Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, will spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole for the murder of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts.
“Mr. Bahena Rivera, you and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts, and for that, you and you alone will receive the following sentence,” Judge Joel Yates said as he handed down the lifetime sentence.
Rivera was convicted of first-degree murder in May. Video evidence presented at the trial showed Rivera stalked Tibbetts, who was out for a jog, from his car in 2018. He later led authorities to a cornfield where Tibbetts’ body was.
Autopsy reports showed Tibbetts had been stabbed to death. She was 20 years old.