An Iowa man has been accused of fatally stabbing his wife with a corn rake after learning she had a couple of secret affairs, with the victim leaving notes warning that he might kill her.
Amy Mullis, 39, has been found dead on Nov. 10 at her farm about four miles northwest of Earlville. Authorities initially said that the woman has been fatally injured in a fall, with her husband Todd Mullis telling 911 that no one had seen what happened.
But the initial suspicion of an accident has been ruled out in December after an autopsy showed that the woman had six puncture wounds and listed the manner of her death as homicide.
Police now formally charged Mullis with the murder of his wife. Investigators told People that the woman was concerned that her husband could kill her due to their marital problems. “You’ll know Todd did something to me,” she allegedly told one friend.
Mullis told the police that their son found his wife impaled on the corn rake and that he removed it and started driving her to the hospital, where she was later declared dead.
According to the outlet, authorities learned that the couple, who had three children, has been experiencing marital problems and the woman was caught cheating with another man.
In the run-up to her death, their relationship went from bad to worse and they stopped sharing the same bed. Last summer, the woman was caught with another lover.
Delaware County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the second lover was interviewed and said the woman was “scared to death” of him. “If he catches me, he might make me disappear,” she allegedly said.
The husband also allegedly researched his murder, searching for “organs in the body,” “killing unfaithful women” and “what happened to cheating spouses in historic Aztec tribes,” according to the police.
He’s currently being held on $5 million cash bail and faces life in prison.
