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

[CaliSun]

Not surprised by the verdict at all. His IPad search for “organs in the body” four days before she was murdered was the nail in the coffin for me. He knew exactly where that cornrake was going and looks like he missed the first time. Almost had the perfect crime.

 

[Joe Friday]

Not surprised by the verdict at all. His IPad search for “organs in the body” four days before she was murdered was the nail in the coffin for me. He knew exactly where that cornrake was going and looks like he missed the first time. Almost had the perfect crime.

So it was just an amazing coincidence that four days before Amy's death she had surgery and on the eve of her surgery is when the Google search for "organs in the body" was done?

And there is no possible way Todd or maybe even Amy could have been showing their curious children what the doctors were going to be doing using a diagram from this website? https://sciencetrends.com/body-organs-maps-and-diagrams/

 

[BeckyF]

Not surprised by the verdict at all. His IPad search for “organs in the body” four days before she was murdered was the nail in the coffin for me. He knew exactly where that cornrake was going and looks like he missed the first time. Almost had the perfect crime.

Yes. He had to make sure she was dead.

 

[BeckyF]

Todd murdered Amy.
Matters not what time searches were done.
The jury HEARD HIS "CHEATING " & "GO TO HELL CHEATING " on the 911 call.
Guess because he lost weight and some may consider him a nice looking guy, SEEMS PLENTY OF FEMALES THINK HE'S NOT GUILTY.
I believe he is a sociopath. No emotions.
He looked pissed off and angry at verdict reading.
I think he thought he was going to get away with her murder.

Yes he killed her. I can't imagine the horror and pain she felt in the final moments of her life knowing that her husband did this.

 

[MsFacetious]

Quite honestly I think Todd's best shot would have been to blame the other person KNOWN to be at the farm - his son. I think his attorneys may very well have wanted to go that route.

The fact that Todd didn't use that defense is telling and very much makes me wonder if he's protecting his kid, which I might do as well. I don't know.

 

[Joe Friday]

MANCHESTER, Iowa -- A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for an Earlville man who killed his wife with a corn rake, then tried to make it look like an accident.

Todd M. Mullis, 43, will be sentenced on Dec. 17 at the Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester.

Sentencing hearing set for Earlville man who killed wife with corn rake

 

[YESorNO]

Mullis Sentencing Date Set

September 27, 2019

"A Sentencing date has been set for Todd Mullis. Delaware County Attorney John Bernau told KMCH that Mullis will be sentenced Tuesday, December 17 in Delaware County at 1:00 p.m...."

Mullis Sentencing Date Set – Mix 94.7 KMCH

 

[Joe Friday]

Delaware County man convicted of killing wife with corn rake wants new trial

Delaware County man convicted of killing wife with corn rake wants new trial

 

[Joe Friday]

Motion filed explaining reasons why the defense is asking for a new trial.

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-515c-b494-189aae4e7179/5dca255fa12d8.pdf.pdf

States response

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-5cb5-a93e-715ea0fdf38d/5dc9f7316fc8f.pdf.pdf

 

[Gardenista]

Motion filed explaining reasons why the defense is asking for a new trial.

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-515c-b494-189aae4e7179/5dca255fa12d8.pdf.pdf

States response

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.tow...-5cb5-a93e-715ea0fdf38d/5dc9f7316fc8f.pdf.pdf

This part, WTH?

1. Paragraph2(I)(unnumberedparagraph4)ofDefendant’sMotionisdenied.Not only were the words eluded to by Ms. Hughes in a portion of the 911 call during cross examination of Defendant uttered, when counsel for the State spoke with jurors after the trial, several jurors indicated that they heard even more instances where the Defendant made similar derogatory remarks about his dead wife on the recording. Additionally, during closing statements, prosecutor Hughes cautioned the jury not to take her word for what the 911 tape contained but should listen and decide for themselves, as finders of the fact, what was said.
   

 

[Joe Friday]

I don't suppose there is a transcript or recording of the conversation the State Counsel had with the jurors after the trial.

The part about the UTC time may have a factor in the motion as well. It's obvious the jury didn't understand what UTC time meant since the one and only question they had during deliberations was asking for clarification as to what UTC time was and if UTC time and CDT was the same or different and the judge would not provide them with an answer. Which I thought was wrong. A clarification of this was not new evidence. Had the jurors actually known what time locally those searches were conducted they might not have thought only Todd could have been the one conducting the searches.

JMO

 

[SeesSeas]

Court TV - complete trial - 14 videos
IOWA v. MULLIS (2019) - Court TV
IOWA v. MULLIS (2019)

 

[geevee]

This part, WTH?

1. Paragraph2(I)(unnumberedparagraph4)ofDefendant’sMotionisdenied.Not only were the words eluded to by Ms. Hughes in a portion of the 911 call during cross examination of Defendant uttered, when counsel for the State spoke with jurors after the trial, several jurors indicated that they heard even more instances where the Defendant made similar derogatory remarks about his dead wife on the recording. Additionally, during closing statements, prosecutor Hughes cautioned the jury not to take her word for what the 911 tape contained but should listen and decide for themselves, as finders of the fact, what was said.

Was the jury that suggestive?

 

[Wishbone]

In my experience in the cases where it's so obvious that the verdict is wrong.... we don't generally hear from them. Maybe I'm wrong.

Honestly... they must have simply decided that she was murdered and it had to be him, because another suspect wasn't presented. I've seen that happen in rape cases before.

