The Murder of Mollie Tibbetts: Court Trial Part 1 of 8
00:00Welcome to True Crime Stories with Crime-a-Trorian.Molly Cecilia Tibbetts was born on May 8, 1998 in San Francisco, California and raisedin both San Francisco and Brooklyn, Iowa. She graduated from BGM High School in 2017 and waspursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Iowa, driven by her dream of becoming a childpsychologist to help children struggling with mental health issues. Molly loved life and itshowed in everything she did. She excelled in writing and speech, sharing her thoughts oncomplex topics like mental health and self-esteem. Molly made friends everywhere she went andchildren adored her. She worked at a summer camp where her laughter and warmth left a lasting
01:09impression. She was a runner, a dancer, an actor, and a singer. But above all, Molly was a youngwoman filled with kindness, ambition, and an undeniable joy for life. In July 2018,Molly disappeared while on an evening jog near her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, sparking a massivesearch effort that united the community and drew nationwide attention. Sadly, her body wasdiscovered weeks later. This episode covers the court trial in full, edited for length and clarity.Committed as follows. Said defendant, on or about July 18, 2018, in Poweshiek County, Iowa,did murder Molly Tibbetts in violation of Iowa Code Section 707.1 and 707.2,subsection 1 subsection a a true information defendant entered a not
02:11guilty plea to the charge Thank You mr. clay mr. Claver on behalf of the stateof Iowa you may give your opening Molly Tibbetts this case is her story thiscase is a story of Molly's disappearance in the story of Molly's murder MollyMolly Tibbetts was 19 years old, going into her sophomore year at the University of Iowa.She was home for the summer, and home for Molly was Brooklyn, Iowa, a town of about1,400 people in Poweshiek County.Poweshiek County is located about midway between Des Moines and Iowa City.On July 18th, 2018, Molly was house-sitting for her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, and his brother
03:03Blake. They resided at 622 West Des Moines Street in Brooklyn. She was alsotaking care of the dogs while Dalton and Blake were out of town working. Theyworked construction. Dalton was in Dubuque, Blake was in Ames. Molly was an avidrunner, and she ran cross-country and track in high school. On July 18th, 2018, she put on hermulticolored neon running shoes and left the house. It was customary for Molly to run in the evenings,and that's what she did on July 18th, and she had her usual routes. One of those routes took her outa town on a gravel road on 385th Avenue. That's the route she took on July 18th, 2018.Shortly before 8 p.m. that night, Christina Stewart was traveling to her parents' farm
04:06to tend the horses, and she passed Molly on that road. Christina Stewart had known Mollysince Molly was a small child, and Christina Stewart was a hairstylist in town. She'd cutMolly's hair. She recognized Molly. And aside from Molly's killer, Christina Stewart was the lastperson to see Molly alive. Molly didn't show up for work the next day. She worked at a daycarein Grinnell, which was a few miles from Brooklyn. She'd worked there the summer before, and thiswas unusual for Molly. She was a no-call and a no-show. Her family hadn't been in touch with herthe night before or that morning. Dalton Jack hadn't been in touch with her. And they beganto call each other to find out where Molly was. They began to get worried. And that's
04:58when they contacted law enforcement. And that kicked off an exhaustive, intensive investigationspanning nearly five weeks. There were hundreds of people involved. Volunteers, local lawenforcement, fire departments, the DCI, FBI, and even Homeland Security, and theycanvassed the entire town of Brooklyn. They searched nearby fields and waterways,ditches, ponds. The sheriff even went up in a helicopter to search some of thelocal fields, and as the hours turned into days and days into weeks, every leadthey pursued came up empty after four weeks they were no closer to findingMolly than when they started but because of the resources and the investigation
05:52that the investigation had and the number of agents one of the things theywere able to do is collect the security camera footage and surveillance videofrom around the time frame and date and area Molly was last seen and as theagents meticulously went over this video on one of them from Dalton and BlakeJack on East Des Moines Street they saw a specter a silhouette of what appearedto be a jogger in the time and the area Molly was last seen as they scoured thatvideo for any other clue as to Molly's disappearance they noticed a certainvehicle appearing again and again and again on that video it's a black Chevy
06:44Malibu now that's a common make and model but this one was unique thisvehicle had non-standard rims it had chrome door handles and it had chromemirrors. But shortly after this vehicle was identified as a vehicle of interestin the case, Poweshiek County Deputy and Investigator Steve Kibbe was drivinghome on Interstate 80 when he saw a black Chevy Malibu with the chrome sidemirrors. So he followed that vehicle and he approached the driver when it stopped.Driver didn't speak much English and so he had the help of a neighbor to speakto the driver. Driver identified himself with the birth certificate as Christian
07:34Bahena Rivera, the defendant. As Deputy Kivy continued to speak with thedefendant, he learned that the defendant worked at Yarrabee Farms, which was alocal dairy farm in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Because of the language barrier,Deputy Kivy wasn't able to gain much other information from the defendant. Hetook pictures of the defendant, he took pictures of the vehicle, and he endedthat encounter. Not long after that, law enforcement decided they wanted to speakwith the defendant further, and on August 20th, 2018, they went to Yarrabee Farms tofind the defendant, speak with him, and canvas the area. They did find the
08:20defendant that day, in the afternoon, spoke with the defendant, asked if he'ddo an interview, to which he agreed. That interview took place at the PoweshiekCounty Sheriff's Office. Now the defendant is a native Spanish speaker,and so Pamela Romero, an Iowa City police officer, also a native Spanish speaker,was enlisted to conduct that interview.The interview went on for several hours.They talked about where the defendant was from,who his family was, who his friends and associates were,
08:56where he worked.And the defendant admitted at that timethat he drove a black Chevy Malibu.He was the only person that drove that black Chevy Malibu.And then they started talking about Molly Tibbetts.and what he knew about her disappearance.And at first, the defendant denied knowing anything about Molly's disappearance,except what he'd seen around town with the flyers and news reports.
09:25And then he was showed a still photograph from that surveillance video.It was then that the defendant relented on his story,and he admitted that he had seen Molly the night she disappeared.He admitted that he found her attractive, that she was hot, in his words.And he admitted after he saw her the first time, he circled back to take a second look.Early in the morning on August 21st, 2018,Deputy Kivy, Officer Romero, and the defendant went to a cornfield off of 460th Avenue2478 in rural Poweshiek County near the Poweshiek County and Iowa County line.
10:19This particular field had a gate and a long grassy ingress or drive thatstretched more than 50 yards into the corn. Defendant was interviewed again atthat location and it was there that he made further admissions. He admitted thathe'd seen Molly the night she disappeared July 18th 2018 he admittedthat he followed her and he got out of his car he admitted to jogging to catchup with her that he wanted to get close to her he admitted that Molly didn'twant to have anything to do with him that she threatened to call the policeand he admitted he became angry at that time he admitted to fighting with her
11:08And then he says the next thing that he remembersHe's driving in his car to MalibuAnd he notices Molly's earbudsAnd he remembers that Molly is in his trunkHe admits taking Molly's body out of the trunkHe admits seeing blood on Molly's body and neckHe admits putting Molly over his shoulderHe described the body as someone who had fainted.
11:39He admitted taking Molly into the field, placing her face up, and putting corn stalks on her body, and then leaving.Law enforcement searched the field off of 460th Avenue, and they found a body, decomposed beyond all recognition,wearing multicolored neon running shoes.An autopsy was done of the body.Identity was confirmed as Molly Tibbetts.Body was examined and determined that Molly had been stabbedanywhere from 7 to 12 times.In the chest, near the ribs, in the neck, and in the skull.
12:30The medical examiner determined that the cause and manner of death was homicide by sharpforce injury.The defendant's vehicle was searched, the Chevy Malibu, and blood was found on the trunkliner and in the trunk.Analysis was done of that blood, DNA analysis, and it was matched to the DNA taken from thebody.was Mollie's blood in the defendant's Chevy Malibu.Ladies and gentlemen, this is what I expect the evidence in this case to show.
13:08And when you go back in your deliberations,I'd like you to focus on the three primary aspects of the state's evidencethat point to the defendant as Mollie Tibbetts' killer.The first is a video, the video that shows the defendant's black Chevy Malibuin the time and the area where Molly was last seen.Combine that with the defendant's admissions,that he was the only one that drove that vehicle,and that he was alone that night.
13:41Second aspect of the state's evidence for you to focus onis Molly's blood in the defendant's Malibu.And the third are the defendant's admissions,His admissions, that he saw Molly, that he found her attractive, that he ran alongside her, that Molly threatened to call the police, that he became angry, that he fought with Molly, that he drove to the field at 2478 460th Avenue, the field with the gate and the long ingress into the corn close to the county line.that he remembered molly being in the trunk that his admissions of taking molly's bloody bodyout of the trunk putting her on his shoulder taking her into the field leaving her therecovering her with corn stalks ladies and gentlemen when you examine this evidence togetherthere can be no other conclusion than that the defendant killed molly tibbets
14:45And I'll ask you to return a verdict, the only verdict that the evidence demands, that you find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree.Thank you.Thank you, Mr. Claver.Does the defense elect to give their opening at this time?Your Honor, we will defer our opening to the conclusion of the state's case.Thank you.The record will so reflect.Please state your name for the record.
