Jury selection began Monday for Caylen Deller, the Putnam County woman accused of killing her on-again, off-again boyfriend Chad Mullen and concealing his body in a rural stretch of St. Johns County. Deller faces charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, tampering with evidence and failure to report a death in connection with Mullen's September 2024 disappearance and death.
Mullen was reported missing by his family on September 15, 2024, days after he was last heard from on September 9, according to sjcitizen.com. He had traveled with Deller that day to the area of 465 San Mateo Road in Satsuma, where Deller's business was located. Investigators later named Deller a person of interest soon after Mullen's body was discovered, and deputies said she was wanted in connection with his murder after she failed to show up for an appointment in Volusia County on a Friday, prompting Putnam County deputies to ask the public for help finding her that same afternoon.
Mullen was ultimately found dead in a rural area of St. Johns County. The Citizen reported that his remains were discovered October 28 on a rural property along Federal Point Road in Hastings, while News4JAX reported that detectives following a tip began searching a property at 852 Federal Point Road in Hastings on October 28 and found him there. News4JAX reported that detectives, along with forensics teams from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Medical Examiner's Office, searched, dug and sifted dirt at the site. Deller was arrested in October 2024.
Evidence Investigators Say Links Deller to the Case
Prosecutors allege Deller killed Mullen with help from Tina Marie Lee-Ellis in disposing of his body; Lee-Ellis was separately charged with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact, sjcitizen.com reported. Lee-Ellis, shown as 56 years old in an image caption, had a November court return date. Both Deller, whom Yahoo News identified as 32, and Lee-Ellis have pleaded not guilty.
The Citizen identified Lee-Ellis's SUV as the vehicle allegedly used to move Mullen's body. A Putnam County grand jury indicted Deller on November 18, 2024, moving the case from a missing-person investigation into a full homicide prosecution.
Bond Denied, Trial Moves Forward Despite Delay Request
A judge denied Deller's request for release while she awaited trial in May 2025, according to the same sjcitizen.com reporting. Chad Mullen's daughter, Holli Mullen, attended the hearing and spoke about her father's loss. Holli Mullen also said she wanted her father remembered for his positive impact on family and others.
Jury selection opened Monday morning as previously scheduled after a judge refused to delay the trial, Yahoo News reported, despite a defense attorney's request tied to a personal matter involving a deceased pet. The case has moved steadily from Mullen's initial disappearance through Deller's arrest, indictment and now trial, with no additional updates yet available on the outcome of jury selection or the proceedings that follow.