I have to say, IMO, that this trial was one of the most pathetic attempts at a fair trial that I have ever seen. The crime scene investigation was shameful to say the least as there wasn't one. LE testimony reeked of bias, incompetence and lack of facts. The state testifying to time of electronic searches and not knowing how to tell time? And the jury never understanding how to tell time either. Add to that the abundance of admitted HEARSAY testimony and an ineffective council for the defendant, topped off with an unbelievable, incoherent, poorly recorded “hail mary” by the prosecution. Iowa is one state I will personally avoid driving through if this is what they consider justice. The state proved nothing.

 

[GoneGoldfishin']

This part, WTH?

1. Paragraph2(I)(unnumberedparagraph4)ofDefendant’sMotionisdenied.Not only were the words eluded to by Ms. Hughes in a portion of the 911 call during cross examination of Defendant uttered, when counsel for the State spoke with jurors after the trial, several jurors indicated that they heard even more instances where the Defendant made similar derogatory remarks about his dead wife on the recording. Additionally, during closing statements, prosecutor Hughes cautioned the jury not to take her word for what the 911 tape contained but should listen and decide for themselves, as finders of the fact, what was said.

I have to say I am disappointed, but not shocked, that the attorneys representing the state of Iowa don't know the difference between "eluded" and "alluded".
Moo.

 

[Joe Friday]

I have to say, IMO, that this trial was one of the most pathetic attempts at a fair trial that I have ever seen. The crime scene investigation was shameful to say the least as there wasn't one. LE testimony reeked of bias, incompetence and lack of facts. The state testifying to time of electronic searches and not knowing how to tell time? And the jury never understanding how to tell time either. Add to that the abundance of admitted HEARSAY testimony and an ineffective council for the defendant, topped off with an unbelievable, incoherent, poorly recorded “hail mary” by the prosecution. Iowa is one state I will personally avoid driving through if this is what they consider justice. The state proved nothing.

I think this case could have had a very different outcome had "how to tell the difference in time" had been explained to the jury.

We all know there was little to no investigation done from either side. LE requested the Google searches that were made on basically a "public" computer used by everyone from the defendant, the victim, their children and their extended family. The prosecution didn't prove who was the one that actually conducted those searches.

IMO the jury not knowing the difference between UTC time and CDT time assumed that since many of the searches were conducted in what they thought was the very early morning hours according to what they were told, thought that the searches had to have been conducted by Todd and could not have been done by the children. When in actuality many of those searches were conducted in the early evening hours and some in the afternoon when Todd was perhaps not even home or would have still been working.

I doubt the defense investigated where Todd was at the time the searches were conducted by using his cell phone records, if they had it may have proven Todd could not have been the one conducting the searches on the tablet at the time that the prosecution claims Todd searched for the subjects that show Todd had motive to kill Amy.

One other thing relating to the searches is, if you look at the actual websites that were visited after the initial Google search that the prosecution claims Todd made, you will find that some of the searches were not what they were made out to be in court. It's been a while since I looked at them but I believe the search pertaining to "was killing more acceptable centuries ago" was followed by several visits to websites for books for sale on the subject. Now why would Todd be searching multiple sites that were selling books?

Another thing that bothers me is, LE said they used cell phone records to map the location of JF (man Amy was having an affair with) at the time Amy was killed, to show he could not have been the one who committed the crime. But no map was shown in court of the locations where his phone was supposedly at during that time. And I don't believe the defense on cross examination asked if JF's phone was shown to be in more than one location when mapped. If the phone never moved during the entire time frame it would have taken JF to drive to the Mullis farm, kill Amy and drive back, it would have raised suspicion that JF could have been possibly involved. Obviously if the phone never moved that isn't something the prosecution is going to bring up in court. Which makes you wonder why didn't the prosecution show a map which indicated JF's phone was shown to be in multiple locations at the time in question. Maybe because it didn't move? Just because someone's phone isn't shown to be at the crime scene, does not prove they couldn't have committed the crime.

JMO

 

[Wishbone]

This part, WTH?

1. Paragraph2(I)(unnumberedparagraph4)ofDefendant’sMotionisdenied.Not only were the words eluded to by Ms. Hughes in a portion of the 911 call during cross examination of Defendant uttered, when counsel for the State spoke with jurors after the trial, several jurors indicated that they heard even more instances where the Defendant made similar derogatory remarks about his dead wife on the recording. Additionally, during closing statements, prosecutor Hughes cautioned the jury not to take her word for what the 911 tape contained but should listen and decide for themselves, as finders of the fact, what was said.

That jury was unreal and unbelievable SMH

 

[Joe Friday]

New hearing and sentencing date for man found guilty of killing his wife with a corn rake

A hearing and sentencing date for Todd Mullis scheduled for December 17 has been pushed back until March of 2020.

(Snipped)


Lawyers filed a motion for a new trial in early November and despite prosecutors resisting their motion, a judge has granted it.

Court documents show a hearing to discuss the motion for a new trial has now been scheduled to take place on March 17, 2020 at 1 p.m.

If the motion is denied, the court said lawyers should be ready for sentencing on the same day at 1:30 p.m.


New hearing and sentencing date for man found guilty of killing his wife with a corn rake

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

another case that makes my case for professional juries in the US. Most other first world countries have them.

 

[MajorHoople]

10 To Remember: The Biggest Local News Stories Of 2019

#4. Delaware County Man Convicted Of Killing Wife

"It was a trial that received national publicity, in part due to live coverage from Court TV."

"Mullis now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, but his attorneys have requested a new trial."