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The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode

December 09, 2022 / 42:12

This episode covers the murder case of Amy Mullis, her husband Todd Mullis's trial, and the investigation into her death. Key topics include marital issues, evidence presented in court, and the role of their son Tristan.

Amy Mullis, a 39-year-old mother, was found dead on her family's farm in Iowa with a corn rake impaled in her back. Her husband, Todd Mullis, initially claimed it was an accident, but suspicions arose due to the nature of her injuries. Prosecutors accused Todd of first-degree murder, citing marital problems and an affair Amy had five years prior.

The trial featured testimonies from family, friends, and legal experts. Todd's defense argued that he did not have the opportunity to commit the murder, as he was with their son Tristan at the time. However, Tristan later revised his statement, indicating he lost sight of Todd for brief moments.

Evidence included Todd's internet searches about cheating spouses and the absence of security footage from the day of Amy's death. The jury ultimately found Todd guilty of murder after deliberating for seven hours, leading to his life sentence without parole.

The episode highlights the tragic impact of Amy's death on her family, especially their three children, who lost both parents as a result of the case.

TLDR

The episode details the murder trial of Todd Mullis for the death of his wife Amy, exploring evidence, family dynamics, and the trial's outcome.

Episode

42:12
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[Music] it's a Heartland of America small community Farm Town everybody knows everybody everyone knew Amy Mullis you
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know she was very bubbly outgoing all of a sudden one day she's dead 91 the address of
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your everyone wanted to know what happened to Amy Mullis did you do anything she's just there nothing okay
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what is your name sir Todd mull Todd was straight shooter tough man hard worker farmer there's no he calls 911 he's
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telling them that somehow some sort of accident happened to his wife I don't know if she I don't know she was halfway
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out the door I sent my son over to cheuck on her he yelled at me and I ran over there and
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she's am's body is face down sticking out of her back is a corn rake she fell in a fork and P a goddamn Fork out of
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her corn rake is a very sharp heavy duty Farm tool nothing like a rake for leaves
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it has four prongs sticking out of it and they're typically very sharp I just grabed her the truck the
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sun C okay you're headed to the hospital and she is in your vehicle yeah Amy is sitting on her son Tristan's lap and
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Todd is in route to the hospital you feel anything Amy Amy Amy she's not resp responding the dispatcher says can you
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pull over and so he pulls over on the side of the road sir do you feel comfortable doing
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DPR I can try I'll try anything okay he attempts to lay her down flat on the seat and he's pumping her chest hoping
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to get her responsive want to want to come on just Spa she's cold come on come on am we never regain
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Consciousness it was a a death in a small town Community it shocked everyone this is something that they
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were not prepared for and then it doesn't happen [Music] there Todd's story was that he didn't
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know what happened so he assumed that she fell on the corn rake and it was an accident you don't fall on a rake that
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has four times and suffers six puncture wounds it's hard to believe that it's accidental rumors swirl that wait a
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second this wasn't an accident they were having marital problems you would think
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that in a case like this there wouldn't be a lot of unanswered questions but here we are questioning exactly what
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happened and why this happened by the authority of the state of Iowa accus Todd Mullis of murder first degree
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[Music] [Music] [Music] Amy Mullis was a young and beautiful woman she was 39 years old
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old she was a daughter a sister a friend and a mother to her three young children in September of 2019 almost a
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year after Amy's murder family and friends packed the debut County Courthouse as lead prosecutor Meen
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Hughes described what she says happened to the woman they knew so well Amy had so much life left to live but then that
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life was viciously taken from her on November 10th 2018 taken at the hands of this
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defendant Amy's husband Todd Mullis the hardworking farmer who many Saw as a devoted father to Tristan Taylor and
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Wyatt was on trial for first-degree murder this brutal senseless murder happened in a town called
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erville Amy was found in this Red Shed on the Family's hog farm by her 13-year-old son Tristan she was faced
