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

Bricen Rivers was denied bond on a first-degree murder charge. He received a $20,000 bond on a grand larceny charge and a $20,000 bond on a tampering with evidence charge.

According to prosecutors, Rivers stole Johansen’s vehicle, tried to clean it to hide evidence, and took her body across county lines.

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

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

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

Rivers is being held at the Forrest County Jail.