Caylen Deller Trial & the Death of Chad Mullen

The November 18, 2024 State Attorney’s announcement identifies three charges: first-degree murder with a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, and failure to report a death. An indictment states accusations; it is not a verdict. Read the official indictment announcement.

Jury selection took place October 12, 2026; testimony was underway October 13. A guilty verdict on all three counts was reported October 15, 2026. The verdict and life sentence are reported by News4JAX; the signed verdict form, written judgment and any appellate activity remain to be reviewed. Jury-selection coverage · October 13 testimony coverage.

The operative indictment, docket and any notice concerning punishment must be checked before presenting an exact sentencing range or describing a death-penalty election. The reviewed official release does not state that prosecutors are seeking death.

On October 13, Holli Mullen described a close relationship with her father and a planned New Mexico family trip. Her last described call with him was September 9, 2024, when he asked for a mechanic’s contact after truck trouble. News4JAX testimony report.

These are attributed recollections. A relative’s belief about responsibility is distinct from evidence admitted at trial. Private family details and the identity of a minor mentioned in investigative reporting are not reproduced here.

The official announcement names the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and FDLE. It identifies the Volusia Sheriff’s Office as the arresting agency. Agency attribution.

Holli testified that Chad called about truck trouble and requested a mechanic’s contact.

Evidence / source: October 13 testimony report.

Limit or dispute: This family call does not independently establish the time of death.

Affidavit-based reporting describes calls and phone-location information around Mullen’s home and the stable property.

Evidence / source: Reporting based on police documents.

Limit or dispute: Underlying extractions, mapping methods and complete call records have not been obtained here; location data cannot by itself establish who held a phone.

October 13 reporting includes differing accounts of who initiated the missing-person report. Stromsoe testified that she contacted the sheriff’s office.

Evidence / source: Witness reporting.

Limit or dispute: The original incident report is needed to resolve the precise reporting time and reporting party.

The State Attorney’s Office states that Mullen’s body was found buried in Hastings on this date.

Evidence / source: Primary official announcement.

Limit or dispute: One earlier secondary article gives October 1. The official October 28 date is used pending the recovery report.

Contemporaneous reporting describes Lee-Ellis surrendering November 7. The sheriff’s November 8 notice was updated to say Deller had been arrested.

Evidence / source: Sheriff’s dated arrest update.

Limit or dispute: A later story says Deller was arrested in October; that conflicts with the primary November 8 notice. Booking transfers can carry different dates.

The State Attorney’s Office announced the three-count indictment.

Evidence / source: Primary charging announcement.

Limit or dispute: The announcement is available; the signed indictment itself is still needed.

Local court reporting describes a rejected release request.

Evidence / source: Bond-hearing coverage.

Limit or dispute: A detention decision is distinct from a trial determination of guilt; the written order has not been obtained.

Reporting says Judge Washington declined to delay trial after a defense staffing issue.

Evidence / source: Pretrial court reporting.

Limit or dispute: The account documents a scheduling ruling; the written order and full hearing record remain unreviewed.

Local reporting confirms jury selection ahead of Tuesday’s proceedings.

Evidence / source: Jury-selection coverage.

Limit or dispute: Juror identities and unsupported juror speculation are excluded.

The state presented its opening; Smith deferred the defense opening. Family witnesses then testified. Later October 13 testimony covered recovered identification/debit cards and an alleged admission; see the dated courtroom witness panels below.

Evidence / source: Court TV day-one report.

Limit or dispute: Opening statements are advocacy, not evidence. See the dedicated trial section for the testimony actually reported.

October 8 reporting describes statements attributed to Deller by other witnesses and investigators’ interpretation of a child’s interview. It also says investigators found no evidence supporting the alleged abuse accusation. Source reporting.

That accusation is not presented as established conduct by Mullen. The child’s identity and interview quotations are withheld here. Reliability, admissibility, context and any corroboration require the original records and trial rulings.

For each disputed proposition, identify the admitted item or testimony, any challenge to reliability, and the judge’s ruling. Record which claim is proved, contradicted or unresolved without treating a missing public document as proof that evidence does not exist.

Holli Mullen described regular contact with her father, their planned trip and growing concern after he stopped responding. Stromsoe testified about reporting him missing and exchanges with Deller. News4JAX says messages dated September 15 and 16 were shown in court. October 13 testimony coverage.

The article contains an inconsistency: Holli’s reported account identifies Chad’s mother as the reporting party, while Stromsoe describes making the report herself. The original incident report should settle that point.

Willard delivered the prosecution’s opening; Smith deferred the defense opening. The state’s account is summarized in the theories section, avoiding repetition or treating it as testimony. Opening-statement report · Court TV Day 1 broadcast.

Judge Washington declined a requested delay linked to defense co-counsel’s unavailability, according to Court TV. Hearing report.

The complete hearing and any written order should be reviewed before characterizing preservation of an appellate issue. No appellate conclusion is drawn from the press account.

Lee-Ellis’s proceeding is separate. A not-guilty plea and a reported future court appearance should not be described as a verdict. Separate-case status.

No post-verdict appellate disposition for Deller is verified here. Future entries should identify the verdict by count, judgment, sentence, appeal number and actual order. Any capital sentencing election must come from the operative notice or official confirmation.

• The signed indictment, current docket and full counsel roster.
• The missing-person report and recovery report to reconcile published discrepancies.
• The probable-cause affidavit and warrants as original records.
• The autopsy report, forensic testing and scene-item documentation where public.
• Authenticated communications, traffic-camera records and exhibit register.
• Written admissibility and scheduling rulings, and a complete defense presentation.

Phone proximity is not automatic proof of a person’s presence. A reported admission requires source and context. A pretrial ruling is not a conviction. A separate defendant’s accusation is not a finding against Deller. No diagnosis, motive, abuse finding or precise timestamp is inferred from a photograph or social-media claim.

• State Attorney’s Office — November 18, 2024 indictment announcement (official statement; not the signed indictment).
• Putnam County Sheriff — November 8, 2024 arrest update (historical notice; Deller is no longer described here as wanted).
• Putnam County Clerk — records-search entry point and official anonymous court-records portal. Search Caylen Suvanna Deller; session-based docket access may not provide a permanent deep link.

• Court TV — Day 1 courtroom broadcast (video, not a certified transcript).
• Court TV — October 13 opening-statement account.
• News4JAX — October 13 witness testimony and messages.
• Court TV — October 8 scheduling hearing.
• Action News Jax — October 12 jury selection.
• WKMG — November 9, 2024 arrest reporting.
• St. Johns Citizen — November 2024 affidavit-based evidence account (contains a conflicting recovery date; see timeline).
• St. Johns Citizen — May 27, 2025 bond decision.

Palatka Daily News, November 20, 2024 — archived newspaper PDF. The article discusses indictment language. It is secondary reporting and does not substitute for a certified indictment.

The signed charging document, original probable-cause affidavit and certified trial transcripts have not been obtained. They are not presented as downloadable files on this page.

Facts are labeled by source type: official procedure, allegation, testimony, reported evidence, court ruling or unresolved issue. Links were checked during preparation; dynamic portals may require a new search.

The main header and featured graphic use user-supplied photographs of Chad Mullen and Caylen Deller in branded composites. Section banners are AI-generated editorial illustrations, not case exhibits. Sources of the original photographs beyond the supplied files have not been independently authenticated. No image is used as proof of conduct.