Mississippi father points to flaw in Nashville’s justice system after daughter’s murder
His daughter’s boyfriend was released from jail in Nashville and is accused of her murder.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Mississippi father said there’s a huge flaw in Nashville’s criminal justice system after the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
Lauren Johansen is now dead after her boyfriend was let out of the Davidson County Jail without her family knowing and he crossed state lines.
Bricen Rivers, 23, is accused of killing Johansen, which is what her family wanted to prevent in the first place.
“Lauren was one of the kindest, sweetest women that you could ever meet,” said her father Lance Johansen.
He will tell you Lauren Johansen was the most beautiful and caring person he knew. She was dating Bricen Rivers, the star football player in high school, who became a man Lance Johansen didn’t want his daughter to be around.
“We thought he was out of our lives forever,” he said.
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Rivers was in the Davidson County jail just last week. He was there the last seven months after he was accused of kidnapping and beating Lauren Johansen in December 2023 when they came to Nashville on vacation.
“I told the judge and the D.A. and all the members of the court system that if you release him he’s going to kill her,” said Lance Johansen.
This week, Lauren Johansen’s body was found wrapped in a sheet inside a car at Mississippi cemetery. Rivers is now charged with her death, but Lance Johansen said they weren’t aware he was even out of jail until it was too late.
“No one called us and told us they were having a new hearing to reduce the bond,” he said.
The Davidson County District Attorney’s Office said Rivers’ bond was reduced from $251,000 to $150,000. The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office said he was let out of jail on June 24. Four days later, Lance Johansen said the D.A.’s office left him a voicemail he didn’t see until July 1.
“This is Bailey calling from the District Attorney’s Office in Nashville,” said the recording obtained by WLOX. “Bricen Rivers was released from custody. He was supposed to report to a GPS monitor and he was not to leave Davidson County. But as soon as he was released, he did not report to that GPS monitoring company and he has not been heard from. I wanted to make sure Lauren is safe.”
“What that voicemail says is that man in on the way to kill your daughter,” said Lance Johansen.
“He had enough time to go to another country and commit this murder,” said Michael Collins a criminal justice educator in Shelby County.
He said in domestic situations, an ankle monitor is essential.
“This person should have been monitored prior to him being released from the lock up facility and there is no excuse for why he couldn’t have been,” Collins said.
Had someone made sure Rivers had a tracker on him, Lance Johansen believes Lauren Johansen would still be here.
“Do you believe this would have happened if he actually had an ankle monitor on?” asked WSMV4′s Marissa Sulek.
“If he had an ankle monitor on and things were done properly, I think there is no way possible this could have happened,” said Lance Johansen.
WSMV4 asked the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office how they ensure a defendant is given an ankle monitor before they are released. They sent us to the General Sessions Court, who sent us to the State Trial Court, WSMV4 is waiting for a reply.
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