OH - Christie Mullins, 14, Columbus, 23 Aug 1975 *killer died*

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Journal Saturday December 17, 1977

Attention Shifts After Surprise Testimony

In a Columbus Citizen Journal newspaper article published on Saturday December 17, 1977, surprise testimonies in court shifted attention to the male eyewitness in the Christie Lynn Mullins murder case.

The male eyewitness 12 year old stepson testified that his stepfather’s shoes were found near where Christie Lynn Mullins body was found.

The boy testified that his stepfather left their house by bicycle when he went in pursuit after some boys who threw firecrackers in front of their house.

The boy said his stepfather was wearing a shirt, shorts, and sandals, and returned home almost an hour later without the shirt and sandals.

The boy testified that not long after his stepfather came back home, they drove over to Woolco and went into the woods.

The boy’s grandmother, who was the mother-in-law of the male eyewitness, testified that while she was in a car with her daughter and son-in-law after leaving the funeral home, she made a comment about the girl’s death being a tragedy and her son-in-law suddenly replied “that’ll teach her to keep her damn mouth shut.”

The Delaware County Sheriff also testified in the Christie Lynn Mullins murder trial. The sheriff testified that the neighbor of Christie’s father brought a .22 caliber rifle that the male eyewitness had loaned to Christie’s father.

The rifle was checked and it was determined that the rifle wasn’t stolen and wasn’t involved in connection with a death that had been under investigation in Delaware County at that time.

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Journal Monday December 19, 1977

Grandmother Back On Stand In Trial

In a Columbus Citizen Journal newspaper article published on Monday December 19, 1977, the article reported that the mother-in-law of the male eyewitness was expected back in court that morning for cross examination by the prosecution.

The article commented on the unusual aspects of the murder trial. It was noted that during the trial, witnesses were not separated and most of the witnesses in the courtroom also heard the testimonies of other witnesses.

The trial was also unusual on account of the mother and sister of the murder victim testifying as defense witnesses during the trial.

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Journal Tuesday December 20, 1977

Man Cleared In Slaying

In a Columbus Citizen Journal newspaper article published on Tuesday December 20, 1977, jurors found the mentally handicapped man not guilty of all charges in the murder of Christie Lynn Mullins.

The county prosecutor declared the Christie Lynn Mullins murder case to be closed and he didn’t expect to take any evidence uncovered during the trial to the grand jury.

The father of Christie Lynn Mullins said that he will soon consult with his attorneys to amend and name the male eyewitness as a defendant in his daughter’s wrongful death civil lawsuit.

The newspaper also published other articles that same day concerning the aftermath of the murder trial. The other articles were: Slaying Trial Has Heavy Drama; If We Could Do It Over Again Prosecutor Reflects; Lawyer Tells Christie's Mother Slain Girl Wouldn't Want Innocent Man In Prison.

 

[nerosleuth]

Columbus Citizen Journal Wednesday December 21, 1977

Wife Insists Her Husband Is Not A Killer

In a Columbus Citizen Journal newspaper article published on Wednesday December 21, 1977, the wife of the male eyewitness insisted after the Christie Lynn Mullins murder trial had ended that her husband is not a killer.

The wife said that when they came upon the person charged with murdering Christie, the murderer threw the board with his left hand and ran north. She told a reporter that her husband was right handed.

The article noted that the stepson of the male eyewitness didn’t waver in his belief that his stepfather had gone to the woods behind Graceland Shopping Center twice on the day Christie Lynn Mullins was murdered on August 23, 1975.

The wife also insisted that the defense surprise witnesses were folks that had something against her husband. She claimed that the trip to the funeral home was her mother’s idea as her mother liked being in the limelight when anything important happens.

The father of the male eyewitness claimed that his son didn’t drink and wouldn’t have confided such a confession in a bar with the surprise witness.

The father of the male eyewitness also claimed that the surprise witness from the bar had a grudge against his son after being implicated in a hit skip incident that police traced through a license check.

 

[TrixieBel]

"The county prosecutor declared the Christie Lynn Mullins murder case to be closed and he didn’t expect to take any evidence uncovered during the trial to the grand jury."

