Iowa son fights to overturn his father's conviction in mother's murder

Erin Moriarty: Trysten, wherever are we? 

Trysten Mullis: We're astatine the workplace that I grew up on. This is wherever … maine and my member and sister grew up … these large achromatic buildings present are the hog barns.

Trysten Mullis, on with his younger siblings Taylor and Wyatt, and his parents Todd and Amy, lived connected a 400-acre Iowa workplace wherever they grew soybeans and maize and raised pigs.

Trysten Mullis (at the farm): It's a full household effort to … tally a workplace this size.  

Erin Moriarty: And what are you feeling erstwhile you similar look retired present and --

Trysten Mullis:  Just nostalgia. … it's conscionable benignant of peaceful, you know? 

What happened astatine the workplace the time Amy Mullis died?

That November greeting successful 2018, started disconnected routinely. While his sister and member stayed successful the house, Trysten, past 13 years old, was with his parents preparing for a shipment of babe pigs.

Erin Moriarty: This is the office? The shop?

Trysten Mullis: This is the office. Yes.

Trysten showed maine wrong the hog barn wherever they were working.   

Trysten Mullis (inside the hog barn): Now we're going into the main country of the hog barn. This is wherever your pigs would really beryllium in.

Trysten's occupation that greeting was to transportation heaters from the beforehand of the barn to each pen. Todd was moving connected the h2o proviso pipes. Amy was cleaning the lights.

Trysten Mullis (inside the hog barn): What she was doing is she would get connected the bucket present and basal up, and she would unscrew it similar that (demonstrates). …  Drop it down, get disconnected the bucket, cleanable it successful a abstracted bucket, and past get backmost up present and screw them backmost in.

At 1 point, Trysten remembers noticing that his ma looked dizzy and unsteady. 

Trysten Mullis: She was getting down benignant of dilatory and truly grabbing connected to the gross … You could benignant of spot her loopy and swaying a small bit.   

Just 4 days earlier Amy had had a insignificant aesculapian procedure, and Trysten says helium and his dada were concerned. This was her archetypal time backmost connected her feet.  

Trysten Mullis: We knew thing was not right.  

Trysten says his ma agreed to spell into the location and rest. But earlier she left, they asked if she could bash 1 happening connected her way: get a favored bearer retired of the reddish shed. Trysten says they needed it aboriginal that time to support immoderate kittens from dense machinery.   

Trysten Mullis: We asked her if she could get it extracurricular of the door.

Trysten says helium saw his ma leave.  

Trysten Mullis: She walked down the broadside there. 

Erin Moriarty: OK.

Trysten Mullis: And walked retired that doorway … The past clip I saw her was done that window, close successful the partition determination (points to the beforehand extremity of the barn). 

Trysten says helium and his dada continued moving for astir an hour-and-a-half earlier taking a break. 

Trysten Mullis: We noticed that … the favored bearer wasn't outside. So helium said, hey, tin you go, uh, get the favored bearer out? … We conscionable figured she couldn't get it. 

Trysten went to the reddish shed to get the favored carrier, and that's erstwhile helium recovered his ma connected the crushed with a maize rake successful her back.

Trysten Mullis: I was conscionable praying that she was inactive alive.

Trysten yelled for his dad, and they got Amy into the truck —  calling 911 arsenic they rushed to the hospital.

911 OPERATOR: Delaware County 911. What's the code of your emergency?

TODD MULLIS (to Trysten): Is she breathing?

TODD MULLIS: I conscionable grabbed her and threw her successful the truck. My son's holding her.

911 OPERATOR: OK, you're headed to the infirmary and she's successful your vehicle?

Erin Moriarty: How did you perceive that your ma didn't marque it? 

Trysten Mullis: Dad walked successful the country and helium had tears successful his eyes … and told america that ma had passed away.

Amy's parent Peggy, her member Jeff and her stepfather Randy are inactive coming to presumption with what happened that day. 

Peggy Munson: Your bosom stops.

Jeff Fuller: She was my champion person … increasing up … Amy was a precise vibrant person. She had a large personality.

Randy Munson: She was ever acrophobic astir different people, astir her family, astir her children.  

