Murder of Alijah Mullis

Last updated
Murder of Alijah Mullis
Location Galveston County, Texas, United States
DateJanuary 29, 2008
Attack type
 Murder and child sexual abuse
ConvictedTravis James Mullis
Convictions Capital murder
Sentence Death

On January 29, 2008, in Galveston County, Texas, United States, three-month-old Alijah Mullis (born October 29, 2007) was found dead along a roadside at Seawall Boulevard. Investigations later connected the victim's father as a suspect behind the murder, and the father, Travis James Mullis (September 20, 1986 – September 24, 2024), surrendered himself and confessed to the crime.

Contents

According to Mullis's confession, he had sexually assaulted Alijah before he strangled the infant and stomped on his head several times, which led to the death of Alijah. The murder of Alijah Mullis was regarded as one of the most shocking crimes to happen in Texas during that year. [1]

Mullis was found guilty of murdering the child and sentenced to death in 2011. After waiving his appeals, Mullis was executed on September 24, 2024. [2] [3]

Murder and investigation

On January 29, 2008, Travis James Mullis, then 21 years old, reportedly drove his car with his three-month-old son Alijah in the backseat after he argued with his girlfriend, Caren Kohberger. After he parked his car at Galveston, Mullis proceeded to assault his son sexually. When Alijah cried, Mullis strangled the infant, followed by stomping on his head several times, crushing his skull and leading to his death. [4] [5] [6]

After he killed Alijah, Mullis disposed of the body by throwing it at the roadside around Seawall Boulevard. Alijah's body was subsequently discovered by a married couple, Jesse and Esmeralda Zaro, who were both searching for wildlife when they made the discovery. [7] [8]

Meanwhile, after murdering Alijah, Mullis fled Texas and went on the run for three days, and a warrant of arrest was issued for Mullis. [9] [10] On February 1, 2008, Mullis surrendered himself to the police in Philadelphia, where he confessed to the murder. [11] [12] Mullis was later extradited back to Texas, where he was charged with the murder of his son. [13] Mullis's girlfriend was arrested in New York in February 2008, [14] and charged with child endangerment for entrusting Alijah to the care of Mullis despite her knowledge of Mullis's psychiatric condition and that Mullis might hurt her child. [15]

Life of Travis James Mullis

Travis James Mullis
Born(1986-09-20)September 20, 1986
Maryland, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 2024(2024-09-24) (aged 38)
Huntsville Unit, Texas, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Conviction(s) Capital murder
Criminal penalty Death (murder)
Details
VictimsAlijah James Mullis, 3 Months (murdered)
Several molestation victims (alive)
Date Galveston County, Texas
Imprisoned at Huntsville Unit

Born on September 20, 1986, Mullis was orphaned at about ten months old when his mother died, his father having abandoned the family shortly after his birth. Due to this, Mullis was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Gary and Anne Mullis, who became his foster parents, and he grew up in Abingdon, Maryland. Gary Mullis sexually abused the boy for three years, until he was six; Gary was convicted and incarcerated for molestation. [5] [16]

After the age of four, Mullis often received psychiatric treatment for several psychological problems, including suicidal and homicidal behavior. Mullis reportedly had symptoms of hearing voices and getting flashbacks of his childhood sexual abuse whenever he molested others. When he was 13, Mullis was caught for molesting his eight-year-old cousin and he was thus sent to the Jefferson School in Maryland, a school for emotionally troubled juveniles. Mullis spent four years at the juvenile school before he was released at 17. Mullis later moved to Texas when he was 18, and he later lived with his girlfriend, with whom he had a son, Alijah James Mullis, who was born on October 29, 2007. [5] [17]

Before his arrest for murder in 2008, Mullis had a history of molesting young children. [5] [18]

Trial and sentencing

Travis Mullis stood trial before a Galveston County jury on March 7, 2011, for the murder of Alijah Mullis. During the trial itself, the videotape confession of Mullis was played out; during his questioning by police (including Philadelphia Detective Robert Hesser), Mullis confessed to killing Alijah due to his incessant cries, stating that it was the only way to stop his son's crying. He also told police that he was remorseful for the death of Alijah. [19] [20] Hesser, who interviewed Mullis before his extradition from Philadelphia to Texas, stated that Mullis had admitted to harming Alijah during the interrogation. [21]