15:11Blake Jack.And where do you live?622 West Des Moines Street in Brooklyn how long have you lived at 622 WestDes Moines Street in Brooklyn three and a half years do you live there currentlywith anyone else yep my wife hey what's your wife's first nameAllie how long have you been married since 2019 of August if I probably wasgonna ask your anniversary date that's okay but do you also have children yeswe do all right and how many kids do you guys have we've got one son Brayson and
15:42we have another one on the way all right back in July of 2018 were you alsoresiding at 622 West Des Moines in Brooklyn yes and who was living with youat that point in time well at that time was my fiance but still Ali my brotherDalton and his girlfriend Molly and let's take a look at some exhibits hereI'm going to put Exhibit 4 on the screen.Can you see that?Yep.Okay.
16:12On the left side of this Exhibit 4, which has been admitted into evidence, it says 622 West Des Moines Street.Do you see that?Yep.Is that where you reside?Yes.All right.And is this generally what town are we here?Is on the map?
16:26Brooklyn.All right.Mr. Jack, where is it that you are employed?I'm self-employed.own my own construction company hey how long have you had that constructioncompany going on three years came do you have other employees yes okay how manyright now we have six full-time employees do you have siblings I do twobrothers Dalton and Randy okay and is Dalton older or younger Dalton's younger
16:53he's three years younger than me and how about Randy Randy's three years youngerthan him so six years younger than me so you're the oldest I'm the oldest of theboys yep prior to her death uh mr jack did you know molly tibbets yeah i knew her from just beingmy brother's girlfriend and she'd come to family events and got to know her a little bit morewhenever she started living with us part-time when dalton moved in with me and my wife so yeahhow long had dalton lived with you and ally prior to july of 2018 do you remember well we bought thehouse in october and he moved in pretty much as soon as we bought the house we did some smallremodel projects before he moved in but shortly after we moved in he moved in with us as well
17:35he moved in october of 2017 is that yes yes all right and did you get to know molly over thattime period while she and dalton uh dated yeah i mean that was probably the you know whenever theywhen she lived with us that was the busiest time of year for me so i wasn't at home all the timeBut they would eat dinner with us occasionally.Their room was upstairs and our room was downstairs, so we kind of kept our separate areas.They were constantly in their room and stuff.So we ate dinner together, got to know her pretty well, got to know her family a little bit and stuff.I knew her brothers from sports, and I coached them and stuff.
18:09So where were you employed in the summer of 2018?I was self-employed at that time.I was working on a basement finish job.we were finishing out a basement over a new house over in newton at that time so did you own yourown construction business back in 2018 yep i did all right and the week of july 16th which wouldinclude july 18th where were you physically located i would go to the job site in newtonand my wife who worked for a seed corn company was staying up in ames as a field inspector ata hotel there with the rest of her colleagues and so i would go up there and stay with her
18:48in those couple of days during that week. Okay. We'll talk to you a little bit more in detailabout what you were doing that week. But as of July of 2018, did you know any person namedChristian Bahena-Rivera? No. Have you ever met anyone that you recall that had that name? No.To your knowledge, Mr. Jack, had Dalton Jack or Molly Tibbetts ever mentioned the name Christianbahena rivera no let's talk more specifically about the week of july 18th okay yep so i knowyou've told us you were working but i want to direct your attention back to that weekwhen was it that you left town to go to newton uh to work on this construction job that you'vealready described i was working there every day we'd been we were probably midway through the
19:38process of that remodel or that finish in that basement so i was going there every day for workEven weeks before that and weeks after that.Okay, so were you traveling to Newton and then coming home in the evening,or did you stay over that week?That week I stayed those two days with my wife in Ames.But primarily I was coming home in the weeks prior.I mean, if I had a softball game, I'd come back home for softball,which was Mondays and Fridays.
20:04But that week I was staying with my wife in Ames.Okay.What was the plan with regard to your houseand who was going to be there while you were gone well the plan was for molly to watch the dogsi didn't know until monday night that dalton wasn't going to be whether he was traveling todubuque which for him to be on the road was pretty common at that time so all i asked molly to do wasjust let the dogs in and out so what was the practice with the dogs um whenever you when therewas nobody home where would you put them we'd put them in the basement and the reason we did that is
20:39we have an old four square farmhouse and the basements you know just a regular four squarefarmhouse basement concrete floor but it's not finished and then all the utilities and stuffare down there toby our younger dog had epilepsy and so when he had if he would have a seizureepisode when we were not around he would soil himself and and we didn't want that up above inthe living space so to prevent any of that big messes to clean up we'd put him in the basementSo what was the plan that week then with regard to you and Dalton and Molly?What were the arrangements that were made?I mean, there wasn't any drawn-out real arrangements.
21:15It's just that I asked Molly to let the dogs out while I was goneand just told her I was staying with Allie and Ames.That was really the only, you know, it wasn't a formal arrangement by any means,but that was just kind of what we decided upon just because I was going to be gone.And with Dalton being out of town, she had no problem.She had some stuff there anyway, so it wasn't a big inconvenience for her to come let them out.When was the last time that you saw Molly Tibbetts alive?Monday.
21:37I don't remember the day, whatever that Monday was before she went missing.Okay.So that would have been July 16th, if Wednesday, July 18th was when she went missing.Is that right?16th, yeah.So how was it that you got to Newton?I drove there.All right.
21:53Did you have any communication at all, Mr. Jack, on Monday or Tuesday with Molly Tibbettsthat you have not already described to us?No.Did you have any communication with your little brother, Dalton Jack, on Monday or Tuesday that you haven't already told us?No.By the way, when did he tell you that he was going to be working in Dubuque?I can't remember exactly.It had probably been Tuesday because that was the day I was going to go up to see Allie to be sure.
22:23I wanted to be sure the dogs were going to be taken care of.And was it your understanding that Dalton then was going to be out of town for the remainder of the week?Right.He said he was going to be out of town for, it might have been a couple weeks, so.I want to now direct your attention to Thursday, July 19th of 2018.Did you receive any contact from Dalton Jack?He called me right as I was wrapping up with work for the dayand just asked me to, when I got home, to check on Molly and to see what was going on.
22:54Said he hadn't heard from her and that she called in sick for work.Or that she hadn't called in sick, but that she hadn't been at workand that work called him to see where she was at.All right, so do you remember when you got that phone call from Dalton Jack?Yeah, I was on the job site at noon.It was about 4.30 in the afternoon, because that's about the time we always wrap up every day.And was that the first that you had heard that Molly Tibbetts may be missing?Yes, yeah.
23:22And that was from Dalton?From Dalton.At the time, what were your plans on that Thursday at 4.30?Were you going to come home that evening?What were your plans?I had to go help Allie with her car because she forgot her car keys.But my plan was still to come home afterwards, yes.So after receiving this communication from Dalton Jack that Molly had not been heard from,
23:44did you get any other phone call from him between helping Allie get her phone keys and driving home to Brooklyn?No.Any text messages or phone calls, anything like that?I'm not suggesting there are, but any communications you can remember?No, not that I can remember.All right. So after receiving this communication from Dalton Jack, what did you and Allie then do?So I got home and as I'm pulling into town, two of her friends were driving around and kind of half flagged me down and just asked me if I'd seen her.And I said I hadn't seen her, but I'm going to the house right now to check on her.