What the heck? Was he paid off?!

 

[TrixieBel]

Great Job Nerosleuth. Thanks for all your work.

 

[December]

In Post 100 we learn that Carol and Male Eyewitness shared a 'nude midnight swim' at the apartment complex pool. (boogle)

 

[TrixieBel]

So, if the witness did it, why did he go to the woods twice? Did he kill her first, and then go back to change or clean up the crime scene?

 

[December]

So, if the witness did it, why did he go to the woods twice? Did he kill her first, and then go back to change or clean up the crime scene?

Maybe he did it that way to give himself an alibi? Not a strong one, but something to throw suspicion off himself and onto someone else? If he is the murderer.

 

[nerosleuth]

I created a map that shows where the mentally handicapped man was on the west side of Columbus to where Christie Lynn Mullins was last seen on the north side of Columbus.

Here is an explanation of the symbols on the map.

The black square is where the mentally handicapped man was on the west side of Columbus at the same time Christine Lynn Mullins was seen at Graceland Shopping Center at the blue square.

The green line is the Broad Street public transit bus route going from the black square to the red square at Broad & High Streets in Downtown Columbus.

The red square is the corner of Broad Street & High Street in Downtown Columbus.

The purple line is the North High Street bus public transit route going from the red square at Broad & High Streets in Downtown Columbus to Graceland Shopping Center at the blue square.

The mentally handicapped man couldn’t read or write, and he didn’t have a driver’s license. The public transit bus was the only way he could get around.

The public transit bus system didn’t have as many buses operating on the bus routes during the weekend.

The mentally handicapped man was seen at approximately 1:30 p.m. at the Volunteers of America on the west side of Columbus. Christie Lynn Mullins was also last seen at approximately 1:30 p.m. on the north side of Columbus.

The distance from where the mentally handicapped man was seen to where Christie Lynn Mullins was last seen is approximately 11 miles.

To get to the north side from the west side, the mentally handicapped man would have to take the Broad Street bus going to Downtown Columbus.

He would have to wait for the bus on Broad Street to go to Downtown Columbus. Then he would get off the Broad Street bus at Broad Street & High Street in Downtown Columbus.

At Broad & High, he would have to wait for another bus on High Street and take the North High Street bus going to Graceland Shopping Center.

The cross town trip from the west side to the north side of Columbus by public transit bus would have taken the mentally handicapped man at least 75 to 90 minutes to get there.

It would have taken that long due to the public transit bus making passenger stops and stopping at numerous traffic signals along the bus routes.

So the distance, transportation logistics, and time factor makes it impossible for the mentally handicapped man to ever have committed this crime.

 

[nerosleuth]

I created a case map that shows Christie Lynn Mullins neighborhood and Graceland Shopping Center. It will give everyone an idea of where things were in that area.

Here is an explanation of the symbols on the map.

The purple square is the Riverlodge Swimming Pool.

The rose square is the home of Christie Lynn Mullins.

The blue square is the home of Christie’s friend Carol.

The brown square is the home of the male eyewitness.

The black square is the Woolco Department Store at Graceland Shopping Center.

The red square is the approximate area where the body of Christie Lynn Mullins was found.

The purple line is the approximate short cut route that Carol & Christie took walking thru the woods to reach the rear of the Woolco store.

The blue line is the common route neighborhood residents took driving or walking to Graceland Shopping Center if they didn’t walk thru the woods on the short cut route.

The green line is the walking route Carol & Christie took going from their homes to the swimming pool.

 

[December]

We only have Carol's word that she "thought" there was a cheerleading contest, right? We also only have Carol's word that this is the reason Christie went to Woolco, right? And, finally, isn't it only Carol's word that Christie was sitting on the railing? Did anyone else see Christie anywhere around Woolco? What if Christie never made it out of the woods? What if she never made it to the railing? What if only Carol went to Woolco?

ETA: If the above is all true, then that possibly moves the timeline for Christie's murder to be slightly earlier.

 

[TrixieBel]

Looks like the "witness" met his maker, and maybe Christie too.