On March 11, 2011, the jury took one hour of deliberation before they reached their verdict, finding Mullis guilty of murdering his son. [22] Upon conviction, Mullis faced either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. [23]

During the sentencing trial of Mullis, several children who had previously been molested by Mullis were summoned as witnesses. In addition, Mullis came into contact with his biological family members nearly 23 years after being separated from them at nine months of age. The defense asked for Mullis to be shown leniency on humanitarian grounds due to his troubled childhood and pushed for life without parole, but the prosecution requested the death penalty due to the aggravating factors behind the crime. [24] [25] [26] At that point, Alijah's grandmother Carolyn Entriken told the court that her grandson was "extraordinarily beautiful" and stated how precious he was to her; Entriken later died in 2022. [27]

On March 21, 2011, Mullis was sentenced to death after the 12 jurors unanimously agreed to impose the death penalty. [28] [29] [30]

Appeal process

After his sentencing, Mullis stated several times that he wanted to be executed and did not appeal against his sentence, although he later appealed. On April 25, 2012, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed to process and granted the request by Mullis to waive his right to appeal; this was the first time he expressed his intention to not appeal. [31] [32]

After this, Mullis changed his mind in July 2013 and appealed to the federal courts, after the Texas statute of limitations of state appeals for Mullis had expired. In the federal appeals, Mullis's lawyers argued that his sentencing was unconstitutional due to ineffective trial counsel and asked that the death sentence be overturned in his case as it breached his constitutional rights. However, the federal courts rejected these arguments and upheld the death penalty in Mullis's case. [33]

In July 2018, Mullis once again asked to fast-track his execution and forgo his remaining rights to appeal. [34] [35]

In 2021, U.S. District Judge George Hanks found that Mullis was mentally competent to waive his remaining rights to appeal, and approved his motion to waive his appeals. [5]

In June 2023, Shawn Nolan, Mullis's lawyer, told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the state courts erred in ruling that his client was mentally competent to decide on whether to forgo his right to appeals, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Hanks's verdict and approved Mullis's decision to not appeal further in his case. [36] [37]

Execution

On May 23, 2024, Mullis's death warrant was issued, which scheduled his execution to take place on September 24, 2024, which was four days after his 38th birthday. [38]

Mullis was one of the five inmates across five different states in the U.S. who were slated to be executed within one week between September 20 and September 26, 2024. All five were executed. The other four inmates were Freddie Eugene Owens, who murdered a convenience store clerk in South Carolina in 1997; Marcellus Williams, charged for the fatal stabbing of a former reporter in Missouri in 1998; Alan Eugene Miller, charged with the murder of three people in a 1999 spree shooting in Alabama; and Emmanuel Littlejohn, charged with the robbery and killing of a convenience store owner in Oklahoma in 1992. [39] [40] One of these five inmates, Marcellus Williams, was executed on the same date as Mullis despite his claims of innocence. [41] [42] Another one of them, Owens, was executed on September 20. [43]

During the final months leading up to his tentative execution date, Mullis did not appeal to stay his execution or file for clemency to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. [44] He additionally stated, "It was my decision that put me here."

On September 24, 2024, Mullis was executed by lethal injection at Huntsville Unit. [45] [46] In his last words, he thanked prison officials and staff for "changes made across the system" that allowed rehabilitation to be possible for even the condemned, and he apologized to his son's mother and her family, stating he regretted causing the death of Alijah but had no regrets for welcoming death and giving up his appeals against the death penalty. Mullis was pronounced dead at 7:01pm after a single dose of pentobarbital was administered to him. Mullis was the fourth inmate put to death in 2024 in Texas. [47]

Shawn Nolan, Mullis' defense attorney, wrote in a statement that his client had "always accepted responsibility" for the awful crime he committed and that "Texas will kill a redeemed man tonight. He never had a chance at life being abandoned by his parents and then severely abused by his adoptive father starting at age 3. During his decade and a half on death row he spent countless hours working on his redemption. And he achieved it." [48]

Jack Roady, Galveston County criminal district attorney, stated that Mullis' execution marked the "long-awaited fulfillment of a verdict rendered by a jury who heard all of the evidence." Kayla Allen, first assistant district attorney, noted that the jury's verdict had been "affirmed by 13 years of post-conviction review by higher courts." "Some acts are such egregious violations of not only the law, but of civilized standards, that society's only appropriate response is to impose the ultimate penalty on the wrongdoer," she said, noting that Alijah would have celebrated his 17th birthday the following month.

