Killer Cases: Season 2, Episode 8

2 - 8: The Murder of Mollie Tibbetts

When 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts went missing during her regular evening jog, her disappearance was headline news. Police had few clues until a local resident shared his garage surveillance camera, which had captured a brief glimpse of Mollie running down the street and later a black car driving by. Following the lead, police moved quickly to arrest undocumented immigrant Cristhian Bahena Rivera who worked at a nearby dairy farm and charged him with murder. Under intense questioning, Rivera appeared to confess, although his story had strange gaps. But when it came time for trial, he pled not guilty, and his lawyers mounted a vigorous defense--accusing police of badgering him into a confession, casting suspicion on Mollie's boyfriend and presenting alternate theories of the crime.