Investigation Discovery’s “On the Case with Paula Zahn: Changing Stories” examines the violent murder of a 14-year-old girl named Regina Krieger that took place in Cassia County, Idaho in February 1995. After more than two decades of inactivity, the investigation was reopened thanks to the relentlessness of the victim’s mother and the statements of several witnesses, which finally led to the capture of the attacker. We’ve got you covered if you want to learn more about the case, including the identity of the attacker and his current whereabouts. So, shall we begin, shall we?
Regina KriegerDie
How did Regina Krieger die?
Regina Lee Krieger was conceived on March 3, 1980 in Cassia County, Idaho, and delivered three days later to the same location by Rhonda Hunnel and Dan Krieger. Her mother and father raved about their daughter’s kindness and brilliance, saying she had no trouble making new friends and was excelling academically. As a result, it came as a big surprise to everyone when her father looked for her at their house on Oriental Avenue in Burley and couldn’t find her. On February 28, 1995, he reported her missing to the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office. It was only days away from Regina’s 15th birthday at this point.
When detectives arrived at the Krieger residence, they discovered blood not only on the bathroom floor but also on the stairs leading to the garden. It was clear from the trail of blood that someone or something had been hoisted up the steps. They interviewed Dan in an attempt to determine that the last time he saw his daughter was just before she went to bed. After Regina was not seen for over a month, the police began to suspect that she had been the victim of some sort of crime and began an intensive search for her. On April 15, 1995, a party of horsemen discovered his badly decomposed body on the banks of the Snake River, not too far downstream from Minidoka Dam. His body was found on the Snake River.
Regina’s dental records were used by investigators, along with the expertise of a forensic dentist, to determine that the body belonged to Regina. The autopsy report said she had several fatal stab wounds to her body, but the most likely cause of death was an air embolism after the assailant slit her throat from ear to ear. Although the autopsy report indicated that she had several fatal stab wounds to her body, the most likely cause of death was determined to be an air embolism. The medical examiner also found a severe penetrating incision in Regina’s heart, but came to the conclusion that it was caused after Regina’s death.
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Who killed Regina Krieger?
Detectives investigated a few possible suspects, but their investigation stopped when they received no significant evidence or leads. The investigation was closed over 24 years ago, but Regina’s mother, Rhonda, hasn’t given up on the search for her daughter’s kidnapper. She went so far as to ask the FBI for help, and she continued to work on the case until the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office revealed in February 2019 that Gilberto Flores Rodriguez had been charged in connection with Regina’s death. It was reported at the time that the arrest was made following testimony from three witnesses who had come forward linking the man who was 56 at the time to the savage murder of the teenager.
The case against Gilberto went to court in April 2019, and the identities of two of the witnesses were revealed to the public and the jury before the trial began. The most important witness was a convicted killer named Cody Thompson, who said he was there the night in February 1995 when Gilberto murdered Regina. The crime has taken place. Cody said he was sick that night and climbed over the wall on the Kriegers’ property in order to defecate as he waited in a car in the driveway for Gilberto to drive out of Regina’s house. Cody claimed he waited for Gilberto to come out of Regina’s house when he went to defecate.
According to Cody, who was only 16 at the time, he saw Gilberto come out of the house bleeding and saying he had made a mistake before driving the car past the house. He then went back inside and came out with a bloodied body covered with a blanket. Cody apparently helped place the body in the trunk of the vehicle. After allegedly dumping the body in the Snake River near Jackson Bridge, which once connected Cassia and Minidoka counties but is now out of service, suspects reportedly drove from the alleged crime scene to the residence of a person they were with. shared a common acquaintance for the purpose of washing and changing clothes.
Cody further claimed that he repeatedly requested that Gilberto take him somewhere, but that Gilberto refused each time. The witness further testified that after returning home that night to his residence in Rupert, he continued to feel unwell even though he had been there before. He used to moan in his sleep. According to Cody, he learned the identity of the deceased after seeing Regina’s missing person flyer at a gas station and claimed he was his classmate at school. Cody said he learned the identity of the deceased when he saw the flyer. Another witness said she saw Gilberto and Cody arrive at a party the night of the murder covered in blood, and also saw them bury the gun used in the murder in the box that was on the property .
The third witness was Carlos Tena, who said he had known Gilberto, a distant relative of his, for 30 years when they both worked for a Mexican cartel that sold illegal drugs and firearms. Gilberto was the distant relative of the witness. Carlos said that Gilberto mentioned Regina to him several times, lamenting how sad he was for Regina “to be eliminated in this way” and how “the authorities were pushing him again”. Gilberto allegedly told Carlos that “the authorities were probing him again”.
Where is Gilberto Rodriguez today?
Gilberto’s defense attorney attempted to discredit the witnesses by drawing attention to their past convictions and casting doubt on their reliability, but his efforts were unsuccessful. In June 2021, a jury found Gilberto guilty of first degree murder, and he was later sentenced to life in prison. According to the released documents, the man, who is now 60, is currently serving his sentence in Unit 11 at the Idaho State Correctional Facility.
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Where is Cody Thompson today?
In Ada County, Idaho, Cody Thompson was already serving a life sentence for the crime of male rape, for which he was convicted and sentenced to prison. In Minidoka County, where he committed all the crimes that led to his long list of previous convictions, he was convicted of two counts of burglary, one count of robbery and intimidation of witnesses, and several additional counts. He said he carried the burden of the crime and lived in constant terror for the safety of his family for 24 years. On cross-examination by defense counsel, the defendant said he had no reason to lie and that he compromised himself further despite the fact that he was already serving a life sentence. for the crime.
According to official court documents, the 44-year-old is currently serving his sentence in a cell in Block B of the Idaho State Correctional Center in Boise, Idaho.
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