Todd Mullis will spend life in prison, even after fighting for new trial
DELAWARE COUNTY, Iowa - (Iowa's News Now) — "I was a faithful and loving husband. I never did this," Todd Mullis says right before Delaware County Judge Thomas Bitter imposes a mandatory life sentence Friday.
Mullis was convicted of the November 2018 killing of his wife, Amy Mullis, nearly a year ago. It's been dubbed the "corn rake murder" because of how Amy was stabbed with the pitchfork-like implement.
Mullis maintained his innocence and asked for a new trial, citing ineffective counsel and prosecutorial misconduct as main points.
Defense attorney Aaron Hamrock argued Friday that prosecutor Maureen Hughes used prejudicial language and made false claims against Mullis when discussing the 911 call he made while doing chest compressions on Amy.
"Todd, do you whisper 'cheating whore' right there?" Hughes asked during the September 2019 trial after playing the recording.
"No," Mullis answers.
Hughes plays it again and repeatedly asks Mullis if that's what he said.
In the motion for a new trial, defense attorney Aaron Hamrock writes:
Ms. Hughes specifically and repeatedly suggested to Mr. Mullis during her cross examination of him that he indicated the decedent in this case was a “cheating whore.” Presumably, she was suggesting that these words were indicative of his state-of-mind, lack of remorse, or some other inference that would be consistent with him having committed the offense for which he was on trial. Ms. Hughes went on to repeat the same inflammatory remarks during her closing argument.
Hamrock goes on to write the defense had an audio expert enhance and review that 911 recording; it was determined by that expert Mullis did not use the language prosecutors suggested he did. Hamrock says Hughes "knew or should have known" Mullis didn't use that derogatory language.
"By asking those questions, knowing that those statements were not contained on that audio tape, I think rises to the level of misconduct."
Judge Thomas Bitter quickly denied this request for a new trial.
In all, court proceedings took less than an hour as Judge Bitter moved on to the sentencing phase.
While Class A felonies such as this carry mandatory life sentences, prosecutors did ask the judge to use his discretion to make Mullis pay more in restitution.
"That's the only thing I think's really going to hit home with this individual. Yes, he has to go to prison for life. But this trial was about greed and jealousy. The greed had to do with his farm and his money."
Prosecutors say Mullis mentioned he had a million dollars cash to pay bond. They asked Judge Bitter to raise restitution to Amy's estate to a million dollars since Mullis had that money to spend.
Judge Bitter didn't grant that request either, imposing the minimum $150,000.