Trysten says that helium and his begetter assumed his mother's decease had been a horrible accident; that she had conscionable fallen connected the rake. But little than a twelvemonth later, Todd was connected proceedings for her murder. 

Even though Todd and Trysten maintained that Amy's decease was an accident, the authorities aesculapian examiner, Dr. Kelly Kruse, said it was a homicide. She recovered a ample bruise connected the broadside of Amy's jaw and scrapes and bruises connected Amy's knuckles — possible signs of a — noted that portion Amy had six puncture wounds connected her back, the maize rake lone had 4 tines.  

DR. KELLY KRUSE (testifying astatine trial): There were 2 antithetic directions of the six puncture wounds. …

PROSECUTOR MAUREEN HUGHES: And what bash those antithetic directions bespeak to you? 

DR. KELLY KRUSE: To maine they bespeak that she would person to beryllium impaled with the rake astatine slightest twice. … perchance 3 times.

Dr. Kruse determined that Amy's injuries had to person been caused by idiosyncratic striking her with the rake. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation peculiar cause Jon Turbett, present retired, was called successful to assistance section instrumentality enforcement.

Jon Turbett: I'm reasoning astatine immoderate constituent Todd and Amy extremity up successful that reddish barn, and Todd attacks Amy … and … she's deed 2 oregon 3 times with a maize rake. 

And helium says Todd had a motive. 

Jon Turbett: We larn that the matrimony … is not … possibly what it would look similar connected the extracurricular … There were things boiling underneath.

Amy was having an affair, and according to her member Jeff, she wasn't blessed and planned to permission Todd.

Jeff Fuller: Her words to maine were, "Todd's gonna flip out."  

Erin Moriarty: And what did that mean to you? What did flip retired mean to you? 

Jeff Fuller: To me, that meant that helium would … not spell quietly, helium would not springiness up fractional of … his onshore … successful a divorce.  

Jon Turbett: And that becomes … a large portion of his motive of sidesplitting Amy. 

And according to her person Patricia Christopherson, Amy was acrophobic of Todd.

PATRICIA CHRISTOPHERSON (testifying astatine trial): I asked her wherefore she stayed and she said she was frightened of Todd and if helium recovered retired about, um, wanting a divorcement oregon an affair, that helium would termination her.

Investigators accidental Google searches recovered connected Todd's iPad amusement that not lone did helium deliberation astir sidesplitting his wife, helium planned it successful advance.

Jon Turbett: You spot searches connected … unfaithful wives … and sidesplitting cheating wives astatine antithetic points successful history.  

According to prosecutors, Todd's program was to nonstop Amy to the reddish shed that greeting and past ambush and termination her, But that wasn't all.  

PROSECUTOR MAUREEN HUGHES (at trial): He sent his 13-year-old lad to spell and find his mother, who helium had conscionable slaughtered.

When Todd testified, helium told the assemblage helium ne'er did those damning Google searches, that helium did not cognize his woman was having an affair, and that helium did not termination her.  

DEFENSE ATTORNEY GERALD FEUERHELM (at trial): Todd … did you ambush your wife, Amy, successful that shed that time and brutally bushed her and chop — chop her up with that maize fork? 

TODD MULLIS: No, I did not. 

Since Trysten was the lone different idiosyncratic moving connected the workplace that day, his grounds was crucial. He initially told constabulary that helium had been with his dada each morning — essentially providing an alibi for his father. Trysten aboriginal added that helium did permission his dad's broadside doubly to get a portion of h2o and that helium concisely mislaid show of him. Because helium was a minor, Trysten wasn't shown connected camera.

PROSECUTOR (at trial): Do you cognize precisely however agelong your dada wasn't successful your sight? 

TRYSTEN MULLIS: No. 

PROSECUTOR: … Trysten, would it beryllium close to accidental that you don't cognize however overmuch clip you were distant from your dada ... erstwhile you were moving successful the hog barn? 

TRYSTEN MULLIS: Yes. 

And according to prosecutors, that gave Todd the clip to termination Amy. But Trysten says helium was pressured to attest the mode helium did — pressured by Amy's stepfather. 

What Trysten Mullis wants a assemblage to cognize astir what happened the time his parent died

Erin Moriarty: How would you picture the past 8 years?

