Regina Krieger Murder: Where Are Gilberto Rodriguez and Cody Thompson Now?

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 doggedness of the victim’s mother and the statements made by a number of witnesses, which ultimately resulted in the capture of the perpetrator. We’ve got you covered if you’re interested in learning more about the case, including the identify of the offender and his or her whereabouts at the present time. Then, shall we get started, will we?

How Did Regina Krieger Die?
Regina Lee Krieger was conceived on March 3, 1980 in Cassia County, Idaho, and delivered three days later at the same location by Rhonda Hunnel and Dan Krieger. Her mother and father gushed about how kind and bright their daughter was, saying that she had no trouble making new friends and excelled 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 a few days away from Regina’s 15th birthday at this point.

When the detectives arrived at the Krieger residence, they discovered blood not only on the floor of the bathroom but also on the stairs leading up to the garden. It was clear from the blood path that someone or something had been hauled up the steps. They questioned Dan in an effort to determine that the last time he had seen his daughter was just before she went to bed. After Regina hadn’t been seen for more than 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 horseback riders discovered her poorly decomposed body on the banks of the Snake River, not too far downstream from the Minidoka Dam. Her body was recovered on the Snake River.

The dental records of Regina were used by the investigators, along with the expertise of a forensic dentist, to make the determination that the body belonged to Regina. The autopsy report stated that she had multiple fatal stab wounds on her body, but the most likely cause of death was determined to be air embolism after the perpetrator had slit her throat from ear to ear. Although the autopsy report stated that she had multiple fatal stab wounds on her body, the most likely cause of death was determined to be air embolism. The medical examiner also found a severe penetrating incision to Regina’s heart, but he or she came to the conclusion that it was caused after Regina had already passed away.

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Who Killed Regina Krieger?
The detectives looked into a few possible suspects, but their inquiry came to a halt when they were not presented with any significant evidence or leads. The investigation was closed over 24 years ago, but Regina’s mother, Rhonda, would not give up the search for her daughter’s abductor. She went so far as to request the assistance of the FBI, 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 the death of Regina. It was reported at the time that the arrest was made as a result of the evidence of three witnesses who had come forward linking the man who was 56 years old at the time to the savage murder of the teenager.

The case against Gilberto was brought to court in April 2019, and the identities of two of the witnesses were revealed to both the public and the jury before the trial began. The most important witness was a convicted killer named Cody Thompson, who stated that he was there the night of February 1995 when Gilberto murdered Regina. The crime took place. Cody stated that he had been ill on that particular evening and had climbed over the wall onto the Kriegers’ property in order to defecate while he was waiting in a car in the alley for Gilberto to emerge from Regina’s house. Cody claimed that he had been waiting for Gilberto to come out of Regina’s house when he had gone over to defecate.

According to Cody, who was just 16 at the time, he observed Gilberto come out of the house bloodied and saying that he had made a mistake before driving the car to the front of the house. He then reportedly went back inside and emerged with a bloody body that was covered in a blanket. Cody apparently assisted in placing 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, the suspects are said to have driven from the scene of the alleged crime to the residence of a person with whom they shared a common acquaintance for the purpose of getting cleaned up and changing clothes.

Cody further asserted that he had repeatedly requested that Gilberto take him somewhere, but that Gilberto had declined each time. The witness further said that after returning home that night to his residence in Rupert, he continued to feel bad even though he had been there before. He had a habit of wailing in his sleep. According to Cody, he learned the identify of the deceased person after he saw Regina’s missing person flyer at a gas station and claimed that he used to be her classmate at school. Cody stated that he came to know the identity of the deceased person when he saw the flyer. Another witness stated that she had seen Gilberto and Cody arrive to a party on the night of the murder covered in blood, and that she also saw them bury the weapon used in the murder in the box that was located on the property.

The third witness was Carlos Tena, who stated that he had known Gilberto, a distant relative of his, for the past 30 years while both of them worked for a Mexican cartel dealing in illegal drugs and firearms. Gilberto was the witness’s distant relative. Carlos stated that Gilberto allegedly mentioned Regina to him on many occasions, lamenting how sad it was for Regina “to be disposed of that manner” and how “the feds were poking at him again.” Gilberto was said to have told Carlos that “the feds were probing at 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 fruitless. In June of 2021, a jury found Gilberto guilty of murder in the first degree, and he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. According to the documents that have been made public, the man, who is now 60 years old, is currently serving his term at the Idaho State Correctional Institution Unit 11.

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Where is Cody Thompson Today?
In Ada County, Idaho, Cody Thompson was already serving a life term for the crime of male rape, for which he was convicted and sentenced to prison. In Minidoka County, where he had committed all of the crimes that led to his lengthy list of prior convictions, he was found guilty on two counts of burglary, one count each of grand larceny and witness intimidation, and several additional charges. He said that he had been bearing the burden of the crime and living in constant terror for the safety of his family for the past 24 years. During cross-examination by the defense attorney, the defendant stated that he had no reason to lie and that he was further compromising himself despite the fact that he was already serving a life sentence for the crime.

According to the official documents filed with the court, the man, who is 44 years old, is currently serving his sentence in a cell at the Idaho State Correctional Center B Block in Boise, Idaho.