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down with a corn rake sticking out of her back Amy mullus was viciously and deliberately murdered from the start of
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the trial covered by Court TV Todd mullis's attorney Gerald firel agreed with prosecutors that Amy had been
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murdered but argued it wasn't Todd who killed her I believe that you will find that there's a reasonable doubt out
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about Mr mullis's guilt there's no way that Todd could have killed Amy he did not have the opportunity to do this 48
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Hours hired legal experts Daniel and Dina nwat to look at the evidence from the defense point of view and Matthew
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Triana to look at it from the prosecution's perspective this is not a random third party this is not a
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longdistance gunshot this is up close and personal as serious and brutal and violent as as it
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[Music] comes doctor did you know Amy Mullis I knew her as a nurse in the emergency
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department Dr Craig Thompson was on duty the day Amy was rushed to the hospital in Manchester Iowa where she once worked
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as a nurse shortly after arrival at the hospital I uh understood that Amy mlles had been pronounced dead the first thing
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that Thompson the medical director of emergency Services was told Amy's death was a freak accident Amy had been
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injured falling on a on a corn rake that was upended Thompson is also a medical examiner and he needed to make sure her
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injuries match that story did you notice any or observe any injuries on Amy well
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notably she had six puncture wounds across the back I found it very difficult to see how four times could
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cause six holes in a single impact fact literally the math doesn't add up yeah it's it's basic math we have a problem
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here Dr Cruz did you perform an autopsy on Amy Mullis I did Thompson contacted Dr Kelly Cruz a forensic pathologist for
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the State medical examiner's office so she has a small abrasion or a scrape in the middle of her upper lip Cruz found
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blunt force injuries to Amy's face hands and knees possible evidence of a struggle this is a photograph of the
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Corn rake that was brought to the autopsy Suite there were two different directions of the six puncture wounds
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and what do those different directions indicate to you to me they indicate that she would have to be impaled with the
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rake at least twice possibly three times which meant the Delaware County Sheriff's office now had a murder to
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solve I went immediately to the The Red Shed it was dark by the time Deputy Travis hemath arrived at the farm there
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was a couple drops of Blood on the floor and that's where it was described to me
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that that's where she was positioned I looked on all the equipment in there for any other indication such as uh blood
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markings that would indicate an injury where she had had fallen anywhere else but where she was located and Did You
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observe anything I did not he noticed a few drops of blood and with his own eyes
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couldn't notice anything else and had concluded the investigation at The Red Shed Daniel Anda nesat wonder whether
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Amy's death was even a murder if this was a murder and somebody is stabbing Amy not one not two but three times
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you're going to see blood drops on the chemical totes on the shed walls on a suspect you're going to see it on
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Amy the Delaware County Sheriff's Department doesn't investigate many homicides Amy was only the fourth in the
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last 10 years so they asked for help from Iowa's division of criminal investigation when deputies began
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digging into the mullis's marriage they discovered Amy had cheated on Todd 5 years earlier Amy crushed the foundation
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of their marriage the trust of their marriage by having an affair Amy and Todd decided to try to work it out they
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went to counseling Amy quit her job at the hospital to work on the farm Todd said she wanted to spend more time with
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her family but Amy told friends she had no choice she left because it was kind of a deal she made with her husband
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after the terms of the deal is that Amy you're done in the hospital you're back on the farm I'm keeping my eye on you
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yeah and Todd's position is she signed up for that right we agreed that this was going to be the way it was going to
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go it took Todd a very long time I don't think he ever really trusted Amy again in fact she told Terry stainer she felt
