FORREST COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) – The man accused of killing former Southern Miss nursing student Lauren Johansen appeared in Forrest County Superior Court on Friday, July 26.

Bricen Rivers was denied bail for first-degree murder. He was granted $20,000 bail for a charge of aggravated robbery and $20,000 bail for a charge of tampering with evidence.

Prosecutors say Rivers stole Johansen’s vehicle, attempted to clean it to hide evidence and moved her body across county lines.

Investigators said new evidence suggested Rivers killed Johansen in Forrest County. She was found dead in the trunk of a car in Harrison County.

Johansen’s ex-boyfriend, Rivers, allegedly beat her to death on July 2. Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims said investigators are looking for surveillance footage from South 11th and South 10th Avenues in Hattiesburg, as well as the Highway 42 bypass into Petal.

Rivers’ bail in Harrison County on a 2022 drug trafficking charge, as well as 2023 kidnapping and stalking charges, was revoked Friday. He was granted a preliminary hearing.

Rivers is being held in the Forrest County Jail.