24:18Just at that point, I was still assuming that she'd probably just be there or whatever.You know, I didn't know when in the house she wasn't there.Hang on a second. I'll get to that.okay so so the two friends uh where was it they flagged you down that would be north orchardstreet which is just around the corner from my house okay so so they were on this on the sidewalkor street no they were driving they were in a car i got you okay so um and then you stopped andtalked to them yep and after that you went where went back to the house to or went to the houseso whenever you arrived back at 622 west des moines do you remember what time you got there
24:53not the exact time no probably if I left Newton and help out with her car likesix o'clock but it was still light outside still light outside in themiddle of summer so whenever you arrived back at 622 West Des Moines was anyoneelse present no and did you go into the house yes all rightmr. Jack whenever you went into the house did you notice anything unusualabout any entryway was there any any sign of that was unusual no any broken locks broken windowsanything like that no okay and how was it that you got into your house that day if you can recallwell i just walked in the door we don't lock the doors in our small town so okay so the door wasn't
25:36even locked no okay so whenever you walk in uh anything out of the ordinary in in the housethat you saw? No, everything pretty much just as we left it. Where were the dogs? The dogs were inthe basement. Was that one of the first things that you did whenever you got into the housewas to get the dogs? Yep. Pretty much anytime anybody comes home, you go down there and getthem, you know, let them upstairs. Did you happen to go up to the room that Molly shared with Daltonwhenever she was with him? Yeah, I went up there to check and see if she was in there and she wasn'tin there. After checking the house, did you check with any of your neighbors to see if they had seenor heard anything? Yes, I went over to the neighbors to the west and just checked and see if they had
26:20heard or seen anything. Who did you talk to, do you recall? Jeff and Michelle Hall. Okay. Had theyseen or heard anything? No. Did you talk to other neighbors or other people in the area? Yeah, I wenta couple blocks away to another neighbor so who was it what was his name nate hopwood and did youlearn any information from nate hopwood well we asked about the cameras and he said to us thatthey were not working because of a storm what what cameras there's a couple cameras on theoutside one kind of like faces the road and the parking lot on one side and that's the one we werekind of hoping to get access to that's the only one i could see from my house but that those werenot operative yeah according to him did nate hop could indicate he had seen molly running the
27:07evening before i can't remember okay is there anybody else that you talked to just uh at thatpoint molly's friends were over there and we're kind of brainstorming trying to figure out whereshe might be and then at at some point after kind of you know doing our best to track her down wedecided just to call law enforcement so how many of molly's friends had come over to your houseto assist you in trying to find her the two girls were there pretty much right away but then thereseemed like there was other kids just keep kept showing up it's more i mean there was two otherboys i know driving around in a truck and talking to people and but i don't remember how many exactlycame over but there was several did you start to become worried i was worried just that i didn't
27:53have any inkling of what happened but i was kind of worried that she wasn't answering her phoneand didn't have contact there was a big storm the day before like a tornado that went throughmarshall town so we didn't know if maybe something that had something to do with it that was honestlymy first thought was that maybe she got caught in the storm or something okay while you were homeand after you checked with the neighbors to see if they'd seen anything did ally come over yeahshe came home a couple hours later she came back from ames did you ever call molly's phone oh wecalled it a whole bunch of times you know just always trying to get through to her and you knowher friends did the same thing yes we tried facebook snapchat and everything okay and no
28:34response no response all right before we finish this up uh mr jack were you familiar becausemolly had stayed with you with what her running habits were not exact like where she went but iknow she ran all the time and when i would see her generally be like coming back home from workI'd see her running down the street parallel with where we live,and then I'd see her scatterings around town.I mean, she ran pretty much everywhere.Was Molly a runner in high school?Yeah, she was in track and cross country, I think.
29:09And generally speaking, what would Molly wear whenever you would see her go out for runs?Shorts, jogging shoes, either like a tank top or a sports bra,and she always had the iPod thing that holds her phone for music and stuff.Prior to going to your job in Newton this week, that included July 18th of 2018,did you notice anything unusual in the relationship between Dalton Jack and Molly Tibbetts?No.Did they seem to be getting along?Yes.
29:46I don't think she would be staying at our house if they weren't getting along.Okay.That's all the questions I have for Mr. Jack.Thank you.Thank you, Mr. Brown.Defense made cross-examined.Sir, I've got a few questions for you.It sounds like when you heard about Molly Tibbett being missing that it concerned you.
30:07Is that right?Yes.Do you remember that phone call?From Dalton, yes.Do you remember where you were?Yes, I was in Newton.Did you get a pit in your stomach right away when you heard that?I mean, I was just a little bit nervous for him, but wasn't thinking it was anything to be terribly concerned about until I got home.
30:25You'd agree with me that Molly isn't the type of person that would just, you know, go off the radar for a day or two.Oh, absolutely not. She was always attached to her phone.She took pride in showing up to work every day. Is that right?Yes.She was a very conscientious employee at the daycare that she worked at. Is that right?Yes.She enjoyed her job and enjoyed being a presence in her children's life, or not her children,but the children's life. Is that right? Yep. And so it was unusual that she would just not
30:56show up to work. Is that correct? Correct. Now, it sounds like just about as soon as you foundout about this, you tried to get yourself back to Brooklyn. Is that correct? Yes.The first thing that was done is a group of friends kind of gathered together to see ifthey could locate molly is that right when i got back yeah yep you talked about facebook andsnapchat and different location uh ways to track her is that right yeah i don't do snapchat but ifyou could enlighten me a little bit there's something that's called location services isthat right as far as like the map thing i'm yeah yeah essentially if you are a friend or anacquaintance on Snapchat, you can see that person's location. Is that correct? Yes. Did you
31:46use Snapchat at that point in time? I have Snapchat, but I don't think I had her as a friend,but her friends that were with us did. And so one of the first things that was done is to kind oflook and see if they could see Molly's location. Is that correct? Yep. Because it would be prettyusual that their friends would be able to see exactly where she was. Is that right? Yeah,I would think so. I mean, it just depends on whether you have the ghost mode on or whatever,but yeah. Now, as soon as you were not able to find Molly, the police were called. Is thatcorrect? Correct. You were asked to give a couple of different interviews. Is that right? Yes. Ithink on July 20th, so the day after she went missing, you were asked to interview. Is that
32:30correct? Correct. Where was that interview at? One was down at the municipal building in Brooklynand the other was at the fire department in Brooklyn.And those are pretty soon after Molly went missing, is that correct?Yeah, one was like the day or day after,and then the next one was later on in the week after we'd been searching for a while.Be fair to say that you were cooperative with any investigation techniquesthat law enforcement wanted to utilize with you, is that right?Yes.
33:00So if they wanted you to come in for another interview, you were happy to do that, is that right?Yes.They also asked you to do a polygraph.Is that right?I'm on a Jax.I'm on a Jax.This is state.Sir, were you ever asked to give a swab of your DNA?
33:19No.Not that I can think of.Another thing that law enforcement did is they asked for different devices that you had.Is that right?Yes.And you were cooperative with providing those devices to law enforcement.Is that right?Yes.
33:33In fact, I think you said, here's my cell phone, take it and you can run anything on it that you need.Is that right?Yes.So anything, any messages or anything that were on that phone were voluntarily provided to law enforcement.Is that correct?Yes.You and Dalton are both avid hunters.Is that right?
33:55Yes.What do you hunt?Deer, pheasants, turkeys primarily.Does Dalton also hunt deer?Yes.Pheasants?Yes.Turkeys?
34:06Yep.You two hunt together?Yes.I would assume that it's not unusual for your home to have guns that you use to hunt with.Is that correct?Correct.What kind of guns would those be?Rifles and shotguns.
34:23You also had a .357 at your home.Is that right?Yep.another thing you don't use the knives and i guess in hunting but when when if you catch aor not catch if you shoot a deer you would use the knife to gut the deer is that rightyep field dress it yep would it be fair to say that you've got several different knives in yourresidence yes same with dalton dalton had a couple yeah you two would generally hunt together fairlyregularly is that right during season i mean we both we bow hunted together that was kind of our
34:57our favorite thing to do and then we'd shotgun hunt with our family we have a group that goesevery first season shotgun molly and dalton did have their problems isn't that rightnot that i'm aware of there was issues with him cheating on her with another womannot that i'm aware of so you're not aware of any problems involving thatNo, but I'm sure he wouldn't be the first 18-year-old to cheat on his girlfriend.Dalton was also known for having some anger problems.Can you elaborate on that?He was known to get into fights at school.
35:38No.You don't know anything about Dalton having any anger problems?No.State's next witness is Dalton Jack.Can you please state your name for the record?I am Dalton Jack.And currently, Mr. Jack, how are you employed?I am employed by the United States Military and the Army.
35:58Okay, what is your current duty station with the Army?Fort Bragg, North Carolina.And in what branch of the Army, or what's your assignment within the Army?I am in the 82nd Airborne Division as a sergeant, team leader.Say that again?Team leader, I guess.be my official M2 position. When did you join the Army? November of 2018. November 6 is my officialdate. And whenever you joined the Army, obviously you went to basic training, right? Yes. When was
36:32it that you were assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg? April of 2019. What'syour job within the military? What do you do day to day? I'm a team leader, so I have four soldiersunderneath me that i take care of and leave pretty much how old are you i am 23 years oldtell the jury tell the jury where it is mr jack that you grew up i grew up in brooklyn iowado you live anywhere else other than brooklyn iowa growing up there was uh like a year anda half or so that we lived in lynnville iowa but we continued to go to brooklyn schoolsokay and where did you go to high school BGM Brooklyn high school what year didyou graduate 2016 your brother is Blake yes you have another brother correct yes
37:22what's his name Randy all right and what's your parents names Brian andCindy growing up mr. Jack did you participate in sports in high school yeswhenever you were in high school did you know Molly Tibbetts yes I did all rightDid you date at all while you were in high school?No, we didn't.Well, yeah, we started dating my senior year after a football game.Okay.And where was Molly Tibbetts in relation to your high school class?
37:51What class was she in?She was one grade below mine.How long had you known Molly Tibbetts while you were in high school?Did you know her all her life?I mean, everybody knows each other in Brooklyn High School.We graduated with a class of, like, 50 people.So everybody knows everybody.Yeah.