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like a prisoner it was very regulated who she could do things with it was kind of a joke the approved friend list um
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that could actually do things with Amy she was timed when she left home and when she got back there was a line that
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was used that she was a prisoner of Todd so this is pretty intense stuff it's controlling Behavior by 2018 Amy was
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confiding in friends like Patricia sters that things were not going well she wasn't happy um in her marriage and she
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hadn't been happy for many years were you a loving husband would you say you were kind to your wife
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anybody H yeah but Todd told a very different story to John turbet a special agent assisting with the investigation
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how would you describe your marriage to me pretty TI actually yeah communication
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was great and we were're together all the time you know and we yeah between us it was good it just
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wasn't the whole truth in July of 2018 5 years after Amy's Affair Todd had noticed a change in her his Radar's up
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his Radar's up hey wait a minute I've seen this movie before yep and that raises a red
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flag going over phone records Todd discovered his wife had had been communicating with another man Jerry
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Frasier a field manager for the Mullis Farm Todd couldn't see there 128 texts but Matt Triano says when Todd
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confronted Frasier he was told nothing going on this is business stuff we're talking about kids activities nothing
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scandalous all those texts they were all about kids activities and the pig farm correct that's the story Todd had even
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called Frasier's wife Jerry's wife convinces him everything is fine they have a happy marriage and and she has no
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concerns about her husband and that puts his mind to rest but as investigators quickly
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discovered Amy and Jerry Frasier were having an affair and that provided what they
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needed a motive for Todd to kill her the the obvious choice always is the husband but Todd also had an airtight
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Alibi his son Tristan which means as his father is tried for the murder of his mother Tristan will be the most
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important witness for both the prosecution and the defense everyone was on the edge of their seats of what's the
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Sun going to say no trist I'd like to direct your attention to November 10th 2018 do you remember that day yes
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how do you think Amy Mullis died could it have been an accident see more photos from the case on Facebook at 48
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[Music] hours please be seated everyone one of the most anticipated Witnesses at Todd
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mullis's murder trial was Todd and Amy's 14-year-old son Tristan we've chosen not
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to show his face he testified via closed circuit TV do you swear that the testimony you give here today will be
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the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes your honor everyone knew the stakes from the first moments
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of the investigation Tristan had provided an alibi for his father legal expert Matthew Trana says Tristan told
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police I'm with my dad right we I didn't I didn't lose sight of him I'm with my dad the whole time he may not know it
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but he alibiing his father if they are together the whole time then he can't be assaulting his wife and killing his
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wife with the monitor facing the jury Tristan spoke of the close Bond he shared with his Dad we would go hunting
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fishing um going a forther ride we Farm together obviously the two often work together on
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the farm on the day Amy died the two younger kids stayed in the house while Amy joined to and Tristan in one of
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their large hog barns it's kind of an open Barn about about 100 about a football field
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long Tristan described the division of labor he was setting up portable heaters anticipating a delivery of piglets to
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the farm Todd was setting up equipment that provided water to the pens Amy was cleaning the lights so she would get on
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a bucket a 5 gallon bucket and then she would reach up to these uh the light bulbs in the ceiling so she would clean
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those out everything seemed fine until Tristan noticed something was off with his mom she said she was getting dizzy
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she uh kind of like had to like when she got in a bucket she had to hold herself
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from falling off and she got down in her legs she was kind of shaky Tristan was worried 4 days earlier Amy had undergone