Trysten Mullis: Hell. I would accidental hell.

Trysten Mullis says his grounds astatine his father's execution proceedings didn't archer the full communicative and if helium could bash it each implicit again, here's what helium would privation the assemblage to cognize astir however agelong it took to get a portion of h2o that day.

Trysten Mullis: … I said I don't cognize however overmuch time. I wasn't saying it could person been 20 minutes oregon immoderate … It was a substance of seconds.

All helium had to do, helium says, was locomotion astir a country astatine the beforehand of the barn.

Trysten Mullis: Right present is the hose that I drank retired of that day.

Erin Moriarty: And truthful wherever bash you portion retired of it, similar close here?

Trysten Mullis (drinks from the hose): Right retired of the nozzle close here.

Erin Moriarty: You didn't bash thing other successful here?

Trysten Mullis: Nope. And past you locomotion close backmost in.

And that, helium says, is conscionable not capable clip for his begetter to leave, termination his parent and travel back. There were 2 ways Todd could person gone. Either done a doorway astatine the beforehand of the barn —

Erin Moriarty:  If helium went that way.

Trysten Mullis: He would locomotion close past me.

Erin Moriarty: You would person seen him.

Trysten Mullis: I would person seen him and I would person heard him.

Erin Moriarty: So what's the lone different mode helium could person gone out?

Trysten Mullis: The lone different mode helium could person gone retired is to the extremity of the barn, each the mode down astatine the extremity there.

Erin Moriarty: Oh, I spot the door —

Trysten Mullis: See the door?

Erin Moriarty:  —  close down there.

Trysten Mullis: Yep.

Erin Moriarty: Then to get to the shed, however would helium person to bash that?

Trysten Mullis: would person to tally each the mode crossed the barn and past tally each the mode down.

Then —

Trysten Mullis: He'd person to leap the gate, tally done the trees, spell into the barn, bash whatever, and tally each the mode back.

The circular travel would person been astir the magnitude of 4 shot fields.

Trysten Mullis: Come done the door, get backmost to the spot. Not beryllium retired of breath, not beryllium panicked, not be, you know, frightened successful immoderate way, signifier oregon form.

Erin Moriarty: … did your dada look to beryllium disheveled when — any clip erstwhile you saw him determination oregon retired of enactment or —

Trysten Mullis: Absolutely not.

For a young boy, it was a batch to handle.

Trysten Mullis: I've had to turn up truly accelerated … going from a 13-year-old kid present taking attraction of 2 … younger siblings … trying to pb them.

When his begetter was arrested for the execution of his mother, Trysten, his sister Taylor, past 11, and member Wyatt, 9, went to unrecorded with Amy's household 3 hours away.  

Peggy Munson (emotional): I'd ever promised her that I would look aft her children. … But small did I cognize they would beryllium surviving with us.

Amy's ma Peggy.

Peggy Munson: It was hard for america too, due to the fact that we were inactive grieving.

It was achy each around. The kids had to set to a caller municipality and a caller school. But for Trysten, determination was nary adjusting to the information that helium was surviving with household that helium says believed his begetter was a killer.

Trysten Mullis: And I — to this time I've tried to get them to alteration their caput … and they inactive don't judge that he's innocent. … it's caused a batch of hostility successful that broadside of the household due to the fact that of what they judge and what I believe.

So astatine 17, with the assistance of a lawyer, Trysten took action. He signed an affidavit accusing Amy's stepfather Randy and an lawyer hired by Amy's household of pressuring him connected however to attest astatine proceedings if asked astir however agelong his begetter was retired of his sight:

They said that if I did not reply the question with "I don't know" to the question past I would get successful occupation for my mom's decease and beryllium sent to a jailhouse for kids called juvenile detention and that I would beryllium taken retired of schoolhouse and distant from my friends.

Erin Moriarty: As you know, Randy … He said successful his affidavit that that you had pressured him …

Randy Munson: Yeah. No, conscionable archer the truth. …

Erin Moriarty: Was that hard to read?

Peggy Munson: Yes.

Randy Munson: Yes, it is.

Peggy Munson: Very overmuch so. Because that's the past happening that we did with those kids is archer them to accidental anything — they talk their ain caput … The information is what we privation them to say. Yeah, that was hard, precise hard.

