GUILTY IA - Amy Mullis , 39, Earlville, killed with corn rake, 10 Nov 2018 *Arrest*

[gitana1]

Todd Mullis Trial Verdict 09/23/19

To me it looked like he exhaled a sharp breath and was bummed. The next second he seemed clearly pissed off to me. Shook his head, clenched his jaw. "Disappointed" look. I think he's an angry guy.

I also think people are going to interpret his reaction based on whether he won them over during his testimony. Or not.

 

[Gypsy Road]

Myself, I worry about what would be found on the notepad that I keep at my computer to jot down info and questions on various cases, etc. Looks like the disjointed ruminations of a crazed lunatic!

Lucky dude that the cameras just happened to be off and Amy got dizzy and the husband was close but not close enough and the son came in right after it happened. But not before.

Then there's also motive.

So Amy's a liar when she tells several people he will make her disappear or kill her if he finds out about her affair and Todd couldn't have done it because there's never been any evidence of domestic violence, but Frasher?

We know nothing about a violent history for him. No motive. No chance he snuck on the farm and used their iPad to search those things. But he's a good candidate?

Voice of logic here! I am on the fence about the verdict - but yeah ...you’ve made valid points.

 

[Joe Friday]

No evidence he snapped. Sounds like this was coldly planned.

I can list dozens of murderers who never showed signs of violence before they murdered. Chris Watts is a recent one. Martin MacNeill. And so many men who kill when their wives are leaving them.

Happens all the time.

BBM

If it had been a little warmer that day Todd would have been in the fields on his tractor tilling the ground. I don't see how Todd could have been coldly planning to kill Amy that morning when he originally wasn't even planning on working in the hog barn or anywhere near Amy.

It just so happened that Todd was home working and Amy and their oldest son was helping him. It just so happened the kittens mother was accidentally killed and a pet carrier that was stored in the red shed was needed in the shop building to contain the kittens so they too would not be killed. (Which I would imagine the pet carrier was Amy's idea. In general farmers are not worried if a cat or two were to get killed, cats on a farm are not pets, they are like workers used to control mice and they reproduce fast enough they are not even missed when some go missing) It just so happened that Amy became dizzy several times and needed to stop working in the hog barn and leave to go back to the house, by herself. How do you plan any of that?

 

[BeckyF]

No evidence he snapped. Sounds like this was coldly planned.

I can list dozens of murderers who never showed signs of violence before they murdered. Chris Watts is a recent one. Martin MacNeill. And so many men who kill when their wives are leaving them.

Happens all the time.

Agree it was coldly planned. What sealed it for me was his testimony that he did NONE of those google searches and that he was 'okay' with Amy's denial of the 2nd affair. I call BS.

 

[Joe Friday]

Lucky dude that the cameras just happened to be off and Amy got dizzy and the husband was close but not close enough and the son came in right after it happened. But not before.

Then there's also motive.

So Amy's a liar when she tells several people he will make her disappear or kill her if he finds out about her affair and Todd couldn't have done it because there's never been any evidence of domestic violence, but Frasher?

We know nothing about a violent history for him. No motive. No chance he snuck on the farm and used their iPad to search those things. But he's a good candidate?

I wouldn't call it lucky for Todd the cameras were not working, I would call it unlucky.

If the cameras had been working they may have shown no one other than Amy entered the red shed that morning. How would the ME and the prosecution then conclude Amy's death was a homicide if that would have been the case?

If the cameras were working they may have shown someone other than Todd entered the red shed.

Were neighboring farms ever checked for cameras that may have shown vehicles that would have driven to or from the Mullis farm during the time frame Amy was known to have died? That is how Mollie Tibbitts killer was found.

 

[gitana1]

BBM

If it had been a little warmer that day Todd would have been in the fields on his tractor tilling the ground. I don't see how Todd could have been coldly planning to kill Amy that morning when he originally wasn't even planning on working in the hog barn or anywhere near Amy.

It just so happened that Todd was home working and Amy and their oldest son was helping him. It just so happened the kittens mother was accidentally killed and a pet carrier that was stored in the red shed was needed in the shop building to contain the kittens so they too would not be killed. (Which I would imagine the pet carrier was Amy's idea. In general farmers are not worried if a cat or two were to get killed, cats on a farm are not pets, they are like workers used to control mice and they reproduce fast enough they are not even missed when some go missing) It just so happened that Amy became dizzy several times and needed to stop working in the hog barn and leave to go back to the house, by herself. How do you plan any of that?

