The family of Lauren Johansen, a Southern Miss nursing student who was allegedly slain by her ex-boyfriend, is suing the Tennessee bond companies that allowed the accused killer to hunt down the victim in the Magnolia State.
Johansen’s family is pursuing a $150 million lawsuit against Brooke’s Bonding and On Time Bonding out of Davidson County, Tenn. The family accuses the two companies of allowing Bricen Rivers, who is currently charged with the victim’s murder, to skirt law enforcement and bolt to Mississippi to kill Johansen.
Rivers had been arrested in Nashville after reportedly beating and kidnapping Johansen in December 2023. The two companies mentioned in the lawsuit were responsible for Rivers bonding out.
The lawsuit accuses the two bonding companies of releasing Rivers without requiring him to pay his full bond and without complying with specific court instructions ahead of his release. Rivers was given a $250,000 bond that was later reduced to $150,000 for the alleged kidnapping and assault. Brooke’s Bail Bonding and On Time Bonding agreed to put up $75,000 each for his release, though the lawsuit claims the agreement was not entirely fulfilled.
An “administrative error” by a county employee allowed Rivers to bolt to Mississippi nearly untracked while he was out on bond, a mistake that Johansen’s father, Lane Johansen, said directly contributed to his daughter’s death.
A six-member judicial panel reviewed Rivers’ release and determined that the bonding companies did not break any rules. The judges, instead, concluded that there were major flaws in Davidson County’s bond system.
Nakeda Wilhoite of Freedom Monitoring, the person previously tasked with tracking Rivers’ GPS post-release, has also been named in the lawsuit. She, however, claimed that her superiors were late in notifying her that Rivers was not allowed to leave Tennessee. By the time Wilhoite was made aware of the geographic restriction, Rivers had already made his way to Mississippi.
Police found Johansen’s body in the trunk of a vehicle at Wolf River Cemetery in Pass Christian on July 3, 2024. Before she was discovered, authorities spotted a man later identified as Rivers fleeing the scene into a wooded area nearby. An ensuing manhunt resulted in Rivers’ capture.
An investigation later led officials to believe that though Johansen was found in Harrison County, the murder took place in Forrest County beforehand. The case was transferred to Forrest County by Harrison County District Attorney W. Crosby Parker as a result.
Rivers has since pleaded not guilty to capital murder, stealing a motor vehicle, and tampering with evidence. All three charges are in connection with Johansen’s death.