Today, Trysten does not privation to speech astir his affidavit.

Trysten Mullis: it's benignant of a delicate area.

But erstwhile helium rewinds backmost done the execution trial, each helium tin spot are mistakes and missed opportunities to beryllium that his mother's decease was accidental — starting with his father's defence counsel. In a missive to his lawyer written from jailhouse earlier the trial, Todd asked, "is determination immoderate 'expert' that could verify anticipation of it being accident." In another, Todd made a rudimentary sketch of however helium thought it happened.

But erstwhile the proceedings began Todd's defence lawyer Gerald Feuerhelm didn't adjacent reason it was an accident. He told the assemblage that Amy was murdered.

DFENSE ATORNEY GERALD FEURHELM (at trial): Amy Mullis was viciously and deliberately murdered …

 ... Just not by Todd. Todd's sister Lynne and member Mike watched connected helplessly. 

Mike Mullis: Well, erstwhile the – erstwhile the defence comes retired and says, well, we cognize this was a murder, and but Todd didn't bash it. Well, that was an opening statement, my God –

Lynne White: Where did this travel from? It made nary sense.

When "48 Hours" reached retired to Feuerhelm, helium declined our petition to beryllium interviewed but helium has said that helium ne'er considered an accidental decease for Todd's defense.

Dina Nesheiwat: Nobody got to perceive anything — any grounds of accidents.

Now Todd's household is leaning connected caller lawyers who anticipation to overturn his execution conviction. Brother and sister Daniel and Dina Nesheiwat person taken implicit the case. Years earlier, the Nesheiwats were consultants for "48 Hours" erstwhile we covered Todd's execution trial. And erstwhile they dug into the case, they excessively concluded that Todd didn't person capable clip to termination Amy. Daniel did the limb enactment himself.

Daniel Nesheiwat: I virtually ran the region that the prosecution was accusing Todd of — of doing truthful helium could person committed this alleged murder. And being determination and seeing it, it's impossible. It's a — quite a region … there's nary mode it could person been done conscionable connected that fact. … And — and astatine that point, I was 100 percent convinced.

How did the maize rake extremity up successful Amy Mullis' back?

Convinced that Todd Mullis had not murdered his wife, his caller attorneys Dina and Daniel Nesheiwat did what Todd said helium had wanted each along.

Erin Moriarty: What is this here?

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: So this is the shed. This is wherever Amy was really found.

They hired experts, including Forensic Pathologist Dr. Jennifer Hammers – a erstwhile New York City and Boston aesculapian examiner — and Dr. Valentina Ngai, a biomechanical engineer. And aft going to the scene, examining the grounds and doing tests of their own, they some accidental Amy was not murdered that day.

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: This does not look to beryllium a homicide to me. …

At proceedings the authorities aesculapian examiner testified that Amy had that bruise connected her jaw and scrapes and bruises connected her knuckles. But if Amy had been deed successful the look by Todd, Hammers says, determination besides would've been swelling.

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: The country isn't swollen. … if this country is impacted in, let's say, a carnal altercation, we precise often spot beauteous speedy bruising … swelling of that country

As for the scrapes and bruises connected Amy's knuckles,  Hammers suggests that those injuries could person travel from cleaning those solid airy fixtures that Amy was doing earlier that day. As Trysten showed me, they were precise narrow. 

Erin Moriarty (in the hog barn holding solid fixture): Your ma was cleaning this retired by —

Trysten Mullis: Hand.

Erin Moriarty (putting her manus wrong the fixture): This is hard.

Trysten Mullis: Mm-hmm.

Erin Moriarty: I don't person large hands.

Trysten Mullis: Mm-hmm.

But the astir important question for these experts is however the maize rake ended up successful Amy's back.

Erin Moriarty: At trial, fundamentally everyone said 4 tines, six injuries. Simple math. Murder. …

Dr. Valentina Ngai: That is not right.

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: That's incorrect.

Using the authorities aesculapian examiner's notes, Hammers drew an approximate diagram of the wounds, labeling them A done F. And past she and Ngai examined the absorption of each wound. They, similar the authorities aesculapian examiner, accidental the wounds spell successful 2 antithetic directions. 

