DUBUQUE — After more than seven hours of deliberating, a Dubuque County jury has found 43-year-old Todd Mullis guilty of Murder in the First Degree.
Mullis was accused of impaling his wife, 39-year-old Amy Mullis, with a corn rake in November 2018 at their family farm.
Prosecutors focused on Amy’s extramarital relationship with a man named Jerry Frasher, along with Todd’s fear of losing the family farm if Amy divorced him, as to why Todd would willfully and deliberately kill his wife.
During Friday morning testimony, Todd testified that certain internet search terms about killing were related to hunter safety training. He also testified he wasn’t actually convinced Frasher and his wife were having an affair.
“The only part you have to decide is if Todd Mullis did it,” defense attorney Gerald Feuerhelm told the jury during closing arguments Friday, ceding that Amy Mullis was in fact murdered.
Assistant Attorney General Maureen Hughes said during her closing argument that Todd “butchered his wife”, addressing how Trysten Mullis’ testimony allegedly changed from his original depositions about how long his dad was out of his sight the day of the murder.
Jurors began deliberating Friday afternoon, but were unable to reach a verdict before breaking for the weekend.
Mullis faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