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an outpatient medical procedure this was her first time out of the house I think
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I remember saying you know are you all right do you need help cleaning them and then Dad kind of asked the same thing
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she just said no like I'm fine but a little while later Amy suffered another dizzy spell according to Tristan Todd
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became concerned he said I really don't think it's wise for you to stay out here cuz
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you know I don't want you falling off and getting hurt Tristan testified that Todd wanted Amy to go into the house and
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rest but asked if on her way she could grab a pet carrier out of The Red Shed some 30 yards away from the front of the
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barn Todd told her he would need it later to round up a litter of kittens to protect them from some heavy machinery
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he planned to use he said if you can get it to the shop that would help but if you just can't get it then just leave it
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we'll get it Amy left Tristan said he and his dad continued working together for about
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another hour and a half in the barn then headed to an office at the front that's
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when Todd looked out the window and saw the pet carrier was not where he had asked Amy to put it so he just told
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me to get it myself he asked you to go to The Red Shed to check on your mom he asked to go check on her cuz like maybe
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we thought that she was still struggling to get it out to get the pet cage or maybe she just went in the house so he
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just said go check on Mom but he didn't he told you to go to The Red Shed yes when Tristan got to The Red Shed he made
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the horrifying Discovery she was kind of on her hands and knees face down did you see anything
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that was protruding or sticking out of your mom's body yes what did you see uh corn rake what did you do um I checked
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for a pulse on her um neck and her arm I uh just kind of freaked out my anxiety level was 0 to 100 and about a split
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second Tristan screamed for his dad Todd arrived saw Amy and told Tristan to go get the family truck and what was your
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dad doing that he was helping Mom out of the barn because the opening inside the
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shed was so narrow Todd would later tell police he had to remove the corn rake from Amy's back in order to get her out
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Todd then picked her up and carried her to the truck Tristan gets into the passenger seat Todd puts Amy essentially
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on top of Tristan and drives can you imagine the trauma Tristan must be feeling his mother on top of him as
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they're driving away with these serious injuries yeah massive bleeding yeah it's it's terrible right
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it's terrible Tristan described to the jury that as they raced towards the hospital
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Todd dialed 911 I'm I'm headed there I'm about to okay so you're headed to where
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okay went the hospital I I oh I just sced her I thre in the truck he's frantic he's excited when he's on the
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phone with 911 the dispatcher says can you pull over and so he pulls over on the side of the road do you swear and
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affirm that the testimony you give in this matter will be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes I do
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go ahead and have a seat there first to arrive at the scene was Deputy Luke Thompson I saw a young man looked like
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he had blood on his coat flagging me down as I pulled up Thompson rushed to help Amy she was unresponsive and not
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breathing no pulse she had quite a bit of blood on her on her on her clothes we put her on the ground and I started
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doing chest compressions while Deputy Thompson worked on Amy he asked Todd what had happened Todd told him he
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wasn't sure but that day Todd also said he suspected Amy had become dizzy and accidentally fell on the rake while
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trying to get the pet carrier as for Tristan well Tristan tells the police what his
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dad was with him the whole time he was with his dad working in the hog farm the entire
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time so if Todd didn't kill Amy who did there was certainly somebody else who had access to that farm and that person
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also had a relationship with the mlles and a relationship with Amy Mullis that man Amy was having an affair with Jerry
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Frasier may have had his own reasons for wanting Amy out of the picture Jerry Frasier had motive to kill Amy he had a
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wife he had children he didn't want to leave his [Music] family why do you think Todd waited to