Dr. Valentina Ngai: If you look astatine A, B, C, D … these wounds question done the assemblage astir perpendicular …. and E and F are sharply upward.

But dissimilar the authorities aesculapian examiner, they don't deliberation the wounds came from Todd striking her with the rake aggregate times.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: That script of … swinging and re-swinging does not acceptable … it does not lucifer the carnal evidence.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: … if you plaything it, the introduction points are overmuch much steep. … swinging with these tines causes a overmuch steeper introduction constituent and would not make these coiled trajectories.

So, if idiosyncratic didn't onslaught Amy with the maize rake, however did she extremity up with six puncture wounds successful her back?

Erin Moriarty: Are you trying to reconstruct what indispensable person happened to Amy?

Dr. Valentina Ngai: Yes.

They concluded that Amy accidentally fell connected the rake and helped to make an animation. After initially falling connected the rake, Amy, they say, struggled to escaped herself from it. 

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: None of those injuries are gonna instantly incapacitate her. So she would beryllium capable to move, to … effort to region it from her body.

And successful trying to region it from her body, they say, she wounded herself further.

Erin Moriarty: So, what you're saying is that erstwhile Amy tried to get the maize rake retired of her backmost … she inadvertently caused greater injury?

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: Yes.

Here's their sentiment of what happened. When Amy fell, 3 of the 4 tines pierced her overgarment and her back, creating 3 puncture wounds.  Hammers and Ngai accidental Amy past tried to get up.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: She can't rotation to her left, different she rolls implicit apical of the rake. … She can't beryllium upright due to the fact that the rake grip is excessively agelong and it hits the crushed … The lone mode for her to beryllium capable to get up is to rotation to her right.

As she struggled, they say, she managed to escaped 1 tine from her back, but it inactive stayed nether her coat. They accidental she fell again, causing the 4th puncture wound. Then Amy erstwhile again tried to escaped herself from the rake.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: She gets up to her knees and grabs the rake handle.

Still trying to interruption free, Hammers and Ngai accidental that Amy inadvertently turned the rake, changing the absorption of the tines. They accidental she fell again, causing the 5th and sixth puncture wounds portion the tines were pointing upward.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: … falling backmost onto those past 2 tines explains … that upward interior trajectory.

Doctors Hammers and Ngai accidental the clearest impervious that Amy's decease could not person been caused by idiosyncratic swinging the rake is the overgarment that Amy was wearing that day. A photograph of the wrong of the coat, shown above, taken astatine autopsy— but ne'er shown astatine trial — the 4 arrows bespeak wherever the aesculapian examiner saw holes successful the coat.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: Is a highly important portion of evidence. … due to the fact that it indicates that the covering has little holes than the fig of holes successful her body. …

Erin Moriarty: And wherefore is that truthful significant?

Dr. Valentina Ngai: He was convicted connected swinging this rake aggregate times into her body. How bash you plaything a four-tine instrumentality aggregate times and person little holes successful the outer apparel and much holes successful the body? That is illogical.

And they deliberation they cognize wherefore Amy fell successful the archetypal place. Dr. Hammers discovered a imaginable hint successful Amy's aesculapian records – thing the aesculapian examiner aboriginal said she didn't look at. Not lone did Amy person that aesculapian process a fewer days earlier —

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: … she had 3 medications, each of which tin origin immoderate benignant of dizziness … oregon sleepiness.

Remember, Trysten had said his parent appeared dizzy and unsteady. As portion of their work, Hammers and Ngai walked done the farm. They accidental that the layout of the reddish shed apt contributed to the accident.

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: It's precise dark. It's precise constrictive … there's a batch of things successful there. 

To get the favored carrier, Amy had to locomotion down 1 constrictive pathway, crook right, and past locomotion down another. Police photos from that time amusement the favored bearer sticking out. And Ngai and Hammers noticed thing other successful those photos – connected the crushed determination were 2 pieces of workplace equipment, called augers, that look similar elephantine drill bits.

Dr. Jennifer Hammers: With the favored bearer being partially pulled retired … it seems astir apt that she was starting to propulsion that out.

