Bricen Rivers, the man accused of killing 22-year-old Southern Miss nursing student Lauren Johansen, appeared in a Forrest County court Friday morning after being relocated from Harrison County and receiving additional charges in the murder case.
For the charge of first-degree murder, Rivers was denied bond. He received a $20,000 bond on a grand larceny charge and a $20,000 bond on a tampering with evidence charge.
The tampering with evidence charge was added when, according to prosecutors, Rivers stole Johansen’s vehicle, attempted to clean it after the murder, and transported her body across county lines.
The bond denial comes after the Davidson County (TN) clerk’s office admitted to a botched release of Rivers that allowed him to abscond to Mississippi, where he allegedly took his ex-girlfriend’s life. Johansen was found dead in the back of a car in Harrison County.
Rivers also had existing bonds in Harrison County for a drug trafficking charge in 2022, as well as kidnapping and stalking charges in 2023. They were all revoked on Friday.
Rivers was granted a preliminary hearing and is being held in the Forrest County Jail.
