A Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend and hiding his body in a shallow grave has been convicted of murder.
Caylen Deller, 32, was charged with first-degree murder in the September 2024 death of Chad Mullen, her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
Prosecutors said Deller shot Mullen at her horse farm in San Mateo, Florida, then enlisted a friend and used a horse to move his body. Mullen was discovered in a shallow grave more than a month after he was reported missing.
A jury deliberated for more than an hour Thursday before finding Deller guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison and was also convicted of tampering with evidence and failing to report a person’s death.
Prosecutors said Chad Mullen was fatally shot by his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Caylen Deller, in September 2024. They alleged that Deller used a horse and recruited a friend to move his body before burying it in a shallow grave. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Deller testified Wednesday that she shot Mullen in self-defense. She said he choked her and raised a hammer after she confronted him about unproven allegations that he had sexually abused her young daughter. According to Deller, Mullen became enraged, pinned her against a truck and grabbed her throat, leaving her unable to breathe.
Deller said she reached for a gun after the confrontation. She testified that she had obtained the weapon after Mullen allegedly broke into her apartment on Aug. 1, 2024.
“I pulled the trigger of the gun and shot him twice,” Deller said. “I was extremely afraid.
“I shot Chad twice in self-defense.”
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Caylen Deller, 32, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Chad Mullen, at her Florida horse farm in September 2024. (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Deller said she never intended to kill Mullen and believed her actions were necessary to protect herself.
Prosecutors challenged Deller over her decision not to contact police and her continued communication with Mullen, whom she had described as violent. They presented evidence showing that she placed 28 calls to him between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9, 2024.
Deller testified that she did not call 911 immediately after the shooting because she feared police would reject her self-defense account. She said she also withheld the information from Mullen’s family for the same reason.
Caylen Deller was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted her of first-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Chad Mullen. Deller testified that she shot Mullen twice in self-defense, claiming he attacked her during an argument. (WFOX)
“It was probably not a good idea,” Deller said. “I was more concerned about getting in trouble.”
In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors told jurors that Deller should have contacted law enforcement after the shooting.
“She could have called law enforcement to report that Mr. Mullen attacked her or charged at her or did something to her, but she never did,” a prosecutor said.