Dr. Valentina Ngai: The barn being acheronian …. the augers astatine your feet, a tripping hazard, falling backwards. … this is the astir apt plausible scenario.

For Trysten and the Mullis family, the experts' decision is what they'd been waiting for.

Lynne White: Finally, Todd's explanation's close here. … they proved it … subject doesn't lie.  … it was a workplace accident. Simple arsenic that.

Trysten Mullis: I felt similar we had our answer.

But erstwhile Todd's caller attorneys get the accidental to contiguous this accusation to a judge, would it beryllium enough?

Todd Mullis seeks caller trial

Determined to beryllium that Amy Mullis' decease was an accident —

Dina Nesheiwat: … you can't reason with the science. You can't reason with the biomechanical engineers.

— they request to person an Iowa justice successful this courtroom that Todd's defence counsel who ne'er investigated the anticipation of an accidental decease was ineffective, and that if the grounds they person collected present had been presented astatine his archetypal trial, determination mightiness person been a antithetic result. If they tin bash that, they anticipation to triumph Todd a caller trial. On that time successful court, Todd saw his children for the archetypal clip successful six years.

Trysten Mullis: I broke down. I — I broke down. Just to spot his look similar tore maine apart. … I conscionable wanted to leap implicit the obstruction and hug him, archer him I loved him.

The Nesheiwats— on with a squad of lawyers from some the Iowa Wrongful Conviction Unit and the Exoneration Project —are moving pro bono to situation Todd's execution conviction.

Tara Thompson: Nobody listened to Todd astatine proceedings … the result of his proceedings would've been antithetic if the assemblage had heard everything that the tribunal is gonna perceive implicit the people of this trial.

At his execution trial, the prosecution argued that Amy's matter was the crushed Todd killed her. But the Nesheiwats accidental there's nary wide grounds that Todd had immoderate thought that his matrimony was astatine risk.

Dina Nesheiwat: … she was having an matter astatine that time, um, unbeknownst to Todd. … but ne'er took immoderate enactment to really instrumentality the steps to leaving.

And successful the period earlier she died, says Dina Nesheiwat, determination were affectionate texts betwixt them.

Dina Nesheiwat: There's messages wherever they're saying I emotion you backmost and forth. …

But what astir that speech that Amy's person said they had astir being acrophobic Todd would termination her?

Dina Nesheiwat: I deliberation they were … for deficiency of amended words, benignant of throwaway … statements … Just similar if I said it, you know, "my husband's gonna termination maine if I'm location late," you cognize oregon things of that nature. … if she believed helium was going to termination her … she would person done thing different, and she didn't. She stayed. 

As for those Google searches discovered connected Todd Mullis' iPad — searches astir cheating and sidesplitting unfaithful women — which Todd denied making but the prosecution said proved premeditation —

Erin Moriarty: How bash you explicate the Google searches? … "what happens to cheaters successful history?" "Killing unfaithful women." That looks bad.

Dina Nesheiwat: Yes. On their face, they bash look bad. … In isolation, they bash look bad. 

Dina Nesheiwat says that each those searches were made earlier Amy adjacent began her affair — and she says that galore of the searches were about history.

Dina Nesheiwat: But if you travel the hunt series it goes into antithetic cultures.

Including 1 that asked: "what happened to cheating spouses successful historical Aztec tribe"

Dina Nesheiwat: … The authorities told the assemblage that each of the searches from Todd Mullis' Gmail relationship were done connected the iPad, but that's not the case. 

Todd's Google relationship was utilized connected much than conscionable his iPad, including Amy's telephone and a household laptop, truthful Nesheiwat says anyone successful the Mullis location could person done those searches.

Dina Nesheiwat: We don't cognize who did the search. ...

But for Todd's attorneys, it's not capable to rise questions astir the circumstantial grounds against Todd Mullis. Success astatine this proceeding hinges connected the caller defence witnesses. They testified without utilizing the animation. It was not yet ready.

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON (in court): Did you scope an sentiment successful this case, Dr. Hammers, astir however you would classify the mode of Ms. Mullis' death?

DR. JENNIFER HAMMERS: I did.

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON: And what is your decision aft information of each of the inheritance grounds and the valuation of the hypotheses that you considered successful this case?