Henry Newell Jr left this earth Tuesday, September 17, 2013. Age 63. Family will receive friends Saturday 3-5 pm at the TIDD FUNERAL HOME with CREMATORY, 5265 Norwich St., Hilliard, OH 43026.

 

[TrixieBel]

Soooo, could this have happened? Witness called Carol, and they made a date to meet in the woods. Christie ran into Carol on the way and followed her. Witness killed Christie after she witnessing them being intimate. Witness went back with family 2nd time with cords and tied Christie's hands and pulled her shirt down to make it look like a molestation/murder.

 

[TrixieBel]

Still trying to figure out why the witness lost his shoe or shoes, or was barefoot after leaving the house with shoes.

 

[MissJ]

My initial thoughts after reading the first posts was that the retarded man wasn't capable of anything as complicated or detailed as the confession was alleged to have been and for some reason LE didn't want to look any further. Point is, why? JMO

 

[December]

Soooo, could this have happened? Witness called Carol, and they made a date to meet in the woods. Christie ran into Carol on the way and followed her. Witness killed Christie after she witnessing them being intimate. Witness went back with family 2nd time with cords and tied Christie's hands and pulled her shirt down to make it look like a molestation/murder.

One of the posts in this thread says something about Christie had told someone (her own parents?) that Carol and Witness had a nude midnight swim. But, I believe it is very likely Carol and Witness had a little get together planned for that day. The "cheerleading competition" phone calls may have been originally intended as an excuse for her to leave the house and be gone for a while. (Speculation)

As for the shoes... remember Carol claims she waited for Christie while sitting on a rock in the creek. So, maybe Carol and Witness did a little more swimming? Or wading? (Whatever is possible in that creek.) And in the course of this, Witness lost his shoes. (Speculation)

Or, maybe Christie had to be chased down at some point? (Speculation)

I hate that Christie had to run into people like this.

 

[December]

My initial thoughts after reading the first posts was that the retarded man wasn't capable of anything as complicated or detailed as the confession was alleged to have been and for some reason LE didn't want to look any further. Point is, why? JMO

I think the eyewitness may have been the reason. For a while.

Maybe, despite how Witness's actions look, there is some reason it's not him either? But, he has confused things to the point that the police are stuck?

 

[Nycsleuth]

Hi everyone, I just joined the site. I'm actually doing preliminary research for a book on the Mullins case. I'm quite impressed with the level of diligence, creative thinking and sophistication of the members of this community and would be grateful for any help and suggestions anyone may wish to provide. I'm a prior published author and a lawyer but can't say I'm any kind of expert in crime-solving, so any views are welcome. The one advantage I bring is that I did live in Columbus, at OSU, at the time of the murder and trial so I remember vividly all the attention the case received, and I have access to some of the reporters whose stories helped reopen the case.

The deaths of a number of the players (e.g., Henry and Tommy Newell, Norman Mullins and others) does make it more difficult to reinvent the wheel, but there are many who are still apparently living. I would like to talk to Bobby Saultz and think I have a contact for him. I'm also interested in talking to Carol Reeves, Christie's friend, but so far have not been able to track her down. If anyone has any leads I'd be grateful.

Thanks to all

 

[December]

Hi everyone, I just joined the site. I'm actually doing preliminary research for a book on the Mullins case. I'm quite impressed with the level of diligence, creative thinking and sophistication of the members of this community and would be grateful for any help and suggestions anyone may wish to provide. I'm a prior published author and a lawyer but can't say I'm any kind of expert in crime-solving, so any views are welcome. The one advantage I bring is that I did live in Columbus, at OSU, at the time of the murder and trial so I remember vividly all the attention the case received, and I have access to some of the reporters whose stories helped reopen the case.

The deaths of a number of the players (e.g., Henry and Tommy Newell, Norman Mullins and others) does make it more difficult to reinvent the wheel, but there are many who are still apparently living. I would like to talk to Bobby Saultz and think I have a contact for him. I'm also interested in talking to Carol Reeves, Christie's friend, but so far have not been able to track her down. If anyone has any leads I'd be grateful.

Thanks to all

It will be interesting if you manage to track Carol down and speak with her.

Since you are a lawyer, do you believe you are good at statement analysis? Or particularly good at questioning people?