FORREST COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The trial date for the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in Mississippi has been pushed back.

According to District Attorney Linn Carter, the trial for Bricen Rivers was pushed back to March 3, 2026, in Forrest County. Carter said his lawyers want their client to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Rivers was indicted for capital murder, taking possession of a motor vehicle and tampering with physical evidence. He pled not guilty to the charges in court on Thursday, February 20.

During a court hearing in August 2024, Lt. Daniel Benoit testified that investigators with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office spoke with Rivers’ brother, who told investigators that Bricen confessed that he killed Lauren Johansen.

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

Investigators said 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.

Rivers’ bond in Harrison County for a drug trafficking charge in 2022, as well as kidnapping and stalking charges in 2023, were previously revoked.

Rivers is being held at the Forrest County Jail.