PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Putnam County woman, accused of killing her on-again, off-again boyfriend, was denied bond during a court hearing on Tuesday.
Caylen Deller was arrested in October 2024 after deputies found the body of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Chad Mullen, who had been missing since mid-September.
Mullen’s body was found in a rural area in St. Johns County, about a mile away from the Putnam County line.
News4JAX spoke with Holli Mullen, Chad Mullen’s daughter, at Deller’s court hearing.
“He literally told me, there’s too much hate in this world. So the fact he was taken away by that very thing is just so surreal. So, we just want to be here in support, against the bond and the person. He was an amazing person, such a positive guy, and he had so much light, and he just didn’t deserve this at all,” Holli Mullen said.
Soon after the body’s discovery, deputies named Deller a person of interest in the case.
Mullen was last seen on Sept. 9 before traveling with Deller, to the area of 465 San Mateo Road in Satsuma, the location of her business. Mullen’s phone last pinged in that area, according to officials.
“She’s a danger to society. She’s a danger to her child. She’s a danger to my family and I. She doesn’t need to be out at all,” Holli Mullen said.
The Mullen family rejoiced after hearing the judge’s decision not to grant bond to Deller.
Holli Mullen said she wants her father to be remembered for how amazing he was to his family and those who knew him.
“He was always the life of the party, he was the best friend a guy could have, the best dad anyone could have. He was always there for everybody,” she said.
A second woman, Tina Marie Lee-Ellis, was also arrested in connection with Mullen’s murder.
She was charged with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact and is currently out of jail on bond.