Forensic Files (1996–…): Season 13, Episode 44 - Runaway Love - full transcript

NARRATOR: Up next, an exclusive yacht

club gets an unwelcome guest.

-MICHELE GILE: This was a Jane Doe floating in the water.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: I saw a female adult with stab wounds

throughout her torso, her face, her neck.

NARRATOR: The victim's ex-husband

and daughter are both missing.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: It doesn't take a brain surgeon.

You have a couple that's divorced.

You've got the rage-killing.

NARRATOR: But, the victim had enemies too.



-BRUCE MULLENIX: It was, I'll get in your face.

I'm not afraid.

I will mess with your life.

NARRATOR: Could a killer be brought to justice

with a sponge and a wet cardboard box.

-STEVE MACK: Well, in this business we call that a clue.

NARRATOR: Newport Beach, California

is one of the wealthiest communities in America.

-MICHELE GILE: The beach communities south of LA

are absolutely beautiful.

It's prime real estate.

It costs a lot of money to live right on the water.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: Newport Beach, very low crime rate

overall, mostly property crimes, but anything



with homicides, very rare.

NARRATOR: But one September morning at the Newport Harbor

Yacht Club, a yacht owner saw a bed sheet covering what

he thought was a body in the water.

SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: When I arrived on the dock,

I saw a semi-clad female adult with numerous stab wounds

throughout her torso, her face, her neck, her back.

-SEAN ENLOE, MD: Of the 52 stab wounds,

two of the injuries on her right neck

transected the jugular vein and the carotid artery.

She would have bled to death and have been dead within minutes

without prompt medical attention.

NARRATOR: The victim hadn't only been stabbed multiple times,

but there were weapons still with the body.

-MICHELE GILE: A knife in an eye tells me

that this is someone who absolutely hated this woman.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: I've had numerous stabbing victims,

but nothing with the stabbing instrument still

inside the body.

NARRATOR: Wrapped in the sheet, investigators

found a second weapon.

SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: A knife that

was caught in the folds of one of the beddings

and still had some blood and some skin tissue on it.

NARRATOR: But the victim had no identification,

and it was difficult to tell how long she'd been in the water.

-SEAN ENLOE, MD: In this case, the effects

of the water on her fingers obscured them to the point

that a positive identification was not

initially established by that method.

NARRATOR: Investigators found a potential piece of evidence

about 100 yards away.

-SONIA BALLESTE: There was a cardboard box near the body,

and we thought that it might have some connection

to the decedent, so we seized it.

NARRATOR: The box once held a 27-inch television,

and detectives thought it might have

been used to transport the body.

During the autopsy, the medical examiner

discovered the victim had breast implants.

-SEAN ENLOE, MD: With medical devices,

be they breast implants, hip implants,

other medical devices, we can sometimes track it down and get

a identification of an individual by that implant.

NARRATOR: On each implant was a separate lot and serial number

embossed into the clear covering.

This is done to identify where and when it was manufactured

for research purposes and to notify the patient

in the unlikely event of a product recall.

This serial number indicated the implants were made in France.

The operation was performed in Oklahoma City,

and the patient now resided in California.

-SONIA BALLESTE: We knew exactly who she was.

She was Barbara Mullenix, who lived

in Huntington Beach, California.

NARRATOR: Barbara, who was 56 years old,

had an unusual living arrangement.

She and her 17-year-old daughter had recently moved

to California and were living with her ex-husband, Bruce

Mullenix, until they could get back on their feet.

-SONIA BALLESTE: They decided to reunite as roommates only

to see their daughter go through high school,

so it was a temporary situation based on finances.

NARRATOR: And information on the television box found

in the water near Barbara's body,

indicated the murder might have happened

in Bruce Mullenix's home.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: Started doing an investigation

on the SKU number and the address packing label finds out

that it was sold in a commercial store in Huntington Beach.

-STEVE MACK: That television was purchased by Bruce Mullenix,

the ex-husband of Barbara Mullenix.

NARRATOR: Police went to interview Bruce Mullenix

and his 17-year-old daughter, Rachael,

but couldn't find them.

When investigators arrived at the condominium

Barbara Mullenix shared with her ex-husband, Bruce,

they got a surprise visitor.

-STEVE MACK: My sergeant came in and said

that Mr. Mullenix had arrived at the scene.

I got to be honest. I was shocked.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: I thought that was some bravado.

He genuinely appeared to be amazed and surprised

why the police were at his house.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: Just to have a homicide detective look you

in the eye and say you're my prime suspect,

it just doesn't feel good.

NARRATOR: The medical examiner estimated Barbara was murdered

sometime late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Bruce claimed he left town on Tuesday morning for a business

trip and was in Fresno, California, 260 miles away.

-MICHELE GILE: As a reporter, of course,

it was interesting that he was conveniently out of town

on the night that this murder was said to have occurred.

