After three years since University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts’ body was found, friends and family finally received some closure.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera will serve life in prison with no chance for parole after being convicted of first-degree murder. 

Bahena Rivera was convicted of Tibbetts’ murder on May 28. He testified on May 26 that he did not murder Tibbetts and was instead forced by two masked men to transport her body after they killed her.

Bahena Rivera was sentenced on Tuesday for first-degree murder by Judge Joel Yates, who presided over the court during the duration of the trial.

“Mr. Rivera, you and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts, and because of that, you and you alone will receive the following sentence,” Yates said.

Bahena Rivera will also be required to pay $150,000 to the Tibbetts family for damages.

A prosecutor’s assistant read the only victim impact statement of the day on behalf of Tibbetts’ mother, Laura Calderwood.

“I come before you today not because I feel the need to address you. However, I come to give a voice to our daughter, granddaughter, sister, girlfriend, niece, cousin and friend: Mollie Cecelia Tibbetts,” Calderwood wrote.

In the statement, Calderwood recalled the events that occurred after Bahena Rivera led authorities to her body. She wrote that she and her younger son, Scott, were the first ones told by authorities that Tibbetts’ remains had been found.

She recalled that it was a “race against the clock” to tell family and friends that Tibbetts’ body had been found and she would not be coming home.

“It was very important to notify the people who cared deeply about Mollie so they did not hear this on the news,” she wrote.

In the statement, Calderwood asked Bahena Rivera to imagine what it would be like to tell Tibbetts’ father that Tibbetts’ remains were discovered, mentioning Bahena Rivera’s daughter, Paulina.

“Can you imagine, Mr. Rivera, as a father, having Paulina’s mother taken away from you and have to tell your daughter that she will never come home?” Calderwood wrote.

She added that the most difficult person to inform about Tibbetts’ death was her grandmother, who according to Calderwood had truly believed Tibbetts would be found alive.

“Who could harm a beautiful, vibrant young woman, so full of life and promise?” she wrote. “Who could harm Judy’s precious granddaughter, let alone brutally murder her and dump her body in a cornfield?

She wrote that Judy Calderwood’s “unwavering faith had been brutally shattered by [Bahena Rivera’s] senseless act of violence.”

“Can you imagine, Mr. Rivera, sitting across the table from your madre and telling her Paulina is never coming home?” she wrote.

At the end of her statement, Calderwood wrote that Tibbetts’ boyfriend, Dalton Jack, would never be able to give Tibbetts’ the engagement ring he bought for her, and Tibbetts’ father will never get to walk her down the aisle.

“Because of your act, Mr. Rivera, I will never get to see my daughter become a mother. I do hope, one day, that Paulina has the opportunity to become a mother. But how will she ever explain to her children who their grandfather is? This is the legacy you left behind for your only child, Mr. Rivera. I don’t know whose situation is worse.”

Prior to the victim impact statement, prosecutor Scott Brown reminded the court that the jury found Bahena Rivera guilty, and said that his sentencing is “very well deserved.”

“The court is aware that this has been a very long haul in this case. It’s been a little over three years since Mollie’s body was found in August of 2018, and a little bit longer than that when her life was taken by the defendant,” Brown said. “…If the court needs any further justification for why that sentence is warranted in the state of Iowa, should look no further than that victim impact statement that [Calderwood] provided to the court.”

After the impact statement, Yates said based upon the jury’s guilty verdict from May 28; the harm to the victim and the victim’s family; Bahena Rivera’s need for rehabilitation; and the need to protect the community from further offenses, he found Bahena Rivera guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison. 

“Mr. Bahena Rivera, you and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts,” he said. “And for that, you and you alone will receive the following sentence.”

The prosecution will have 30 days from Monday to file restitution statements or clarify any existing ones, and to determine if there are any other pecuniary damages – damages that have a definitive monetary value – for Bahena Rivera to pay.

Following the 30 days, the defense may file objections if there are any. Bahena Rivera has the right to appeal his conviction to the Iowa Supreme Court within 30 days of Monday, and may apply for counsel if he cannot afford counsel. It is unclear if he would be able to use his current attorneys, Chad and Jennifer Frese, during the appeal.

When asked if he would like to say anything prior to the sentencing, Bahena Rivera replied, “No, thank you.”