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call 911 until he was on the road hear more of Todd's 911 call at 48 hours.com [Music]
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Amy often complain that Todd works too much he preferred to stay home when she preferred to go out you know at some
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point those opposites didn't attract anymore and Amy sought attention elsewhere the attention came from this
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man state your name and spell it for the record please Jerry Frasier Jerry Frasier the married father of two
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managed the mullis's Hog operation and it's in that capacity that he meets Amy since she was the Farm's bookkeeper
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Matthew Triano says it was normal for them to be in contact and then it morphs into a personal romantic sexual
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relationship their Affair began in late May of 2018 how often would you and Amy meet
00:21:55
for this physical relationship it just depended I mean it was everything was very short it was maybe once a week
00:22:03
maybe more depending on just how it worked out they would meet in secret on the farm on back roads and occasionally
00:22:15
motel rooms well I think it was strictly or more sexual for Jerry than it was for
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Amy it seemed like Amy had very strong feelings for Jerry and Patricia Christopherson told jurors Amy
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envisioned a future with him he made her happy she had talked about wanting to get married eventually with him but
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after Todd discovered those phone records and began asking questions Frasier got nervous yeah I I told her
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that we needed to slow down were you afraid about Todd finding out about your Affair yes why oh why wouldn't you be
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but they kept seeing each other by late sum 2018 word was out about Amy's latest
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infidelity her friend Terry stainer says Amy was worried she said I'm going to tell Todd that there's rumors out there
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to stop this so if he hears it he'll think it's just the rumor mill going around Dina nwat says Jerry Frasier was
00:23:21
also feeling pressure he had a wife he had children he didn't want to leave his family she is a threat of Jerry and his
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family so when Amy was murdered just 2 months later Jerry Frasier immediately became a person of interest he had
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motive he had means he is on that farm all the time he had just as much motive as Todd
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did special agent John turban interviewed Frasier he sat next to me in my unmarked police vehicle and we talked
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for an hour and a half Frasier readily admitted to the affair but insisted he couldn't have killed Amy he was home in
00:24:00
Anamosa 45 minutes away and just like Todd Mullis his son was his Alibi his college age son had excellent recall and
00:24:10
so they had gotten up and spent all Saturday morning doing work and then they watched college football
00:24:16
investigators went through Frasier's cell phone records at the time Amy was murdered we could see that Jerry
00:24:23
Frasier's cell phone had cell phone activity around 10:45 11:45 12:45 all of that down in Anamosa but Daniel mwat
00:24:31
says if someone wanted to commit murder today's day and age no don't bring your cell phone with you leave it at home the
00:24:37
cell phone pinging only means that's where the cell phone was correct does it mean where Jerry was investigators
00:24:44
concluded Jerry Frasier wasn't involved and they turned their attention back to Todd Mullis in spite of his Alibi word
00:24:52
was Amy wanted a divorce that's motivation because if she leaves and they get divorced he loses
00:25:01
the farm loses half at least pays her alimony child support splits probably his life in half so he needs things to
00:25:12
be together investigators were especially interested in what Amy told her friends that Todd might do to her I
00:25:19
asked her why she stayed and she said she was scared of Todd and if he found out about wanting a divorce or an Affair
00:25:29
that he would kill her one time she did say that if he ever found out she would disappear she even told Terry stainer
00:25:37
where to search for her on the mullus property she said Tera if I ever come up missing have him look in our new
00:25:45
Timber stainer worried Amy's affair would provoke Todd I told her you know Amy you're putting yourself in a really
00:25:54
dangerous situation and I said at that time he is going to kill you and why did you say that
00:26:02
because Todd is just a the person you don't mess with as they built their case investigators began focusing on Todd's
00:26:14
actions the day Amy died like sending trist to The Red Shed long after Amy had gone to get the pet carrier why would
00:26:24
she still be in The Red Shed So an instruction would be wider than just the Red Shed absolutely go find Mom search
00:26:34
the farm so why would Todd pick Red Shed of all the possibilities the prosecution
00:26:42
would want you to believe that he wants Tristan to find mom he needs Amy to be located by somebody other than
00:26:51
him and they actually conver and then there was Todd's police interview when John turbet accused him of murdering his
00:26:59
wife we completed our investigation at this point and the case face clearly show you're responsible for for death at
00:27:07
this point I'm Matthew trano says Todd's reaction was ring if you get put into an
00:27:17
interrogation room and you had nothing to do with the death of your wife the death of anybody but you are accused