NARRATOR: Bruce denied any involvement in Barbara's murder

and admitted that they had their share of disagreements.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: Both of us were at fault for the divorce.

From my perspective, the largest catalyst was the fact

that Barbara was beginning to drink more and more,

and her personality was changing radically

when she became drunk.

NARRATOR: A search of Bruce's condo

showed no signs of forced entry, but the mattress

and the box-spring in Barbara's bedroom were gone.

-STEVE MACK: Well, in this business, we call that a clue.

NARRATOR: Crime scene technicians sprayed the room

with Leuco Crystal Violet, a chemical that

turns purple in the presence of blood.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: I could tell by the amount of blood

spatter that was in there and the blood staining that

was in there, that someone had bled a lot in that room.

NARRATOR: And it was clear, the killer

tried to clean up the blood.

In the kitchen was a box of latex gloves,

and on the bedroom nightstand, was a yellow sponge.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: Blood was observed on the sponge,

a red stain, which later turned out to be blood,

so that was a very significant piece of evidence in the case.

NARRATOR: Investigators found something else in the kitchen

too.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: The knives in the kitchen drawer matched

the knife that was found in the eye socket of Barbara Mullenix.

STEVE MACK: It was very distinctive.

It was a cross-cut, similar to a pineapple design.

NARRATOR: Entire sections of the wall

were removed for examination.

One very clear print survived the clean-up.

-KELLY KLEMENS: When criminals are in the midst of committing

their crime, they definitely sweat more,

producing more residue and actually

sometimes making a clearer print.

In this case, it was easy to determine

what I was looking at.

It was actually in the shape of a whole palm print.

It had all four fingers.

It had the side of the palm.

NARRATOR: Investigators compared the bloody prints

to those of Bruce Mullenix.

The prints weren't his.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: Every crime show I've ever seen,

the ex-spouse is always the first person

you have to eliminate, so I wasn't shocked or surprised.

NARRATOR: But where was the Mullenixes' daughter, Rachael.

Bruce didn't know and neither did investigators.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: Prior to Bruce Mullenix returning home,

my concern was that Rachael had been harmed also

or had been murdered.

-SONIA BALLESTE: We did not know Rachael's

whereabouts or her condition.

We tried calling her cellphone.

There was no answer.

It would go directly into voicemail.

NARRATOR: The last time anyone saw her,

she was with her boyfriend a day before the murder.

BRUCE MULLENIX: They went to see a movie, ironically

enough, titled, "Lady in the Water."

NARRATOR: But despite her disappearance,

Bruce was convinced his daughter had

nothing to do with Barbara's murder.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: I don't believe she participated at all.

I don't believe Rachael participated

at all in the murder.

NARRATOR: Police weren't so sure.

Investigators questioned the neighbors living

near Bruce Mullenix's condominium,

asking if anyone saw or heard anything suspicious

around the time of Barbara's murder.

-STEVE MACK: One of the neighbors

that lived immediately next door,

said that he was awakened at about 2:00 in the morning

by yelling and thumping that went on for 30 to 45 minutes,

and he said he wouldn't be surprised

if somebody had been murdered over there.

At the time he made that statement,

he was unaware that a murder had occurred.

NARRATOR: Since Bruce Mullenix was out of town,

the only other person who would have been at the condo

was their 17-year-old daughter, Rachael, who was now missing.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: Because she was so young,

17, I think the authorities might have been

concerned, at least very early on, that something

might have happened to her as well.

NARRATOR: Rachael's father told investigators

Rachael had a boyfriend, 21-year-old Ian Allen,

and that Barbara wasn't happy about it.

-SONIA BALLESTE: When Ian Allen came into the picture

and Rachael not only fell in love with him,

but talked about getting married to this young man.

I think Barbara saw herself alone.

NARRATOR: When Barbara realized that Ian was having sex

with her 17-year-old daughter, she

threatened him with a statutory rape charge.

Later, when cooler heads prevailed,

Rachael asked her parents for a signed statement,

a guarantee Barbara wouldn't threaten

the statutory rape charge again.

Barbara and Bruce agreed.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: My thoughts on this

were, we would probably stand a better chance of embracing

it and having them spend more time with us, or at least

as much as we can encourage, as opposed

to making it a clandestine type of relationship.

-SONIA BALLESTE: It ultimately told me

who was in control of that house.

NARRATOR: But a week before Barbara's murder,

there had been a major confrontation.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: When Rachael wasn't home at her 1 o'clock

curfew, Barbara drove down to Ian's house

and made a scene by screaming and banging on the door

to wake everybody up.

-SONIA BALLESTE: She embarrassed her.

Absolutely.

She deserved it, and when they got home,

she grounded her, and said, you're

not going to see this boy.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: Ian had never met anyone like this.

It was, I'll get in your face.

I'm not afraid.

I will mess with your life.

I'm going to threaten you.

I'll go to your parents.

I'll go to your little brother's school.

I'll go to your job.

I mean, this is the way that Barbara was.

