KCCI in Des Moines reports attorneys for Cristhian Bahena Rivera announced Monday that they will request a new trial after someone admitted to killing Mollie Tibbetts. Bahena Rivera’s sentencing for first-degree murder is scheduled for Thursday. According to court documents, a state prison inmate came forward after Bahena Rivera’s guilty verdict in May. The documents say an inmate housed in a county jail heard from another inmate that he killed Mollie Tibbetts.

That inmate allegedly said Tibbetts was kidnapped for sex trafficking and bound and gagged in a trap house but that he was directed to kill Tibbetts once the search for her got too close. The man allegedly told the inmate that he was directed by the sex trafficker in charge to stab Tibbetts and dump her body near a Hispanic male to make it look like the Hispanic male committed the crime. The reporting inmate said he did not share the confession until he heard Bahena Rivera testify that two other men killed Tibbetts.

Records show another person came forward to law enforcement, stating the same person admitted to them that they had killed Tibbetts. State prosecutors said they learned about the alleged confession during the trial and do not believe it is credible. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said the confession is not credible and they firmly believe Bahena Rivera is solely responsible for Tibbetts’ death.

Bahena Rivera’s attorneys have requested this state inmate to testify. On Monday, a judge ruled that a Mount Pleasant inmate Arne Maki can be transported to Poweshiek County court on Thursday when the sentencing is taking place. It is unclear if Maki is the inmate who came forward. The judge did not rule on the request for a new trial.