00:27:23
wrongly you are going to fight back you're going to scream you're going to yell and none of that from Todd no not
00:27:34
enough but Dina nesw disagrees how would you describe his reaction baffled what me I'm
00:27:44
responsible if somebody said you killed your spouse would you have an emotional reaction to that everybody reacts
00:27:53
differently to everything he tried to deny it several times and taught even said you want me to confess to something
00:27:59
I didn't do but what about Todd mullis's airtight Alibi it turns out there may be some
00:28:08
cracks in Tristan's story at some point did you lose sight of your dad yes Todd Mullis was the prime suspect in the
00:28:34
death of his wife Amy but he's always had a solid Alibi from his teenage son Tristan Tristan told authorities he was
00:28:42
with his father all morning how important was that for Todd crucial that was his Saving
00:28:49
Grace but everything changed just days before the trial when Tristan was reinterviewed and admitted he did not
00:28:57
have eyes on his father the whole time Tristan said he lost sight of Todd a couple of times when Tristan went to get
00:29:04
some water in the office at the front of the barn legal expert Matthew trano this
00:29:10
is not the situation that we had before where Tristan is saying I'm with him the
00:29:15
whole time I have eyes on my dad the entire time correct and once you don't have that game
00:29:22
changer in that interview Tristan estimated he was gone less than a minute each time but when he was questioned by
00:29:30
prosecutor maren Hughes at the trial do you know exactly how long your dad wasn't in your sight no Tristan would it
00:29:38
be accurate to say that you don't know how much time you were away from your dad when you were in when you were
00:29:43
working in the hog Barn yes and with Tristan's revised statement the prosecution insisted Todd had the
00:29:52
opportunity to kill Amy every statement that he's given has been worse and worse for his father
00:30:00
because the first one was pretty airtight what do you think's going on with Tristan I think he's like any other
00:30:06
13 or 14 or 15y old where there's probably I want to try to do the right thing I want to try to maybe help my mom
00:30:16
and help my dad and you know that's culminated and he has to testify against his father it's
00:30:23
awful but there was still room for doubt Tristan said he never saw blood on Todd
00:30:30
and that at no point while they were working together in the hog Barn did his demeanor change what's more Dena nwat
00:30:37
maintains that no matter how long it took Tristan to get those drinks of water in the office there was no way
00:30:44
Todd had enough time to get from the hog Barn to The Red Shed to expect him to stab his wife with a corn rig not once
00:30:52
not twice possibly three times wait for her to make sure she's dead and then come with no blood no torn clothes same
00:30:59
composure as if nothing happened it's not possible investigators didn't have any
00:31:04
physical evidence linking Todd to the scene but they did have Electronics from the mullus farm including a security
00:31:12
camera system there's two Vantage points for these cameras that look out over the
00:31:17
property one of which would have captured the area around the Red Shed not inside the Red Shed but Around The
00:31:24
Red Shed and when investigators searched for any footage from the day Amy died we
00:31:31
were unable to find any video but strangely one of the cameras had a recording from the next day well now
00:31:38
that doesn't seem to add up do you think he deleted the footage I think that the
00:31:43
reasonable explanation is that he deleted the footage to make matters worse for Todd
00:31:51
investigators found a series of disturbing internet searches on Todd's iPad including what happens to cheaters
00:31:59
in history Thrill of the kill and killing Unfaithful women if I'm investigating a
00:32:06
homicide and the guy I think committed the murder of his wife has been searching online about what happens to
00:32:15
cheating wives don't I have an open and shut case it doesn't look good with the prosecution's case laid
00:32:23
out all eyes turned to Todd who took the stand in his own defense were you surprised that Todd testified you know
00:32:33
his reactions and and his actions and what he does and doesn't do are made such an important part of the case that
00:32:40
the best person to explain that is Todd Mullis for about 3 hours Todd calmly addressed the many questions swirling
00:32:50
around him including why he didn't call 911 right away I I just wanted to help her I just want to let's let's go
00:33:00
to the hospital is there's something wrong I'm a doer I guess I just I want to help I was interaction mode I I
00:33:07
wanted to get her to the hospital Todd also told the jury why there was no security camera footage
00:33:15
from the day Amy died he said he believed his cats had accidentally knocked the antennas off the window
00:33:21
ledge while they were trying to find a warm spot to sit the colder it gets cats to heat and there's a heater right below
00:33:31
the window sun comes up in the morning they sit in the window in fact there were no recordings for nearly 2 weeks
00:33:38
leading up to Amy's death and the reason one of the cameras suddenly started working the following day it was the day
00:33:46
after I think after talking to family members and stuff they go do you have anything on the camera so I went out I
00:33:52
seen everything was knocked off hanging down by the floor I picked it all back up I did not know how long it had been
00:34:00
off or whatever as for those internet searches about cheating spouses when defense
00:34:06
attorney Gerald firel asked Todd if he had done them no I did not do you know who did I have no idea who looked that
00:34:15
up Todd said other family members use the iPad including Amy have you ever searched for wedding dresses I have
00:34:22
never searched for wedding dresses did you ever do a Pinterest search no do you know what Pinterest is I have no idea
00:34:29