DR. JENNIFER HAMMERS: My sentiment is that the mode of decease is champion classified arsenic an accident.

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON: Good afternoon, Dr. Ngai.

DR. VALENTINA NGAI: Good afternoon.

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON: During your investigation, did you travel crossed immoderate carnal grounds that did not acceptable with this proposal of Ms. Mullis falling onto the rake successful the mode that you've described?

DR. VALENTINA NGAI:  No. Every azygous portion of carnal grounds supported this hypothesis.

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON: And are these opinions that you could have — you oregon idiosyncratic other successful the biomechanical tract could person offered backmost successful 2019 based connected the authorities of the subject then?

DR. VALENTINA NGAI: Yes.

Given the evidence, Hammers and Ngai said that Amy's injuries could lone beryllium the effect of an accidental fall. That contradicts Dr. Kelly Kruse, the authorities aesculapian examiner, who declined to talk with "48 Hours."

ATTORNEY TARA THOMPSON: Is it existent that astatine the clip of Ms. Mullis' autopsy, that due to the fact that you could not envision a condition successful which Ms. Mullis sustained these injuries, different than … idiosyncratic impaling her with the maize rake, that that is the crushed you determined that this was a homicide?

DR. KELLY KRUSE: There is nary different way. Yes.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL SCOTT BROWN: Any of those, um, opinions oregon characterizations person those changed for you astatine each implicit this people of time?

DR. KELLY KRUSE: No.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL SCOTT BROWN: OK. You've reviewed a study that has fundamentally criticized your findings successful this case, correct?

DR. KELLY KRUSE: Yes.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL SCOTT BROWN: And has that reappraisal caused you to alteration immoderate of the opinions that you've fixed successful this case?

DR. KELLY KRUSE: No.

Lawyers for the authorities questioned Kruse and did not bring immoderate caller witnesses to quality the grounds presented by Hammers and Ngai. But they argued astatine the extremity of the proceeding that Todd Mullis' execution condemnation should not beryllium overturned.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL THOMAS BAKKE (in court): The authorities submits that Mr. Mullis has not met his load of impervious connected immoderate of his claims. We inquire the tribunal to contradict his exertion successful its entirety.

Trysten did not attest astatine the proceeding but a deposition, successful which helium described being pressured, was submitted. He was a fixture successful tribunal passim – sitting close down his father.

Erin Moriarty: …You were determination each day.

Trysten Mullis: Every azygous day. I mean, wherefore wouldn't I beryllium determination each azygous time … I cognize he's innocent. And for the justice to spot that … Well, his lad is the 1 sitting down him the full time, you know.

TARA THOMPSON (in court): … Mr. Mullis has established determination is astatine slightest a tenable likelihood that the result of this proceedings would've been antithetic with the overwhelming grounds that the Court has seen, this is grounds of an guiltless man. This is grounds of a antheral that deserves a caller trial, and a proceedings wherever helium tin person his time successful court.

And with closing arguments said and done, Trysten felt confident.

Trysten Mullis: I thought helium was gonna locomotion retired of the courtroom that time aft the experts testified. I thought they were gonna fto him locomotion close retired of there, to beryllium honorable with you.

Now they wait.

Trysten Mullis' Fight Continues

Trysten Mullis: I thought it was going to beryllium a quick, yeah, this is obvious. He needs a caller trial. This is wholly unfair.

It wasn't quick.

Daniel Nesheiwat: … each time seems similar a month. And past erstwhile those days crook into months, crook into implicit a twelvemonth … It's precise tolling connected everyone involved.

The proceeding lasted six days but it would instrumentality astir 15 months earlier Judge Laura Parrish made her decision.

Dina Nesheiwat: She denied Todd alleviation and getting a caller trial.

Everything Todd's caller lawyers argued was rejected. The justice ruled that "Todd Mullis received a just proceedings represented by competent counsel." What's more, she placed blasted connected Todd himself. Dina Nesheiwat described the judge's ruling.

Dina Nesheiwat: … the … gist of it was Todd wanted to spell to trial, truthful the lawyer didn't person capable clip to analyse … helium knew helium was going without … an expert. … which we disagree with.

