“Cristhian Bahena Rivera was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2018 killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. Judge Joel D. Yates told Bahena Rivera, ‘You and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts. And for that, you and you alone will receive the following sentence.’ Bahena Rivera, wearing a mask and headphones, was stoic as Yates sentenced him to a ‘lifetime sentence with no eligibility for parole.’ Bahena Rivera, 27, was sentenced to the maximum penalty under the law in a high-profile case that also became politicized, in part because of the defendant’s status as an undocumented immigrant. Earlier this month, Yates rejected a request for a new trial for Bahena Rivera. Bahena Rivera was convicted May 28 of first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Tibbetts” NBC News reports.