38:08After graduation, Mr. Jack, what did you do with regard to school?I went to Hawkeye Community College for a year and then decided that wasn't for me pretty much.Where is Hawkeye Community College located?It is in Waterloo, Iowa.And what did you study there generally?Sustainable construction and design.So you have the same interest in construction as your brother Blake?Yes.
38:32What are your plans, by the way, once you get out?Are you going to get out of the Army at some point in time?Do you have plans to come back to Iowa?I don't know if I'm going to get out of the Army anytime soon, so I haven't really thought about it.Okay.So the Army right now is your career?Yes.After your year at Hawkeye Community College, what did you decide to do with regard to schooling?
38:52I elected to not go back to school and instead go to work.And whenever you came back from college, where did you move to?I moved back to Brooklyn, Iowa, and then started working at Jasper Construction.So where did you live then when you moved back to Brooklyn?Initially, when I moved back, I lived with my parents.And then where did you move to?I moved to 622 West Des Moines with Blake.Moved in with your brother?
39:20Yes.All right.You had mentioned earlier that you had first started dating Molly Tibbetts in high school.Is that right?Yes.how long did you guys date continuously about three years is there any breakups in that threeyears no i'm going to show you a photo i've shown you before what's on the screen mr jack isstate's exhibit number one who is that person uh that is molly and this picture do you actually
39:54recognize this photo uh yes i'm actually standing behind the camera when she took this okaySo is this one of her senior pictures?Yes.Is this the way Molly appeared?This may be a little bit younger, but just before her death?Yes.So after you graduated high school and went to Hawkeye, did you and Molly continue to date?Yes.
40:15Did you have a relationship with Molly's parents?I knew them, yeah.Okay.And would you see them often whenever they were around Molly?Before this whole situation happened, I'd never met Rob before in my life, but I'd met Laura, yes.Okay, that's Rob didn't live in Iowa. Is that right? No, he lived in CaliforniaOkay, and Laura who is Molly's mother lived still lived in Brooklyn. Yes, so you would obviously see her more frequently. YesMr. Jack whenever you and Molly were seeing each other how tell us how you would typically communicate
40:46We would communicate through snapchat and text messages. Okay, and did you use both of those platforms fairly often? Yesdid you know molly's phone number back in july of 2018 yes can you tell us what it is641-510-1065 you still remember that yes all right were there any other ways that you wouldcommunicate with her like on twitter facebook or any any of those other platforms i don't have anyof those other platforms how would you describe molly's personality she was always happy bubblygoofy just like to have fun pretty much i guess and having spent that time around molly the threeyears that you described to us did you learn what her running habits were yes and tell us about thoseshe would run pretty much anywhere from one to six miles almost every day depend like barring
41:41some extreme weather she would go on a run every day and typically would she run at any particularor time of day? She'd run later in the evening when it started to get cooler. Okay and was thatparticularly the so whenever summer was in full swing? Yes. Were you familiar with the type ofclothing or equipment that she would run with? Yes she would. Hang on just a second. As it relatesto her clothing what typically what type of clothes would she run in? She would run in shortsand a sports bra sometimes like a like one of those cut off muscle shirts I guess that shestole from my closet and then uh an armband to keep her her phone in and then she had somewireless earphones okay for music okay those wireless earphones were those a gift from you
42:27yes all right how what would she do with her hair typically wear it up wear it up how like aponytail i suppose okay would she ever wear any type of headband or headgear yeah yeah sometimesI know she had some, but okay, that's fine.Did she also have any other type of timing devices that she would wear with her?She wore a Fitbit as well.All right.Mr. Jack, I want to direct your attention back to the week that includes Wednesday, July 18th of 2018.You remember that week.
43:01Is that right?Yes.During that time frame, where were you working?I was working in Dubuque, Iowa.Okay, for who?Jasper Construction.And tell us what type of construction that Jasper does.Civil construction, roads and bridges.
43:15Okay, and how long have you been working for them?About two years.Okay, have you been working full or part-time?I've been working full-time.All right.Was this both during and after you left Hawkeye Community College?I worked for them part-time during, and then after I went back to full-time,but I worked for them full-time the summer before I went to Hawkeye as well.
43:35All right.And typically with Jasper construction, the jobs, would they require travel?Yes.Would they require overnight stays?Yes.What other places would Jasper have sent you other than Dubuque?I went down to pretty much the Missouri border, and we built a bridge down there.Burlington, been down there a few times.
43:55And Des Moines all the time.And then there were some other ones, but they escape my memory right now, I apologize.So the week of that would have included Wednesday, July 18th, where was the job?It was in Dubuque.Okay.So would you have gone with a crew of people?Yes.All right.
44:14The week that included July 18th, Wednesday, July 18th, did you leave to go to a job near Dubuque?Yes, I did.Okay.What day of the week did you leave?Monday.Okay.So Monday would be July 16th of 2018?Checks out, yes.
44:31All right.And how was it that you got to Dubuque?I drove my own personal vehicle up there.Did anyone else from Jasper Construction or any other person, for that matter, go with you?Yes.Luis, and I can't remember his last name, I'm sorry.He rode with me up there.He was one of your coworkers?
44:48Yes.And what time would you have arrived Monday in Dubuque, if you recall?Well, we would have left at like 3 in the morning, so like 5.30, 6.Okay.And was it Monday or Tuesday that you went up to Dubuque?Do you remember?I went up on Monday.Okay.
45:05Did you work then all day Monday?Yes.And where was it that you stayed in Dubuque, if you recall?I don't recall the name of it, but it was a motel in Dubuque.And would the rest of the road crew have stayed there with you?Yes.Who was your job supervisor, do you recall?Nick Wilson.
45:22While you were in Dubuque, did you have communication with Molly Tibbetts?Yes.How frequently?As frequently as I looked at my phone, I suppose.Even while you were working on the job, did you have your cell phone with you?Yes.Would you communicate with Molly by text or Snapchat while you were working?Yes, depending on what I was doing.
45:46Where was Molly working at the time?She was working for a daycare in Grinnell.Where specifically in Grinnell? Do you remember?The Grinnell Hospital.And was that full-time work for her?Yes.So while you were in Dubuque, where was your brother Blake?Blake would have been at his own job site in I.E. Newton?
46:05I think it was Newton.Okay, he wasn't in Brooklyn.No.And where was Molly staying, if you know?Molly would have been staying at my brother's house.It was part of her, I wouldn't say really a job, but we'll call it that, to help take care of the dogs?Yes.And was she house-sitting, for lack of a better term?
46:25For lack of a better term, yes.so i want to now direct your attention to wednesday july 18th what was your work daylike on that if you remember on wednesday uh same old show up and then we were doing a bridgereplace not a bridge replacement a joint replacement on the bridge that goes over themississippi river so it was actually we were forming at the time everything was alreadybroken out we were setting up forms to repour those joints so you're talking about pouringconcrete? Yes. Okay so do you remember about what time you would have gotten to work on WednesdayJuly 18th? 5 30 or 6 just like every other day. Okay so early in the morning? Yes. Was there some
47:08weather issues on on July 18th? No not on the 18th. Okay were there weather issues at other timesduring the week while you were on that job? On the 19th we got rained out. So on the 18th do youremember what time you got back from work about six at night 6 p.m what did you do whenever yougot back to the hotel in Dubuque on July 18th around 6 p.m just drank beers with the guys andhung out okay did you come back to Brooklyn for any reason no would you even have a chance toreally do that no did you have any communication directly with Molly on the evening of July 18th2018 i had snapchatted her but uh she had not replied okay so do you remember when that's whenyou sent her a snapchat i don't remember the exact time of when i sent her a snapchat what
47:59time would you have gone to bed on july 18th of 2018 relatively early granted how early we wokeup in the morning all right and did you receive a snapchat from molly that evening uh the lastsnapchat that i received from her yeah what yes yeah when did you actually open that snapchatthe like the next day okay and so that you can a snapchat describe to the jury how that workswhenever you receive a snapchat from someone how is it that you receive that message and how doyou open it uh snapchat you get to open it and then uh it's set on a timer as soon as like 10seconds or whatever the person that sent it uh elapses it just disappears and you can't reopenit and whatever snapchat you received from molly whether whatever time it was had it been sent
48:51earlier yes did you just ignore the message or did you not get it or can you explain that for usthat probably just didn't even look at my phone okay what were you doing on the evening of uhjuly 18th after you got back to the hotel uh like i said we was uh drinking beers with the friendsof the crew and we were all hanging out okay so whenever you're hanging out are you doing otherthings yeah we were playing like yard games okay and whatever you're talking about how many peopleon the the crew were there that would have been around you the evening of july 18th there wasactually two crews working conjunction on that job so it would have been like 15 20 people orsomething like that is and we're all 15 or 20 of this of the crew out at the motel uh having fun
49:37and doing these types of things that you described?Not every single one of them, but there was a good probably 10 or 12 of us out there.Okay.Was there any bad weather on the evening of July 18th that would have rained out that party at all?Not that I remember, no.Okay.And do you remember what time you went to bed on July 18th of 2018?I do not remember what time I went to bed.
49:56Okay.Did you ever leave Dubuque?No.All right.Would you have had a roommate while you were at the hotel in Dubuque?Yes.Do you know who that is?Brandon Gordy.
50:06Other than what you've described, Mr. Jack, did you have any other communication with Molly directly?No.The next day, so Thursday, let's move to that, July 19th, did you send Molly a message in the morning?Yes, I sent her the same good morning message that I always send her.And what is that good morning message?Good morning, beautiful, and then like a kissy face or something like that.Okay.What platform would you have used to send that information?
50:34I would have texted that.Okay.Did you receive any response from her?No.Was that unusual?I didn't even notice.Okay.So you sent her the message, and then where'd you go?
50:45To work.Before we move on, I wanted to step back to the night before, okay?Let's talk about that.On Wednesday night, did you open a Snapchat from Molly Tibbetts?Do you recall doing that?I don't remember, no.Do you remember telling the police that you opened it at a certain time?No.
51:05Okay.So would reviewing, I've had you review your reports prior to testifying, is that right?Yes.Would reviewing those reports help refresh your memory?Yes.All right, may I approach to do that, please?You may.Thank you.
51:19This is page six, third, fourth paragraph.Does that help refresh your memory?Yes.Okay, so I'll ask again, Mr. Jack, had you opened a Snapchat from Molly on July 18th, Wednesday of 2018?Yes.And what time did you open it?1030 p.m. Okay. Was that the last communication that you would have observed from Molly Tibbetts?Yes. All right. Now, 1030 p.m. does not mean that's when you received the Snapchat, correct?
51:47Correct. All right. That's just when you opened it? Yes. Do you recall when you received thatSnapchat from her? I do not. Do you remember the content of it? Yeah, it was just a face with hercaption, and I don't remember what the caption said. Okay. And could you tell from the photowhat location molly was in uh in that photo on the snapchat uh it appeared she was in the livingroom of the uh blake's house okay so not outside no inside yes all right let's go back then now tojuly 19th of 2018 which was thursday did you receive any communication from molly tibbets onthat thursday no uh describe for the jury please what your work day was on thursdayOur workday was we showed up, and then we were forming the joints, still continuing to do that.
52:43And then we ended up getting rained out because we had some pretty inclement weather there.So when did you get rained out on Thursday? Do you recall the time?I'm not for sure on this, but I think it was around noon-ish.All right, and was the plan to stay and work Thursday if you could or Friday if you could?I think we waited it out for like 15 minutes, and then we just went back to the motel.And that's what usually happens with crews in your type of work.Weather interrupts it, correct?All right.
53:13Was the plan to come back to the job site and keep working on Friday, the next day?Okay.So no plans to come home on Thursday, correct?No.All right.Did you receive at some point in time a call from one of Molly's friends?Yes.And did you learn some information from that that caused you to become worried?
53:36Yes.What was it?I received a call from Emily Fenner, one of her coworkers at the daycare,and she said that Molly had not called or showed up for work.Okay.And do you remember about what time you received that communication?4.30 maybe.So it was in the afternoon?
53:53Yes.Prior to receiving that contact from Ms. Fenner,had you made other attempts to try to reach molly tibbets on thursday july 19th no i was asleep iwas taking a nap whatever because you've been up early yes okay once you got that call fromor that communication from miss finner did you become worried yes and what did you do as a resultof that i uh contacted pretty much everybody that i could think of the to try to get a hold of mollyas well as well as i called her phone cell phone multiple times and had anybody had any successnobody had any success do you remember how many i won't ask you who but you remember how many phone
54:31calls or texts that you made in an attempt to try to find where molly was at i do not rememberthe number but it was a lot mr brown yes jump in and stop you there we were due for a recessokay members of the jury will take a 15 minute recess at this time dalton or mr jack we werejust discussing the day, July 19th of 2018, the day that you came home. All right. Sowhat were the circumstances whenever you left your jobs? Can you just describe what you toldyour boss and how was it that you got back to Brooklyn? I was just outright with him. I toldhim that I hadn't heard from Molly in a while and I'm trying to get other people to find her andthey can't find her. And I just drove my own POV back to Brooklyn. Your POV being? No, my
55:17personally own vehicle sorry my truck did anyone come back with you from Dubuque no all right anddo you remember about what time it was that you got home on July 19th 2018 on Thursday it was darkI'd say about 9 p.m okay describe where you went whenever you got home I went straight to the houseokay to 622 West Des Moines my brother's house all right and describe what you saw there at thehouse whenever you arrived? There was like a crowd on the lawn. An officer was already theretaking statements from people. Did you talk to the police? Yes. Do you remember the officer thatyou spoke to? Matt Simpson. Is he a sheriff's deputy in Poweshake County? Yes. Did you makeany other attempts on that evening to contact Molly? Yes. What did you do? We called her more,
56:07texted her more. Okay. Whenever you would call her, would you get voicemail? No. Would you getanything no all right do you have any contact with molly tibbets no the following day did youmake attempts to contact her i don't remember did you ever join in the search for molly canyou describe what it was that you did me and my brother actually went out that night and we drovearound for a long time and then uh we were just kind of checking everywhere that we can do butthen there was a more organized search put on by like the fire department thepolice department before the whole thing went through and then we like sectoredout the city and all that fun stuff and okay did were you a part of that at all
56:52yes okay so you joined in to assist yes all right did you go back to work atJasper during the time frame that Molly was missing no did they give you thetime off because of that yes at this time I don't have any further questionsof dalton jack thank you defense may cross examine mr jack good morninghow long is it again since you've been in the army i've been in the army for almost three years nowwhat was the date you joined november 6 2018 so three months after molly's uh discovery rightcorrect so did you ever go back to jasper construction to work yes what was the decisionto go to the army based upon i wanted to pretty much leave for a while why because i grew up there
57:46she grew up there it's where we kind of built our relationship now she was gone so you wereheartbroken yes molly was your your true love right i would say so yes you had planned onmarrying this woman right yes and you were devoted to to molly right yes this people described it asa true love story, right? Yes. Is that how you felt about her? Yes. Okay. You've told the juryhere today about your activities in the days leading up to Molly's disappearance, and I wantto explore those a little bit. If I understand you correctly, your testimony today is thaton the night of Molly's disappearance, you were in your hotel room for a bit and then hanging outwith the boys drinking beers playing games right correct and that's your testimony today correct
58:38yes we're clear on that yes that's not always the story you've given to the police though is iti don't know well did you not tell the police in a previous interview that you spent the night inyour room watching movies that was what i was yes okay do you recall giving that statementYes.Okay.When did you give that statement to police?I don't know the exact time or date that I gave that statement.Well, let's come at it this way.
59:09How many times were you interviewed by police?A lot.Okay.More than three?Would say so, I guess, yes.Okay.As I understand it, you first met with Matt Simpson on the 19th, right?Yes.
59:27And when you talked to Matt Simpson, that was at your home at 622 West Des Moines Street, right?Yes.And that was just kind of generally to give him the background of what was going on, right?Yes.Now, you told Deputy Simpson that nothing really seemed to be out of place.Do you recall saying that?I don't recall saying that, but I could imagine that I did say that, yes.Have you reviewed any recordings or any reports relating to Deputy Simpson?
59:56I reviewed the report, yes.Okay.If Deputy Simpson's report says that's what you said, would you quibble with that?No.Okay.Now, do you recall having a conversation with Deputy Simpson saying that the bed wastousled and unmade, which was ironic since Molly was the last one in it?Again, I don't recall that.
01:00:21But if Deputy Simpson says that, would you doubt that you made that statement?No.And then you talked with Detective Steve Kivy of the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office, I believe, the next day, right?Yes.And that was just in his truck.He's trying to help find Molly as well, right?Yes.Do you recall that conversation?
01:00:50I don't recall every detail of that conversation, no.Okay.Do you recall telling him what you were doing in Dubuque the night before?No.But do you recall, because your recollection has been refreshed by Mr. Brown,that on the 23rd, or strike that, on the 18th you got a Snapchat from Mollyand you opened it around 10.30 p.m., right?Yes.
01:01:19Okay. You also told someone that the last time someone saw Molly was around 10.30 p.m. that nightas well, right? I don't recall that. You don't recall saying that to someone? No.Do you recall telling police officers that you also went to bedboth nights while you were in Dubuque around 10.30? I don't recall that either. Okay.Okay. Well, you were interviewed a final time by officers, and it was on July 27, 2018. Do you recall that interview?I don't recall every detail of that interview, but I remember the interview, yes.Okay. And that interview involved the agent Matt George. Do you recall that interview?Yes. You recall it involved
01:02:14an individual named Lara Ziesler? I don't recall who that is.Okay. You recall telling the agents that on the 18th of July, the night that you say Mollyor we know Molly disappeared and that you were in Dubuque, that you finished work around 6.30 p.m.Do you recall telling them that on the 27th?No.Do you recall telling the agents that you showeredand that night you watched Rush Hour 1 in your room?Is this the night of the 18th?
01:02:55Yes.Then yes.Okay.Now, your testimony today is that you were out with the boysplaying games and drinking beers, right?Yes.So you told the officers on the 27th of July a different story, right?I suppose so.
01:03:12And if I showed you the report, would it refresh your recollection?Yes.You also told officers on that same interview information that you'd withheld before, right?Correct.And that information that you withheld before was that you'd had a relationship with a woman other than Molly, right?Correct.I'm going to object to this outside.Overruled.
01:03:37Who was that woman?Her name was Jordan Lamb.And what did you tell officers the reason you withheld that information?I didn't deem it necessary.You didn't deem it necessary?I didn't think that it was pertinent to the case.So you didn't think it was pertinent to tell law enforcement officers that you having an affair on your true love was not pertinent to the case, right?I was 19 years old.
01:04:08So what?I don't know if Jack has already met him.It's the same.Explain to me what you mean by that.I was 19 years old.It was the beginning of the relationship, and I screwed up one time.molly knew about it and we got past it so it was the beginning of the relationship that you uhhad an affair on molly yes so give me a time frame as to when you had this affair on molly what date
01:04:35i don't remember the exact dates but it was about not even a year after we started datingso give me a date i don't remember the exact date give me a approximate date please uhAugust of 2017 I think it would be 2016 all right because the officers talked to you about itand you uh gave them kind of the details into how Molly learned about this right yes Molly was upsetthat you cheated on her right yes and you gave them the date of the fall of 2017didn't you yes so i think again again this relationship that you had with jordan lambtell us how it evolved how to start i don't remember you started snapchatting her rightthat sounds about right am i right or am i wrong yes you're right you started sending her snapchats
01:05:49why'd you start sending her snapchats why does anybody do anything that's wrong i'm asking youthat question i don't know you have no idea why you start sending a woman snapchats correctwell you wanted to get with her right i imagine that would be yes okay well i don't want you toimagine. I want you to tell me why you did. Yes. You wanted to strike up a relationshipwith Jordan Lamb, didn't you? Yes. And this was in February. Strike that. This was late 2017,early 2018, right? Yes. Okay. So it wasn't 2016 like you just told me. I told you that I don'tremember the dates. Okay. But now you do, right? Correct. And you know that now because you'veconfronted with these dates by officers right yes and you were confronted with
01:06:41these dates by Molly right yes so you do remember the dates right now don't youyes two minutes ago you didn't remember the dates right so these snapchats thereason you use snapchat was that you sent a message then it disappears rightthe reason I use snapchat because that was my primary form of communicationwith a lot of people okay but also you use it because you send a message and it disappears andcan't be seen by people who get on your phone right that wasn't what i stated in my previousstatement okay so you're telling me that the reason you use snapchat had nothing to dowith the fact that snapchat disappears after you send a message correct okay now
01:07:28in these snapchats you're telling jordan things like she's the most attractive girl you ever metright i don't remember the content of the snapchats no jack to hearsay and relevancesustained as to what ground hearsay in these snapchats this is around the time molly wasgetting ready to go visit her dad in uh california in march of 2018 right i do not recall okayand were you not telling jordan that you were going to break up with mollyi also do not recall and you were pressing jordan pretty hard for her to be your girlfriend righti also do not recall okay during this time you had sexual relations with jordan right yesYou never told Molly that, did you?
01:08:21Molly knew.When did Molly know?Molly knew when she confronted me about it.And how did Molly find out that you were having sexual relations with Jordan Lamb?She went through my phone.Was asleep.She went through your phone?Correct.
01:08:36When?When I was asleep one night.Was this before or after Jordan Lamb busted you by telling Molly?That was during.That's the reason she went through my phone.Okay.So, you'd agree with me that Jordan Lamb messaged Molly to share with her what you had been doing with Jordan, right?Yes.
01:08:58And Jordan told Molly that you were trying to get with her, right?I don't object. He's going to have no basis for that knowledge as to what Jordan told Molly.Sustained.Was there information on your phone about Jordan and Molly talking?I do not recall.Okay. But again, you didn't seem to think that this relationship with Jordan was relevant, right?Correct.Now, when you told Agent George about this, he told you he wanted to set the reset button with you, right?
01:09:32I don't understand the question.Agent George told you it was time to set the reset button with you, and he wanted you to be 100% truthful, right?I don't recall.Okay. You also then were asked by Agent George if there's anything else that you remembered aboutthat day or that time in your life. Do you recall that question from Agent George? I don't recall.Do you recall from Agent George's conversation that you and he were talking about some mysteriousman that you had just seen in Brooklyn? Yes. And describe that mysterious man that you toldthem about on July 27th? I believe that I was mowing the lawn and he just walked by. He was
01:10:15tall, wearing baggy pants with a chain. That's what I remember currently. Dressed all in black?If that's what the report says, then yes. And you had just recalled that that day as well?I don't know. Okay. You agree with me you've never given that report of a mysterious manwearing black walking around brooklyn before july 27th the report of the the man walkingaround brooklyn was after molly had already disappeared okay would you agree with me thatyou probably knew molly's running running routes better than anyoneno who would know better i don't know who would know better but i barely knew molly's runningroutes. Well, you testified on direct that you knew her running routes. I do know her running
01:11:10routes, yes. But now it's just you barely knew her running routes. I didn't know that she ranout to the blacktop. Okay. Now, I'm going to try to show you what's been marked asdefendant's exhibit queue for identification now you turned over your phone for examination rightyes and that phone was examined right yes was it returned to you yes were you uh givena copy of the report no have you seen the report no it's your testimony mr jack that on july 18okay the day molly goes missing i just want to be clear on timeline here that you texted herthat morning good morning beautiful correct and did you text throughout the day with herno pardon me one other time on the 18th yes and do you recall texting with her around dinner time
01:12:20no didn't ask you if you had a better day today i don't recall that no so this is the day yourlove of your life goes missing and you don't recall that no did you not go back and try torecreate the day that your love of your life goes missing in an attempt to maybe figure outhow she was wound up missing from the moment that it started i knew that i was not ainvestigator of any sort. Okay. But even for your own peace of mind, you didn't go back and try torecreate this? My own peace of mind came by trying to get her back. Okay. Did you not go back andlook at your phone and look at your text messages and your Snapchats to just kind of rehash the daysleading up to this no not once no okay well what is your understanding of the time that
01:13:19molly would have been likely abducted i don't understand the question what is your understandingof the time of day on the 18th that molly was likely abducted her normal running time is whatI assumed. Okay. So no one's told you, you haven't done any investigation as to what time of dayMolly was abducted. Exactly. Every detail of the case I've wanted omitted from me because I don'twant to know. You don't want to know? No. Okay. All right. Let's back up a little further then.July 16th is a Monday, right? Yes. We know that because the 18th was a Wednesday, right? Yes.Monday you didn't work in Dubuque?Monday I worked in Dubuque.
01:14:10Okay.So Monday night was a typical night.You were hanging out with the boys in the room, right?Yes.Who's your roommate?Brandon Gordy.And Brandon's the young man you grew up with?I didn't grow up with Brandon Gordy.
01:14:25He's from Brooklyn, though, right?Yes.But he was older than I was.Okay.Did you text and Snapchat Molly that night?Yes.What time do you go to bed?I don't go.
01:14:37Around 10.30?Sound about right?Sure.Is that your normal bedtime?Yes.Tuesday, you get up.What time do you go to work that day?Same time as always, 5.30, 6 o'clock, somewhere in there.
01:14:52Okay.And you worked all day until about 6 o'clock that night, right?Yes.Long day.Yes.Now, is that the day that someone sprayed your car with some sealant?It was either Tuesday or Monday, but yes.Made you pretty upset?
01:15:09Yes.So upset that you wanted to quit, right?Yes.You wanted to go home and see Molly, right?Yes.But you didn't. Why not?Because the pay benefits, what else was I going to do?Molly talked you out of it, right?
01:15:26Yes.and uh that night did you hang out with the guys drinking beer and i don't recall okaywell if you told investigators you drank a bunch of beer that night and got drunk and was hung overwednesday morning would that sound about right yes and that makes sense because you were angryand probably drank one or two too many beers right yes who sprayed your truck i don't remember whosprayed my truck but it was somebody on one of the other crews okay and you were upset with himyes you told molly you were upset with him yes okay it was a hispanic gentleman wasn't it yesokay and then on wednesday you went back to work and another normal day right yes
01:16:16and you don't recall molly texting you at the end of the day and asking you if you had a better dayNo, I don't.Okay.And you don't recall texting Molly at 8, 18 or 8, 19 that night?No, I don't.You don't recall sending her a text message saying,my phone data straight up won't work?No, I don't.
01:16:43Okay.And it's your testimony that you opened a Snapchat from Molly at 10.30 p.m., right?Yes.Would you agree with me that the Snapchat records that were retrieved by investigators would more accurately show those times than your recollection?Absolutely.Can you think of any reason in your mind why those records would show that you opened that last Snapchat at 1.30 a.m. on the 19th?I was just awake.Woke up in the middle of the night.
01:17:19Okay.Okay, so if they show 1.30 a.m., that's accurate, right?If that's what the records show, yes.Okay, so your recollection of that could be faulty.Yes.You have no recollection of texting Molly at 8.18 p.m. on July 18th saying,my data straight up won't work.I don't.
01:17:41Last message you sent your girlfriend on the day she was abducted.Correct.Okay.Now, on your phone, you have a number of apps, right?Yes.You have an Apple iPhone, right?Yes.On that Apple iPhone, you have things like Find My iPhone?
01:18:06Yes.Tell me what Find My iPhone is.Find My iPhone, if you have paired the iPhones, allows you to find the other iPhone.Okay.Okay. So, like, I have kids, and I can do Find My iPhone to find my kids and where they are at any given time.Did you have the same thing with Molly?No.So, you had Find My iPhone. Do you have anybody else on Find My iPhone that you could locate?
01:18:36No. The way Find My iPhone works is if you're on the same phone bill, then you can do it, or if you pair them, you can do it.Me and Molly never paired, and we weren't on the same phone bill.okay would there be any reason why you were on find my iphone on july 18th 2018 i don't knowyou don't know i don't know well who who is on your find my iphone that you can locateat that time nobody okay you also have a progressive for a insurance company rightnot anymore but at the time i did yes okay and that application was on your phone as well rightyes and that app would keep track of how you drove yes and if you drove well like you didn'tspeed or stop short or get in an accident you would get rewarded for good driving behavior right
01:19:30correct do you check that app often no but it would automatically kick in if your vehicle wason the move is that your understanding correct yes do you recall checking your progressive appthat night no but i rarely swept up and closed my apps on my phone okay butyour understanding is of the progressive app they call it snapshot right yes snapshot kicks in whenyour vehicle is on the move right yes and it's your vehicle no one else's right no and you'retelling me that your vehicle on July 18th, 2018 was not on the move. Nine o'clock that night,you were drinking beer with buddies and playing bags, right? Correct. You also have an app onyour phone called Maps, right? Yes. Now Maps, you can get directions or drop a pin and drive to
01:20:29someone's location, right? Yes. You've done that before, right? I've used Maps to get directions,Yes.Would there be any reason why you were using Apple Maps on your phone in the evening of July 18, 2018, after, let's say, 10 p.m.?Not that I can think of.If your phone activity shows that you were using Apple Maps that night, can you think of any reason why?That I would have not closed it.Okay.When was the last time you would have used Apple Maps, to your knowledge?
01:20:58To get up to Dubuque.Okay.Okay. Now, who is Ulysses Felix?Ulysses Felix was the, he's a kid that worked with Scott, not worked with Scott, went to school with Scott.You ever met Ulysses Felix?Yes.Did you know Ulysses Felix prior to Molly's death?I knew of him, yes.
01:21:21Pardon me?I knew of him, yes.Okay. Did you know where he lived?No.Coach, I'm going to object again to this particular line of questioning outside the scope of the direct.overruled go ahead do you know where he worked no he's also a friend of Jake Tibbetts too rightyes and this is uh the same Ulysses Felix that after Molly's death wound up living with Lauraright correct let's talk about about you young man um you consider yourself to have a temper
01:21:52not anymore you did though at one time yes pretty angry young man when i was about 17 16 yes okayso how old were you when molly died 20 when you're 17 16 tell us about the the temper thatdalton jack had overruled go ahead i'm sorry can you repeat the question tell me about the temperof the 16, 17-year-old Dalton Jack?It was not good.It was short-fused.Like to fight?Yes.
01:22:27In fact, one time you choked a man out, right?This is improper character evidence,specific instance of conduct.This is not relevant.Sustained on that ground.But you've been known to fight, right?Yes.And when you fought, your friends were right there with you, weren't they?
01:22:50Yes.They all had each other's backs, right?Yes.Those friends included Dylan Eichhorn?Dylan Eichhorn was older than me, so no.How much older was Dylan?Dylan graduated with my older brother, who was just in here.Okay.
01:23:04You know Jackson Eichhorn?Yes.Is he a friend?No.He graduated with my younger brother.Okay.But you all know each other, right?Yes.
01:23:13You work with Dylan, right?Around the time that Molly was abducted or died, you told her a number of times that you thought you were depressed, right?Correct.And that manifested itself with anger, you said, right?Because I'm going to jack to relevance again.Sustained.And three days, three days before Molly ends up missing, she told you that she was upset and sad because of your relationship with Jordan, right?Yes.
01:23:52The day before she ends up missing, you learned that she and Hope Beck had talked about your relationship with yet another woman named Tara, right?Objections.Calls for hearsay.Overruled.I don't recall that at all.You don't know that?No.Either you don't know it or you don't recall it?
01:24:16Don't recall it.Okay.You told police that they asked you if Molly was jealous.You told them that there was a woman named Tara as well, right?If that's what the report says, then yes.I'm not asking what the report says.I'm asking what you said.I don't recall.
01:24:33You don't recall telling the police about Tara?No.Was there a Tara?Yes.Okay, so there's another woman that you had at least some conversations with, right?Yes.That was during your relationship with Molly?That was simultaneous to starting the relationship with Molly.
01:24:53Okay.And who told you, or got a hold of you first as Molly's friend, about whether or not Molly was missing?Emily Fenn.Also, an old relationship of yours?Yes.Also a woman who made Molly jealous, right?Yes.Calls for speculation.
01:25:19Sustained.You and Molly had conversations in the weeks and month leading up to her abduction about Emily asking about you, right?I don't recall that at all.There wasn't a time where Emily would be at parties and stuff and ask about you?I don't have an object.Calls for speculation.Calls for hearsay.Sustained.
01:25:41Okay.Emily Fenner, when she texted you, because that's what she did, she texted you, right?She called me.She texted me and called me, yes.When she texted you, she asked you a very specific question, didn't she?I don't recall.She asked you, Dalt, because she calls you Dalt, right?Yes.
01:26:01And she said, Dalt, is Molly alive?Didn't she?I don't know.You don't know?I don't recall the text messages.Okay.You'd agree with me that's an odd question to ask someone?It's already meditative cause for speculation.
01:26:17Sustained.How long was it before Molly was abducted that she started wearing her promise ring again?I don't recall.Was it a week?I don't recall.Okay.What have you done to prepare yourself for testimony today, sir?I got off a flight yesterday, so very little.
01:26:40Okay.You know we're here on a charge of murder for the love of your life, right?Yes.And I'm getting a lot of, I don't recall a lot of you, right?Yes.And you want the man who did this brought to justice, right?Yes.And you haven't thought about this and poured it over in your mind to have every detail remembered?
01:27:05When I was asked if I wanted to be here voluntarily, I said absolutely not.So no.So you did not want to be here voluntarily?No, I didn't want to be in the same room as your defendant there.Oh.So you didn't want to come give testimony to get justice for the love of your life?No.You wouldn't be here to fight for her?
01:27:21No.Okay.That's all I have, Your Honor.Mr. Brown, any redirect?Yeah.Dalton, let's be clear.You cooperated with me prior to trial to prepare you here today.Is that correct?
01:27:39Absolutely, yes.All right.We talked on the phone a number of times.Isn't that right?Yes.The reason why we wouldn't have met in person is because you're in the Army stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.Yes.Do you remember a time when this case was pending when you had been deployed overseas?
01:27:58Yes.Where did you go? Can you tell us?Iraq.All right. And whenever you were in Iraq, you communicated with me, correct?Yes.And it was mainly about the case, about when it was going to be scheduled, and that type of thing. Isn't that right?Yes.So you've always wanted to assist and do what you can.
01:28:18Is that right?Sustained.Rephrase the question, please.Sure, I can do that.Describe your level of – you cooperated with us.Is that right?Yes.All right.
01:28:34And we sent you some reports, correct, to review?Objective leading.I'll rephrase it.What did we send you to review for this case?He sent me two reports.All right.And did we sit down with you to prepare you?Yes.
01:28:56All right.Tell us the reason, again, why you don't want to be sitting in this room right now.Because of the defendant being here.Okay.And why?I'm obviously not his biggest fan.Okay.you were in a relationship with molly tibbets correct yes is that why you don't want to be
01:29:18sitting with this man right here correct because you think he's responsible for her death isn'tthat right speculation invades the profits of the jury well i'll sustain that but i'm going to allowmr brown to rephrase the question if he so chooses why do you not want to be sitting in this roomwith that guy with this man i wholeheartedly believe he's guilty whenever you went todubuque with jasper construction on the week that included july 18th tell us how many peoplewould you have been around that week that would have known you that would have known me yes ohthe entirety of my crew which was seven people and then uh there was a few on the other crewthat I had worked with before. So I'd say probably 10 to 12 that knew me. Okay. And in order to get
01:30:10from your home to Dubuque or to the job location, did you have to use any apps or applications onyour phone? Absolutely. What was that? Maps for sure. Okay. And on your phone, can you describefor the jury whether or not your phone keeps your trips in its memory? Yes, it does. All right. SoSo if you would have entered the address that you were going to, the bridge or wherever it was you were working on the week that included July 18th, would that have been in your phone?Yes.And would you have utilized that to get to your job site?Yes.All right.