what Pinterest is then came the question everyone wanted to know Todd did did you Ambush your wife Amy in that shed
00:34:41
that day and brutally beat her and chop Cho her up with that corn Fork no I did not do you know who did I have no idea
00:34:50
in closing statements the prosecutor left the jury with a final thought about Todd's motive why did he kill Amy
00:34:58
because he didn't want to lose his farm because she was cheating you might not like that Amy was having an affair but
00:35:04
that doesn't mean she deserved to die as for the defense the state has not proven a case against Todd Mullis Beyond
00:35:12
A Reasonable Doubt the dots don't even remotely connect here there was Zero physical evidence linking Todd to
00:35:20
anything that happened with the week-long trial complete the jury was excused to deliberate and decide Todd
00:35:28
mullis's [Music] [Music] fate after a week of testimony it was now up to the jury to decide if Todd
00:35:48
Mullis had murdered his wife Amy I think the question is this not so much is Todd
00:35:57
mullet innocent of doing this I think the more critical question is did the state prove
00:36:03
that he did it this woman who asked that we not use her name was an alternate juror who weighed all of the testimony
00:36:10
and evidence as she watched the trial from where you're sitting did the prosecution do a good job I personally
00:36:18
just wish that they would have been able to provide more forensics [Music] evidence and some of the 12 jurors who
00:36:27
went into the Jury Room to decide Todd mullis's fate felt much the same way this juror who also did not want to use
00:36:35
her name said the jury was split going into deliberations what was the initial field
00:36:42
there was probably half at least that Saidi was guilty and then the rest were undecided there were some that had
00:36:51
difficulty saying he was guilty when there was no Witnesses this was a big deal that you were basically sifting
00:36:58
through circumstantial evidence and there was no witness to the crime yes it was a serious a serious verdict to come
00:37:06
up with I am informed that the jury has reached a verdict after roughly 7 hours of deliberation a verdict we the jury
00:37:18
find the defendant Todd Michael Mullis guilty of the crime of Murder in the First Degree guilty
00:37:27
Amy mullis's family breathed a sigh of relief and Todd Mullis subtly shook his head before being let out of the
00:37:35
courtroom in Chains as this juror explained the jury reached a consensus by going back through all the evidence
00:37:44
we talked about all the different scenarios it could have been and it was we couldn't come up with a plausible
00:37:51
explanation but then we went back to Todd and all the points against him it was a ser of unfortunate events that
00:37:59
just didn't add up starting with Todd's decision to take the corn rake out of Amy's back and drive her away to get
00:38:06
help before calling 911 I didn't understand why he didn't call 911 and the fact that he chose not to was that a
00:38:14
big deal for you yes I think he wanted to get her away from the farm and she says Todd did not do
00:38:22
himself any favors by taking the stand to me he seemed cold he was a cold fish you know he was probably a man a
00:38:32
few words which a lot of farmers are but when you talk about things that they're
00:38:36
passionate about like their families or their Farms or their wives or they usually can muster up some
00:38:45
emotion then there were those internet searches we spent quite a bit of time going line by line and then looking at
00:38:52
the searches before looking at the searches after and we concluded that they it was him it wasn't just a crime
00:39:00
of passion he had premeditation after being found guilty Todd Mullis hired a new legal team and
00:39:09
submitted a motion for a new trial as he awaited sentencing so now the issue is going to become a legal issue of did he
00:39:16
get a fair trial was anything done wrong that shouldn't have happened Todd's motion claimed that
00:39:23
among other things Todd's trial lawyers blatantly disregarded his guidance to argue that Amy died from an accident
00:39:30
right from the start Amy Mullis was viciously and deliberately alert and when that happened Todd wrote on a sheet
00:39:38
of paper what the f was that the job of the defense lawyer is not to convince the jury that Todd is
00:39:48
innocent the job is to create Reasonable Doubt in the minds of the jury he should
00:39:54
never have closed that door he should have left it open for the jury to wonder well was it an accident or was it a
00:39:59
murder the judge ruled on the motion as to the defendant's motion for du trial and motion in arrest of judgment I will
00:40:09
deny those motions in their entirety we will go ahead and proceed with sentencing at this time before being
00:40:17
sentenced Todd Mullis took one last chance to address the court I did not do this uh this is supposed to be America
00:40:26
where you shouldn't have to prove your innocence I thought it was guilty until or not uh innocent until proven guilty I
00:40:33
feel this is the other way around and I was a faithful and loving [Music] husband Mr Mullis for the charge of
00:40:42
Murder in the First Degree you are sentenced to life in prison with no opportunity for
00:40:51
parole now as Todd Mullis is left to appeal his conviction from prison the ripples of Amy's death continue to be
00:40:58
felt by all who loved her this case is a tragedy all around you have three beautiful children that not only lost
00:41:08
their mother they lost their father at the same time What Todd Mullis did if he did do
00:41:15
this is he acted selfishly in his own best interest to remove a potential problem in his
00:41:25
life but he didn't think or think enough about his three kids and all of the other layers of trauma that would
00:41:34
result four victims not one yeah at least at [Music] least adopted and capable of Murder She
00:41:55
has thought about killing her brother she is a danger to our family The Lost Child that haunted us we cannot be her
00:42:02
parents anymore until we found her years later and heard her surprising story a new 48 Hours next on CBS