The justice besides said the assemblage recovered Dr. Kruse, the authorities aesculapian examiner, "credible" and that her "testimony was accordant with the different grounds they relied on." But arsenic for the arguments astatine the bosom of the Nesheiwat's case, the enactment they did that shows that Amy Mullis died arsenic a effect of an accident, Judge Parrish said little.

Dina Nesheiwat: … she summarized the science, but she didn't analyse the subject …

Erin Moriarty: If the assemblage had heard the science, bash you deliberation that would person made a quality astatine trial?

Daniel Nesheiwat: Absolutely.

Dina Nesheiwat: Todd would not beryllium successful situation close present if a assemblage heard the grounds that we person present oregon saw that animation.

The determination was devastating to Trysten and the remainder of the Mullis household who had been truthful hopeful.

Mike Mullis: We went done each the enactment … to beryllium each this.

Lynne White: To beryllium this.

Mike Mullis: And past –

Lynne White: Yeah, fundamentally person it dismissed.

Mike Mullis: Disregarded basically.

Erin Moriarty: How frustrated is your family?

Mike Mullis: Very frustrated.

Lynne White: Very frustrated.

Trysten Mullis: ... I was dumbfounded that a — a justice could look astatine that and determine that.

Dina Nesheiwat had to interruption the quality to Todd.

Dina Nesheiwat: …he was conscionable crushed. …sucked the aerial close retired of him. Just couldn't judge it. … what other bash they want? What other bash they need?

Dina Nesheiwat: … subject doesn't prime sides.

Still, determination are plentifulness of radical who already have, and judge that Judge Parrish and the assemblage astatine Todd's proceedings got it right.

Erin Moriarty: Is determination immoderate accidental successful your caput that this could person been an accident? …

Jon Turbett: No. I deliberation Todd Mullis killed Amy Mullis … the grounds was enactment earlier and tested by juries and appellate, you know, judges. And, um, I perfectly judge we got the close result connected that.

Jeff Fuller: … if you look astatine the evidence, determination was nary mode that it was an accident.

Amy's member Jeff said helium recovered the defence experts decision far-fetched.

Jeff Fuller: … it seemed to maine that they were trying to retry the lawsuit … with immoderate alternate facts and alternate theories. … it seemed astir nonsensical, immoderate of the things that were being said.

Amy's brother, parent and stepfather are hoping the judge's determination volition yet displacement the absorption from Todd and enactment it backmost connected Amy.

Peggy Munson: There's a spread successful our lives, but we cognize she's up determination successful Heaven looking down connected us.

Erin Moriarty: What's the astir important happening that you privation radical to cognize astir Amy?

Jeff Fuller: Um, the fig 1 happening is however overmuch she loved her kids. And however large of a ma she was.

Randy Munson: … we cognize however we consciousness astir losing her, but I can't ideate however they feel.

Erin Moriarty: So what bash you bash now?

Dina Nesheiwat: We support fighting. We person an entreaty to spell to adjacent and we're conscionable going to support fighting. … the subject is inactive connected the grounds conscionable due to the fact that she didn't analyse it oregon hold with it or — it's inactive there, inactive connected the record. So we're going to inquire an appellate tribunal to perceive it now.

Erin Moriarty: You're not giving up.

Lynne White: No.

Mike Mullis: Absolutely not.

Erin Moriarty: Why not?

Mike Mullis: 'Cause we cognize he's innocent.

Trysten Mullis: I mislaid some of my parents astatine 13. …

Trysten told america he's not giving up either. He often thinks of his ma and is determined to get justness for his father.

Erin Moriarty: What keeps you going?

Trysten Mullis: Prayer, supplication and religion that 1 time this volition each beryllium acceptable consecutive …

Erin Moriarty: If helium were sitting present close now, what would you accidental to your dad?

Trysten Mullis: I emotion you and I'm — I'm warring each time for you. I'm warring to get you home.

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Produced by Betsy Shuller, Mary Murphy and Hannah Vair. Gary Winter, Michelle Harris, Grayce Arlotta-Berner and Marcus Balsam are the editors. Cameron Rubner is the subordinate producer. Patti Aronofsky is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer

This communicative published first connected CBS News astatine 9:59 p.m. connected Oct. 17, 2026.

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