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References

  1. ↑ "Witness tells of discovering infant's body in Galveston". Chron. December 30, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Texas to execute Brazoria County man Travis Mullis for stomping death of 3-month-old". Houston Public Media. September 24, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Travis Mullis executed for stomping his infant son to death in Galveston 16 years ago". Houston Chronicles. September 24, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Texas man set to be executed for killing his infant son". The Independent . September 24, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mullis v. Thaler [2021], United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (United States).
  6. ↑ "Mullis molested son before murder, prosecutors say". Chron. March 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Witness recalls finding infant's body near the Seawall". Chron. March 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Witness tells of discovering infant's body in Galveston". Chron. March 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Arrest warrant issued for man sought in baby's death". Chron. January 31, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Dead baby's father sought in Galveston roadside discovery". Chron. January 29, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Father arrested in death of 3-month-old". UPI. February 3, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Man sought in infant's death in Galveston surrenders". Chron. February 1, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Slain baby's dad to return to Texas as early as Tuesday". Chron. February 4, 2008.
  14. ↑ "Slain infant's mother arrested in New York". Chron. February 13, 2008.
  15. ↑ "Mom of slain infant charged with endangerment". Chron. February 7, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Investigator tells of convicted murderer's squalid childhood". Chron. March 16, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Texas death row inmate Travis Mullis, 'consumed by shame and madness,' killed baby son". USA Today. September 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Jurors at Galveston murder sentencing hear of sex abuse of kids". Chron. March 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Baby's dad on video: 'Only way to stop him crying was to kill him'". Chron. March 10, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Baby's dad: 'Only way to stop him crying was to kill him'". Chron. March 10, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Detective says Mullis admitted to harming son". Chron. March 9, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Father guilty in stomping death of 3-month-old-son". Chron. March 11, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Jury prepares to weigh punishment for dad in baby's killing". Chron. March 11, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Children testify of abuse in Mullis trial". Chron. March 15, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Investigator tells of Galveston killer's squalid childhood". Chron. March 16, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Child-killer, family reunite in court". Chron. March 18, 2011.
  27. ↑ "'Very precious:' Baby boy killed by Texas death row inmate Travis James Mullis was loved". USA Today. September 24, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Texas dad gets death in slaying of infant son". Associated Press . March 21, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Man who crushed baby's skull after sexual assault gets death penalty". Chron. March 21, 2011.
  30. ↑ "Galveston jury sentences baby-killer dad to death". Chron. March 21, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Father who killed 3-month-old son wants execution". Associated Press . April 25, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Galveston dad who killed 3-month-old son wants execution". Chron. April 25, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Death by lethal injection awaits Texas father who sexually assaulted, killed infant son". UPI. September 24, 2024.
  34. ↑ "Baby killer wants quick death". San Antonio Express News. August 1, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Death row inmate who stomped baby's head in Galveston asks to be executed". Chron. July 26, 2018.
  36. ↑ Mullis v. Lumpkin [2023], United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (United States).
  37. ↑ "Texas man to be executed for stomping infant son to death before dumping body at side of the road". The Mirror. September 24, 2024.
  38. ↑ "Execution date set for Brazoria County man convicted of brutally murdering 3-month-old son". Houston Public Media. May 23, 2024.
  39. ↑ "There are 5 executions set over a week in the US. That's the most in decades". Associated Press . September 24, 2024.
  40. ↑ "The US is about to execute 5 men in 6 days. A look at the state of the death penalty". USA Today. September 24, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Travis James Mullis executed in Texas for the murder of his 3-month-old son Alijah". USA Today. September 24, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams executed despite even the prosecution thinking he was innocent". The Independent. September 24, 2024.
  43. ↑ "South Carolina executes first inmate in 13 years". BBC. September 21, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Texas man who waived his right to appeal death sentence is executed for killing infant son". Washington Post. September 24, 2024.
  45. ↑ "Texas man who waived his right to appeal death sentence is executed for killing infant son". Associated Press . September 24, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Texas man executed for killing infant son after waiving right to appeal death sentence". CBS News. September 24, 2024.
  47. ↑ "Travis Mullis execution: Texas man executed for killing infant son in 2008". The Dallas Morning News. September 24, 2024.
  48. ↑ Encinas, Amaris. "Travis James Mullis executed in Texas for murder of his 3-month-old son Alijah: 'I'm ready'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
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