Oh IMO he was ready. Took his chance when it was right.

 

[gitana1]

Agree it was coldly planned. What sealed it for me was his testimony that he did NONE of those google searches and that he was 'okay' with Amy's denial of the 2nd affair. I call BS.

Yup! Right.

 

[gitana1]

I wouldn't call it lucky for Todd the cameras were not working, I would call it unlucky.

If the cameras had been working they may have shown no one other than Amy entered the red shed that morning. How would the ME and the prosecution then conclude Amy's death was a homicide if that would have been the case?

If the cameras were working they may have shown someone other than Todd entered the red shed.

Were neighboring farms ever checked for cameras that may have shown vehicles that would have driven to or from the Mullis farm during the time frame Amy was known to have died? That is how Mollie Tibbitts killer was found.

It's pretty clear from the autopsy reports that she was inpaled at least twice. Someone else was in that barn with her. And I think the state proved who it was.

I'm comfortable with the verdict.

 

[MsFacetious]

To me it looked like he exhaled a sharp breath and was bummed. The next second he seemed clearly pissed off to me. Shook his head, clenched his jaw. "Disappointed" look. I think he's an angry guy.

I also think people are going to interpret his reaction based on whether he won them over during his testimony. Or not.

I didn’t even watch his testimony actually. I came into this case figuring he was likely guilty. I was shocked at the total lack of evidence. I don’t like the guy. I think he probably did it. I just don’t think this is enough to convict.

Agree it was coldly planned. What sealed it for me was his testimony that he did NONE of those google searches and that he was 'okay' with Amy's denial of the 2nd affair. I call BS.

He didn’t claim he did none of the google searches. He explained several of them. The detective is the one who claimed it was “improbable” anyone else had done the searches.

So if we don’t believe anyone else could have done any searches, then we really think he was searching for:

Wedding dresses?
Pinterest?
Designing wedding rings?
Carrie Underwood?
Hotels?
Lady Antebellum?
Ohana tattoos?
DNA testing without the father knowing?

I mean really?

It’s clear to me that multiple people were accessing this device/account (adult female, young girl, adult male and young boy).

I do understand how that syncing works even if the states expert does not.

 

[BeachSky]

All I thought was ..is Colin Firth covering for his son?
And ...why is the Prosecutor playing the album backwards?


MOO

 

[BeachSky]

Agree it was coldly planned. What sealed it for me was his testimony that he did NONE of those google searches and that he was 'okay' with Amy's denial of the 2nd affair. I call BS.

He’s a good actor. Reminds me of the staircase murder Peterson.

JMO

 

[MsFacetious]

Well Todd could have had all the kids testify... to his benefit. He did not. Maybe he IS attempting to protect the kid(s).

 

[BeckyF]

I didn’t even watch his testimony actually. I came into this case figuring he was likely guilty. I was shocked at the total lack of evidence. I don’t like the guy. I think he probably did it. I just don’t think this is enough to convict.




He didn’t claim he did none of the google searches. He explained several of them. The detective is the one who claimed it was “improbable” anyone else had done the searches.

So if we don’t believe anyone else could have done any searches, then we really think he was searching for:

Wedding dresses?
Pinterest?
Designing wedding rings?
Carrie Underwood?
Hotels?
Lady Antebellum?
Ohana tattoos?
DNA testing without the father knowing?

I mean really?

It’s clear to me that multiple people were accessing this device/account (adult female, young girl, adult male and young boy).

I do understand how that syncing works even if the states expert does not.

I meant the google searches about cheating wives, etc. that the prosecutor asked about. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

 

[Joe Friday]

It's pretty clear from the autopsy reports that she was inpaled at least twice. Someone else was in that barn with her. And I think the state proved who it was.

I'm comfortable with the verdict.

Is what you are saying is it would be absolutely, no doubt about it, impossible for someone that was known to be having dizzy spells to fall backwards against a corn rake that was standing along a wall causing one set of injuries and then falling again on top of the very same rake which would have now been on the ground, causing the second set of injuries?

