DOB: 04/01/1994

Case Number: 2024-1197 CF

Deller Convicted of Murdering Ex-Boyfriend, Hiding Body on Hastings Farm

PALATKA – After a three-day trial, a Putnam County jury found defendant Caylen Deller guilty as charged of First-Degree Murder (Firearm), Tampering with Physical Evidence and Failure to Report a Death of a Person. Immediately following the verdict, she was sentenced to mandatory life in prison for the first-degree murder conviction.

On Sept. 15, 2024, Chad Mullen was reported missing to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives spent weeks investigating the case, piecing together tips and evidence that ultimately led to the discovery of Mullen’s body in a shallow grave on a Hastings farm on Oct. 28, 2024.

The Medical Examiner determined that the victim died from two gunshot wounds to the chest.

The investigation revealed that the defendant lured Mullen to her horse stables in San Mateo on Sept. 9, 2024, and shot him.

Deller then used her horse to drag the victim’s body to a nearby pond with help from her co-defendant, Tina Marie Lee-Ellis. When the body resurfaced several days later, they moved it to the farm in Hastings and buried it using an excavator.

“The defendant claimed self-defense, but the jury wasn’t fooled by her lies,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said. “A life sentence is her reward. Unfortunately, the family members of our victim will bear the burden of their loss for a lifetime as well. Justice cannot heal the family’s pain.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Managing Assistant State Attorney Mike Willard and Chief of Homicide Jason Lewis successfully tried the case for the State of Florida. The Honorable Alicia Washington heard the case and imposed sentence.

Lee-Ellis’ charges related to this case are still pending.