01:30:50Bottom line, Mr. Jack, did you ever come home between the time you left for your job on the week that included July 18th?And when you got back on July 19th, did you ever come back to Brooklyn, Iowa?I did not.The relationship with Jordan, Mr. Freeze asked you about that.Do you recall that?Yes.How long did that last?About a day.
01:31:18Okay.Now, did Molly Tibbetts find out about that relationship?Yes.And had you two worked through that?Yes.Did you ever break up over it?No.To your knowledge, did any of Molly's family members know about your relationship with Jordan?
01:31:37They do now.Okay.Did they know it back then?Not at the time, no.Well, let me be clear.Not at the time that it was happening, right?No, not at the time that it was happening.Okay.
01:31:48Did they find out about it later?Yes.All right.Have you maintained a good relationship with Molly's parents, Laura and Rob?Yes.despite the fact that you had had this brief relationship with Jordan?Objection. Relevance.Let him finish the question.
01:32:04I'm sorry.Overruled.Go ahead. The witness may answer if he knows.I'm sorry. Can you say the question again?Yeah.Did you maintain a good relationship with Rob Tibbetts and Laura Calderwood,Molly's parents, after this knowledge about Jordan came out?Yes.
01:32:18All right.It was in the past.Yes.Do you know the defendant, Christian Bahena-Rivera?No.Have you ever met him at all prior to July 18th of 2018?No.Did you know he drove a black Chevy Malibu?
01:32:39No.Had you ever had access to the black Chevy Malibu driven by Christian Bahena-Rivera?No.To your knowledge, did Molly Tibbetts have any type of relationship with Christian Bahena-Rivera?No.To your knowledge, did Molly Tibbetts have access to the black Chevy Malibu driven by the defendant, Christian Bahena-Rivera?No.No connection between either you or Molly and the defendant.
01:33:06Is that correct?Correct.That's all I have.Thank you.Mr. Fries, any recross?Mr. Jack, despite communicating with Mr. Brown from Iraq,Despite preparing with Mr. Brown while you're here, you still don't recall alot of the pertinent facts, right? Yes. And that's because you're choosing to? No,
01:33:28it's because it wasn't in the two reports that I received. Oh, okay. Youagree the facts you don't recall are ones that are not advantageous to you,right? I object is argumentative. That's sustained. As early as a month beforemolly was abducted you two were talking about breaking up right i do recall that and yes okayso things weren't all rosy between you and molly in the last 30 days before her abduction were theyno and you didn't like the fact that if molly was going to be leaving you and maybe going withsomeone else that bothered you that would bother anybody but yes yeah and it wasn't the first timeAnd that bothered you because you two were supposed to move in together in October 2017.
01:34:13Correct.And when she told you she was going to move in with friends, that got you angry as well?Yes.You didn't want her moving in with friends.You wanted her moving in with you.I was upset that she went back on the plan that I had been going with for the last year and a half after that.It made you very angry.Correct.
01:34:31Right?Yes.Did you ever tell Molly that you didn't like other men looking at her?Not that I recall.now. Okay, okay. Sure about that? Objection, Judge. Again, he's answered the question. It's overruled.He can clarify if he needs to. Go ahead. Sure about that? Yes. Okay, that's all I have. Mr. Brown,are we done with this witness? Yes, we are. Okay, Mr. Jack, thank you for being here. You'reexcused. All right, the state may call its next witness. Would you state your name, please? Matthew
01:35:04William Simpson. And who is your employer? Palaszczuk County Sheriff's Office. What do you do for theSheriff's Office? I'm a patrol deputy. And were you on duty on July 19, 2018? I was. And what shiftwere you working that day? That'd be the night shift. It's 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. And did you receivea missing person call when you were working that shift? I did. And can you describe that call forI was called to the house of Blake Jack, I believe it was 622 West Des Moines Street in Brooklyn, Iowa, for a missing person.And do you recall the approximate time that that report came in?I believe it was 5.56 p.m.Was Brooklyn in Poweshiek County?
01:35:51It is.And did you respond to that call?I did.And who was on the scene when you first arrived?Blake Jack and I believe his girlfriend Allie, along with a couple other people that weren't identified.Do you recall the approximate time that you arrived at the residence?I don't recall approximate time.And do you know who was living at 622 West Des Moines Street at that time?
01:36:17Blake Jack, his girlfriend Allie, and Blake's brother Dalton.And I believe Molly Tibbetts had been staying there as well.And who was identified as missing?Molly Tibbetts.when was the last reported communication that anybody had with molly i believe uh i talked toher mom laura calderwood and she had conversation with her the previous night at 5 30 for aconversation about having supper i believe that was the 18th and did you go inside the residencei did what did you observe in the residence uh a normal farmhouse were 4 20 something
01:36:58two couples were living it wasn't unkept but it was you know dishes in the sink just a typicalteenager house did you find molly tibbets at the residence i did not did you see any sign of astruggle i did not were there dogs at the house they had dogs that were pinned up in the basementand did you go to the basement to investigate i did what did you see when you were there i foundthe dogs pinned into a room. There was some dog poop on the floor. Blake had told me that wascommon, that the dogs were pinned up if anybody was out of the home. If somebody was in the home,they'd be let free. Anything else of note that you discovered in the house?I don't believe so. I looked in her room where she stayed with Dalton when they were home.
01:37:52There was nothing of consequences in the house.They advised me the doors were usually left unlocked.We did find a freshly delivered package at the front door.I believe it was FedEx that had dropped that off, and there was one by the side door, by the garage, that was delivered by the post office.Did you seize any evidence?I don't believe so at that time.Was anything noted as missing from 622 West Des Moines Street?I don't believe so.
01:38:22And did you go anywhere else to further your investigation aside from 622 West Des Moines Street?I went to the home of Laura Calderwood, where Molly also stayed.What's the address there?I believe it's 114 Bear Creek Drive.In Brooklyn?It is in Brooklyn.And was anything noted as missing from that residence?Laura recalled that her running shoes and earbuds were missing.
01:38:46did you do anything else to attempt to locate molly on july 19th i had dispatch paying hercell phone number i was advised later that it was either off or in a rome state i'd contactedmy sheriff and also later contacted our investigator steve kivy did anyone reporthaving seen molly on july 18th 2018 i was advised i believe it was blake that stated one of theneighbors had seen him seen her on the 18th and i later spoke with that neighbor nate hopwoodabout seeing her the day prior what was molly reported to have been doing running past theresidential area. And that was on July 18th? Yes. How long were you in Brooklyn during yourinvestigation? I believe probably a couple hours. I'm not sure on specific time. Did you ever contact
01:39:47Deputy Steve Kivy? I did. And who is he? He's the investigator for the Pasheet County Sheriff'sOffice. Did you have any other involvement in this case after you conducted the initialinvestigation? I did not. And why is that? The following day, I was leaving on vacation, so Iwas out of the area for an extended period of time, and then my duties didn't bring me backinto the case. Thank you, Deputy. I have no further questions for you. Thank you, Mr. Claver.Defense may cross-examine. So, sir, you received this call, and it's probably not unusual toreceive a call that someone can't be located. Is that right? Correct. Typically, it doesn'tend like this and and it ends up that it's closed fairly quickly is that right correct uh here
01:40:35you respond and you go directly to the 622 des moines street house is that right that's rightwhen you get there describe what you see uh a house sitting back from the roadway there wasi would guess six people there other than blake jack and his his girlfriend at the time alleythere was starting to be a little bit of a commotion because they're worried about theirfriend so these people and they're not disorderly but they're they're worried and frantic is thatright correct uh so your job first of all is to kind of make everybody calm and to deal with whatis a high conflict and emotional situation is that right correct was there anybody that wassort of a lead person that you talked with? At that point, it was Blake. He was home at the time.
01:41:27All right. And Blake conveyed the information of what was going on. Is that right?Correct. When's the first time that you spoke with Dalton Jack? It had been later that evening.So he was not home yet. Is that right? Correct. I was advised he was in Dubuque driving home.describe your first contact with dalton jack normal for somebody that you know boyfriendfinds out his girlfriend's missing he's concerned was he crying i don't recall was he talkativei don't recall did he tell you when he last spoke with molly i believe he said he'd gotten asnapchat what time was that snapchat at he he'd opened it at 10 30 the night before did he tellyou when the last time that he spoke with her via text message i don't recall text message
01:42:21no further questions thank you mr claver anything of this witness no questions
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