 

[RonImhoff]

Is what you are saying is it would be absolutely, no doubt about it, impossible for someone that was known to be having dizzy spells to fall backwards against a corn rake that was standing along a wall causing one set of injuries and then falling again on top of the very same rake which would have now been on the ground, causing the second set of injuries?

Absolutely impossible. I'm not sure where you live or if you have ever worked on a farm, but if Todd put the corn fork inside the shed, it was more than likely leaning against the wall or door with the tines on the ground. Amy would have had to fall on the ground, get impaled, pull the fork out, then fall again, and then roll over onto her hands and knees.

Also, the prosecutor, DA, forensic expert, and Todd himself all agreed it wasn't an accident. Not sure why people are still saying it was.

 

[geevee]

I meant the google searches about cheating wives, etc. that the prosecutor asked about. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

What's odd about those searches is, they were done in Jan. '18 and her affair with Jerry didn't begin until late May/early June '18 - so they're unconnected to that, and had she been having an affair with another person in Jan, the state would have loved to have brought that out to give Todd even more reason, but that didn't happen. So who did them and why? She wasn't involved with anyone then.

I'm quite uncomfortable (and disappointed) with this verdict - where is evidence of premeditation? Where is any evidence it was Todd and not Trysten (or any unknown person)? You can "just so happen" a lot of things together but where is the actual evidence they occurred?

 

[RonImhoff]

I wouldn't call it lucky for Todd the cameras were not working, I would call it unlucky.

If the cameras had been working they may have shown no one other than Amy entered the red shed that morning. How would the ME and the prosecution then conclude Amy's death was a homicide if that would have been the case?

If the cameras were working they may have shown someone other than Todd entered the red shed.

Were neighboring farms ever checked for cameras that may have shown vehicles that would have driven to or from the Mullis farm during the time frame Amy was known to have died? That is how Mollie Tibbitts killer was found.

The cameras weren't just down the day Amy was killed, there was some time leading up to that day that they were down. He was just picking his most opportune time to do it. Then the cameras picked back up a day or two after her murder? It's easy for him to blame everything on these kittens it appears.

 

[BeachSky]

The cameras weren't just down the day Amy was killed, there was some time leading up to that day that they were down. He was just picking his most opportune time to do it. Then the cameras picked back up a day or two after her murder? It's easy for him to blame everything on these kittens it appears.

What is beyond cold IMO is orchestrating his son to “find “ her. Thus providing himself a timeline alibi ,he gets to be a hero, disturb the scene, touch & pull the rake out.

The only time I saw him off his game
was when the State played his 911 whisper while preforming CPR.

MOO

 

[Joe Friday]

Absolutely impossible. I'm not sure where you live or if you have ever worked on a farm, but if Todd put the corn fork inside the shed, it was more than likely leaning against the wall or door with the tines on the ground. Amy would have had to fall on the ground, get impaled, pull the fork out, then fall again, and then roll over onto her hands and knees.

Also, the prosecutor, DA, forensic expert, and Todd himself all agreed it wasn't an accident. Not sure why people are still saying it was.

And why would that be "absolutely impossible" ? Please explain that so I can understand how it couldn't have happened.

I think there was a reason why the defense agreed Amy was murdered, but not by Todd. Was it the right thing to do in Todd's defense? Probably not. Had the defense claimed it was an accident, like it very well could have been, and questioned the forensic pathologist if there is any way it could have been possible if Amy could have received her injuries from falling against or on the rake, the pathologist would have had to have said "yes it could be possible" there is no way anyone can say it is not possible, much less absolutely impossible.

Stranger things have happened. Accidents happen. Sometimes the circumstances surrounding accidents are not so clear cut or straight forward. There is not one piece of evidence that proves Todd struck Amy with the corn rake. ''

My Grandfather owned a farm. I worked on that farm when I was younger. I have been to many farms for auctions, if I had to estimate over 100, and have seen the insides of many of sheds while at those auctions. Yes one would think a responsible person would store a rake with the tines on the ground, but kids do play in the sheds and who knows what they might have done. The vast majority of sheds I have seen are such a clutter of old junk lying in piles, they are a death trap just to walk through.

JMO

 

[lonetraveler]

I feel like the Defense in closing used the "Hail Mary" Jose Baez tactic by throwing out something so shocking that it would stick with the jury during deliberation and it worked.