PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Caylen Deller was found guilty Thursday and sentenced to life in prison for the 2024 shooting death of her ex-boyfriend, Chad Mullen, who was buried in a shallow grave in a Hastings potato field.
Deller was found guilty on all charges -- first degree murder, tampering with evidence, and failure to report the death of a person.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Action News Jax’s Madison Foglio was at the Putnam County Courthouse on Thursday as the trial came to an end and there were heavy emotions all day.
The trial began with jury selection on Monday, and that jury took less than an hour to deliberate the verdict after closing arguments wrapped up just before noon Thursday.
During those arguments, the state argued Deller’s own testimony on Wednesday did not make sense, while the defense argued she shot Mullen in self-defense.
“It simply does not make sense … it’s not consistent, it doesn’t make sense.” the prosecutor said.
“This trial is not about whether Caylen made every right decision after the shooting, but whether Caylen reasonably believed she had to shoot Chad when he came toward her swinging a hammer to save her own life,” the defense attorney said.
RELATED: ‘She shot him’: Father of Caylen Deller’s daughter says she confessed to killing Chad Mullen
Before the judge handed Deller’s sentence down, Mullen’s daughter Holli delivered a powerful victim impact statement.
“Why? Why did you have to do this? Why did it have to be my dad? Just why?” Holli Mullen said. “I wish I could be one of those people who can forgive and forget but I’m not. I’m not ready to forgive you and I don’t know if I ever will be.”
Mullen’s family was seen cheering outside the courtroom after Deller was sentenced. Foglio spoke with Mullen’s daughter Holli about the trial coming to an end two years after losing her father.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Foglio: “First reaction?”
Holli Mullen: “Wow, it’s over. It’s such an unreal feeling I can’t even explain it. I’ve never felt so out of body before.”
During the trial, when Deller took the stand, she claimed that she shot Mullen in self-defense. Foglio asked Holli Mullen what went through her mind when she heard that.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“Laughable. I mean, I had to control my laugh, honestly, because we all know we all knew that was ridiculous,” she said.
However, Deller’s sister Haley Baker didn’t find her sister’s self-defense testimony a laughing matter. Foglio asked her what her reaction was to the verdict and life sentence.
“She’s, she did not lure him to do what, what they’re saying she did. It’s not true. I know that she’s sentenced now, but we’re going to try to do whatever we can to get this resolved in a different way,” Baker said.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
