Mullens v. State
Annotate this CaseDefendant pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the murders and to life imprisonment for the attempted murder. On appeal, Defendant’s principal claim was that the trial court impermissibly allowed the State to enter into evidence DVDs and photographs derived from surveillance footage without proper authentication. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion regarding the authentication of the DVDs and still photographs; (2) the trial court incorrectly applied the law regarding the avoid arrest aggravating circumstance with respect to one of the murders, but additional evidence supported the inference that Defendant acted with the intent to eliminate witnesses and avoid prosecution; (3) the sentencing order did not violate the requirements established in Campbell v. State; (4) the death sentence was proportionate in this case; (5) substantial evidence supported Defendant’s convictions; and (6) Defendant was not entitled to relief pursuant to Hurst v. Florida. Remanded for entry of a written order of competency.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.