CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A 45-year-old Clay County contractor suspected of killing his client was seen on surveillance video at her home the day before she was reported missing, according to court records released on Wednesday.
Corey Binderim denied he’d been at the home that day during an initial interview with detectives.
The same day he was caught on camera at her home, court records show, Binderim discarded roughly 300 pounds of materials at a Green Cove Springs dump, visited his storage unit and made multiple trips to a hardware store.
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Those details surfaced in an arrest warrant for Binderim, who’s being held without bond in the Clay County jail on first-degree murder and evidence tampering charges in the death of 65-year-old Susan Mauldin.
The remains of Mauldin were recovered in January during a search of Chesser Island Landfill in Folkston, Georgia, which receives some of its trash from the same dump visited by Binderim.
Mauldin’s friend reported the Fleming Island woman missing Oct. 25 after knocks at her door and several phone calls went unanswered, according to court records. Mauldin’s car was still in the garage.
Inside the home, crime scene technicians found blood smears on a lampshade in the living room and drops of blood on the living room floor. They also detected blood in Mauldin’s kitchen.
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Binderim was labeled a person of interest in November after leaving the area without explanation.
Acquaintances told detectives Mauldin had paid Binderim $12,000 to remodel her bathroom, but he did not finish the job. They said she planned to fire him and threaten to sue if he didn’t return the money.
One friend recalled that Mauldin had expressed feeling uncomfortable about being alone with Binderim.
Speaking with detectives, Binderim said Mauldin hired him for a remodeling job but claimed it was only for $1,200 worth of work. He said she kept making changes to the project, which he estimated lasted eight months.
At first, Binderim denied visiting Mauldin’s home the morning of Oct. 24. Later on, he acknowledged going to her home that day but said he only went inside the residence to retrieve his tools.
Through phone records, detectives found that Binderim called Mauldin twice that morning. No calls or text messages were sent from her cell phone afterward, leading detectives to believe it was shut off.
According to charging documents, Binderim made several stops from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. that day – the hardware store, Mauldin’s home, Rosemary Hill landfill, his storage unit and the hardware store.
Asked to retrace his steps, the warrant states Binderim did not mention buying concrete and heavy-duty bags at the hardware store before going to Mauldin’s home, or going to the landfill afterward.
At some point in the investigation, deputies brought a cadaver dog to Binderim’s storage unit and it detected the presence of human decay on a plastic bin and tool bag found inside.
Binderim, who pleaded guilty last week in an unrelated forgery case, was moved Tuesday to the Clay County jail. During a Wednesday court appearance, a judge ordered him to be held without bond.
Binderim is scheduled to be in court again March 24. He has been appointed a public defender.