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(CNN) — An Iowa hog farmer was found guilty on Monday of murdering his wife with a corn rake.
Amy Mullis, 39, died Nov. 10 at the family farm in Earlville, 30 miles west of Dubuque. Her 13-year-old son found her body in a shed, a corn rake stuck in her back.
Mulis’ husband, Todd, told authorities that she had fallen on the rake, CNN affiliate KCRG reported.
But Dr. Kelly Kruse, who performed the autopsy, ruled the death a homicide. Kruse testified that she observed multiple puncture wounds in Amy’s upper body that indicated the woman had been punctured at least twice with the corn rake.
The implement is similar to a pitchfork, but its sharp prongs are curved up to form a scoop.
Prosecutors say Todd Mullis, 43, killed his wife to keep ownership of the family farm after discovering she was having an affair with their field manager, KCRG reported.
One of Amy’s friends told the court that the mother of three had confided in her about her marriage and the affair. Her friend said she told her Todd didn’t want a divorce because he would “lose half of everything” and it was “socially unacceptable.”
“She wasn’t happy in her marriage and she hadn’t been happy for many years,” Patricia Christopherson told the court.
Jerry Frasher, the man Amy was having an affair with, also testified in court. He said they began a sexual relationship in the summer of 2018 and had talked about a “chance we could end up together,” he said.
Frasher said the two continued communicating via email after Todd Mullis found out about the affair.
She “said she… felt like a slave or a hostage around there,” Frasher said. He told the court she had told him she wanted to leave her husband.
“One time she did say that if he ever found out (about the affair), she would disappear,” he said.
When Todd Mullis took the stand, he answered questions about Google searches on his iPad which included phrases such as “killing unfaithful women,” “what happened to cheating spouses in historic Aztec tribes,” “was killing more accepted centuries ago” and “did ancient cultures kill adulterers,” the Telegraph Herald reported.
He denied making those searches, the outlet reported.
Debra Scherbring, who worked with Amy, said she got a call in August 2018 from the distraught woman, who was worried about what would happen if her husband got wind of the affair. “She was crying that if her husband Todd would find out that he would kill her,” she testified.
The-CNN-Wire
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