An undocumented immigrant told police that he killed University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts in a moment of panic after she attempted to call for help on her cell phone, court papers show.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, a Mexican national who has lived in Iowa for at least four years, is being held on a first-degree murder charge in the brazen attack, officials said Tuesday. Tibbetts vanished July 18 while out for an evening jog.
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released a statement saying that it had “lodged a detainer” with the Poweshiek County sheriff’s office to hold Rivera.
