Naman Shrestha
The episode titled ‘The Corn Rake Witness’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours’ chronicles the tragic killing of Amy Mullis on her family farm near Manchester, Iowa, in late 2018. When the news of her passing broke out, the entire community was left shell-shocked. Meanwhile, the detectives launched a homicide investigation, which led them to uncover some dark family secrets and her broken marriage to Todd Mullis. Although their son, Trysten, provided an alibi for Todd, the evidence against him was enough to find him guilty.
Todd Mullis Reportedly Waited Until En Route to the Hospital to Call 911
Born around 1976, Todd Michael Mullis married Amy Lynn Fuller, a registered nurse, on September 11, 2004, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Manchester, Iowa. Their union led to the birth of three beloved children — Trysten, Taylor, and Wyatt. Following the birth of their children, Amy also started helping out Todd with his farming operation on the family farm in Earlville. According to reports, due to Todd’s jealous and controlling nature towards Amy, cracks began to appear in their marriage. Tensions escalated further when Amy reportedly began an extramarital relationship with Jerry Frasher, who handled the Mullis farm’s hog operations in May 2018. As per Amy’s friends, she was also considering parting ways with Todd. On the fateful day of November 10, 2018, Todd was working on the family farm with Amy and their son, Trysten.
According to evidence presented by prosecutors at his trial, Todd slipped out of the barn at some point and fatally impaled Amy with a corn rake inside the shed, before Trysten discovered her in a critical condition. Todd placed Amy in the truck and, alongside their son, Trysten, he began driving toward the Regional Medical Center. He called 911 on the way; the paramedics met them a while later and moved Amy to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. After her death was ruled a homicide, the authorities considered Todd Mullis and Jerry Frasher persons of interest. Although Jerry admitted to having an affair with Amy during his sworn testimony, he told the detectives that he was at his home in Anamosa with his son at the time of the homicide. After eliminating him as a potential suspect, the investigators focused on Todd, who also had a solid alibi from his son, claiming that they were together all morning.
When asked why he didn’t call 911 right after finding his wife, Todd stated, “I — I just wanted to — help her. I just wanted to — let’s – let’s go to the hospital there’s something wrong. … I’m a doer, I guess. I just — I wanted to help. … I was in reaction mode. I – I — wanted to get her to the hospital.” However, in later interviews, Trysten told detectives that Todd was out of his sight a couple of times that morning, estimating the interruptions lasted less than a minute each time. Upon digging deeper into Todd’s activities in the weeks and months leading to Amy’s killing, the investigators uncovered a series of suspicious internet searches on his electronic devices, such as “what happens to cheaters in history,” “killing unfaithful women,” “organs in the body,” and “thrill of the kill.” Ultimately, on February 28, 2019, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of his wife.
Todd Mullis is Currently Incarcerated at an Iowa Prison
A few months later, in September 2019, Todd Mullis’ murder trial for Amy Mullis commenced. During the trial, the prosecution told the jury that he killed her after learning about her alleged infidelity. They claimed that he tried to make her killing seem like a farming accident. On the other hand, the defense argued that Todd was innocent and there was reasonable doubt about who killed Amy. Their son, Trysten, also took the stand and testified that his father asked Amy to grab a pet carrier out of the shed before resting inside the house. “He said, ‘If you can get it to the shop, that would help. … But if you just can’t get it, then just leave it. We’ll get it,'” Trysten said.
About a week of testimony later, the jury found Todd guilty of first-degree murder on September 23, 2019. Before his sentencing hearing, Todd hired new legal counsel and filed a motion for a retrial, which the judge denied. After months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his sentencing hearing finally took place on September 4, 2020. Before his sentencing, Todd took the stand and stated, “I did not do this. This is supposed to be America where … You shouldn’t have to prove your innocence. … I thought it was guilty until — innocent until proven guilty. I feel this was the other way around. And, I was a faithful and loving husband.” Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition, he was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution.
Years after his conviction and sentencing, Todd Mullis returned to court for a post-conviction relief hearing, with his defense attorneys presenting multiple witnesses to support his claims of innocence. A forensic pathologist argued that Amy’s death was accidental, as she allegedly fell onto the corn rake that caused the puncture wounds on her body. Todd also argued that his former attorney didn’t use their agreed-upon strategy during his murder trial. About a year later, in early June 2026, the judge denied his motion, maintaining that he had received a fair trial. As of today, the 50-year-old is serving his sentence at Iowa State Penitentiary in Lee County, Iowa.
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