case initially, so that’s the reason we’re withdrawing it,” Frese commented.
Local 5 can verify: Bahena Rivera is being defended by Chad and Jennifer Frese, a private legal team based in Marshalltown.
So Local 5 can verify: I fBahena Rivera wants a speedy trial, it's within his rights under the Constitution. However, he's also allowed to waive that right and have a trial at a later date. Below is a June 2019 court document Bahena Rivera signed, waiving his right to a speedy trial. scribd.
In July, KCCI reported that the state of Iowa had paid more than $12,000 to hire an interpreter for Bahena Rivera. He is accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student, while she was on a run in Brooklyn, Iowa. Advertisement.
According to court documents, Rivera has no job. The only monthly payment he recorded was a $270 car payment per month. Through this forum, the courts found that he was indigent, or poor. In September 2018, the judge granted Bahena Rivera a stipend of $5,000 to hire investigators. In March 2019, he was granted a stipend of $3,200 for an expert.
In documents for appointing an interpreter, "a judge may charge some or all of the fees paid by the [State Court Administrator's Directive] or LPD for an indigent defendant's oral language interpreter to the defendant.".
Cristhian Rivera. Police said Cristhian Rivera is an undocumented immigrant and has lived in the Poweshiek County, Iowa, area for about four to seven years. He is originally from Mexico, but police did not say when he moved to the United States, according to The Associated Press.
Police obtained data from her electronic devices, including her cellphone and a FitBit fitness tracker, which they say assisted in the investigation. According to court documents, Rivera told police he “blocked” his “memory” from the moments after Tibbetts threatened to call police.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera worked at Yarrabee Farms for four years and was an employee in good standing, the farm told The Associated Press. The company told The AP it was shocked to learn Rivera had been charged in Tibbetts’ death.