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 80
    Most heartbreaking
  • 75
    Most shocking
  • 70
    Most dramatic
  • 70
    Most intense

Episode Highlights

  • The Tragic Death of Amy Mullis
    Amy Mullis, a beloved mother and friend, was found dead in a shocking incident.
    “This is something that they were not prepared for.”
    @ 02m 26s
    December 09, 2022
  • The Investigation Begins
    As rumors swirl, Todd Mullis is accused of his wife's murder, raising questions about their marriage.
    “You don't fall on a rake that has four times and suffers six puncture wounds.”
    @ 02m 57s
    December 09, 2022
  • A Complicated Marriage
    Amy's affair and Todd's controlling behavior reveal the complexities of their relationship.
    “She was a prisoner of Todd.”
    @ 10m 52s
    December 09, 2022
  • Todd's Alibi Crumbles
    Tristan, Todd's son, admits he lost sight of his father during crucial moments.
    “I lost sight of Todd a couple of times.”
    @ 29m 00s
    December 09, 2022
  • The Jury's Verdict
    After deliberation, Todd Mullis is found guilty of first-degree murder.
    “We find the defendant Todd Michael Mullis guilty of the crime of Murder in the First Degree.”
    @ 37m 21s
    December 09, 2022
  • Todd's Sentencing
    Todd Mullis is sentenced to life in prison without parole for his wife's murder.
    “You are sentenced to life in prison with no opportunity for parole.”
    @ 40m 44s
    December 09, 2022

Episode Quotes

  • This is something that they were not prepared for.
    The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode
  • You don't fall on a rake that has four times and suffers six puncture wounds.
    The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode
  • She was a prisoner of Todd.
    The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode
  • You're putting yourself in a really dangerous situation.
    The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode
  • This case is a tragedy all around.
    The Corn Rake Murder | Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Community Shock02:29
  • Marital Struggles09:48
  • Trial Testimony14:02
  • The Affair21:50
  • Dangerous Situation25:51
  • Alibi Crumbles29:00
  • Guilty Verdict37:21
  • Life Sentence40:44

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown