The illegal alien accused of murdering 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts is hoping to hide his criminal record from jurors in the trial that begins May 17.
In August 2018, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 25-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with the murder of Mollie Tibbetts after police said he admitted to confronting and chasing down the young woman.
Following a nationwide search, Tibbetts’s body was found in a cornfield in Poweshiek County, Iowa. The illegal alien lived in a region of Iowa surrounded by sanctuary cities, Breitbart News reported. He worked on a dairy farm using a stolen ID and Social Security card after allegedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as a child.
Now, a week before trial, Bahena Rivera’s defense attorneys are requesting that the illegal alien’s criminal record, including his prior convictions, be withheld from evidence and not disclosed to jurors.
Likewise, the defense wants to make sure that jurors are not told about allegations against Bahena Rivera relating to his criminal record.
Meanwhile, prosecutors are hoping to bar the defense from showing photos to the jury of Bahena Rivera with small children, including his own.
For more than a year, Bahena Rivera’s defense has sought to have his alleged murder confession thrown out by claiming the illegal alien’s “constitutional rights” were violated when he spoke without understanding his Miranda Rights due to his “very limited Mexican education.”
According to prosecutors, Bahena Rivera was the last person who saw Tibbetts jogging on the evening of July 18 in Brooklyn, Iowa. She went missing later that night.
Bahena Rivera, according to police, said Tibbetts was jogging when he saw her. At that point, Bahena Rivera said he approached Tibbetts and began talking to her. After Tibbetts told Bahena Rivera she would call the police if he did not stop following her, the illegal alien allegedly chased her and “blacked out” after that.
Police believe Bahena Rivera stabbed Tibbetts to death, dumped her body in a cornfield, and placed corn stalks over her to prevent law enforcement from finding her. The illegal alien has been held on a $5 million bond.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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