(Davenport, IA) — An Iowa judge has rejected a motion for a mistrial in the first-degree murder conviction of Cristhian Bahena Rivera. The motion was filed after defense attorneys found out that a witness for the prosecution had watched the live-stream coverage of the trial. Bahena Rivera was found guilty last week of the murder of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. The judge responded that neither side had requested a sequestration order and it was determined that no prejudice resulted from the witness viewing the broadcast.