NARRATOR: But Rachael made it clear,

she had no plans to end the relationship.

-SONIA BALLESTE: No one says no to Rachael Mullenix.

NARRATOR: Then, a background check

revealed a startling piece of information.

Police in Tampa, Florida had once

investigated a physical confrontation

between Rachael and her mother.

-SONIA BALLESTE: Two years exactly.

Two years before Barbara Mullenix was murdered.

In Florida she was attacked with a knife

by her daughter, Rachael.

Her arms had been slashed.

NARRATOR: But Barbara refused to press charges.

-BRUCE MULLENIX: Barbara would say the cruelest things

that anyone can say to anyone, let alone a mother

to a daughter.

She would say those things to Rachael.

99% of the time it was only when she was drunk.

NARRATOR: Now, after Barbara's murder,

Rachael and her boyfriend, Ian, we're missing.

Investigators visited Ian's parents,

who said they hadn't seen him for the last two days.

They also said the family's 38 caliber pistol was gone.

Since Ian lived at home, the Allen family

consented to have their home searched,

including their computers.

-STEVE MACK: We found out through forensic's examination

of the computers, that the day of the murder somebody

used a computer in Ian Allen's home

to look up directions to Tampa, Florida.

NARRATOR: Law enforcement nationwide

was on the lookout for Ian Allen's truck.

When Ian used an ATM card to get cash in Sulphur, Louisiana,

police converged on the area, and

both Rachael and Ian were arrested.

Shockingly, Rachael told police she had nothing

to do with their mother's murder.

She claimed Ian had kidnapped her against her will.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: I was asleep.

It was the middle of the night.

I heard my mom scream my name.

I ran in her room, and I saw Ian standing there on top of her,

stabbing her.

I tried to push him off, and he pushed me

off and knocked me out.

NARRATOR: But would the forensic evidence

prove her story true or false?

Once in custody, Ian Allen confessed

to the murder of Barbara Mullenix.

He insisted he acted alone.

-DETECTIVE: Did you go there intending to kill her mother?

-IAN ALLEN: I was going there intending

to threaten her, just to scare her.

-DETECTIVE: And it got out of control?

-IAN ALLEN: Very quickly.

NARRATOR: Meanwhile, Rachael Mullenix

insisted she was an innocent victim.

-SONIA BALLESTE: Her story was that she had been kidnapped

and that she had been knocked out by her attacker.

She woke up hours later in a motel room

and had no doing whatsoever with her mother's death

or the disposal of her mother's body.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: No one will tell me anything.

What's going on?

DETECTIVE: You are under arrest for the murder of your mother.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: Do you know that I was kidnapped?

Do you know that?

DETECTIVE: I know that's what you're saying.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: What do you mean that's what I'm saying?

It's true.

DETECTIVE: We have physical evidence to the contrary.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: What are you-- but what do you mean?

NARRATOR: What Rachael didn't know

was that investigators had forensic evidence that

tied her to her mother's murder.

Rachael's DNA was found on the yellow sponge in Barbara's

bedroom, the sponge used to clean up Barbara's blood.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: Rachael had said

that she had no involvement in the homicide,

so to find her DNA on a sponge that was used to clean up

the crime scene, put her in that crime scene.

NARRATOR: The television box found floating near Barbara's

body, was closed using duct tape,

the same brand duct tape found in Ian Allen's truck.

Super glue fuming on that tape revealed

Rachael's fingerprints.

-KELLY KLEMENS: I was able to identify three

fingerprints to Rachael Mullenix.

It was her left middle fingerprint

and her left ring fingerprint.

-MICHELE GILE: To have Rachael's prints on that duct tape,

I'm sure police felt as though they'd hit the jackpot there.

NARRATOR: On the handle of Ian's 38 caliber pistol,

investigators found his DNA, and they also found Rachael's DNA.

-LAURIE CRUTCHFIELD: Why she didn't use it to get away

from the kidnapper, I don't know.

It seems a little strange to me.

NARRATOR: The almost full hand-print found in blood

on the wall of Barbara Mullenix's bedroom, was Ian's.

The forensic evidence confirmed what the medical examiner had

theorized from the beginning, that at least

two people were involved in the murder.

-SEAN ENLOE, MD: The totality of the wounds and the evidence,

it is more consistent with more than one individual

than with one.

NARRATOR: And text messages provided

final proof of Rachael's involvement.

Rachael told police she went to bed around 10:00

PM on the night of the murder, and the noise

of Ian attacking her mother woke her up.

-STEVE MACK: Going through the text messages,

she is sending Ian text messages up until 1:45 in the morning,

and we know the attack began at approximately 2:00

in the morning.

NARRATOR: One message read, she's taking a Xanax.

Another read, she woke up.

-SONIA BALLESTE: So you see that they're alerting one another

about what's going on with Barbara.

NARRATOR: Prosecutors believe with Bruce Mullenix

away on a business trip, Rachael and Ian

waited until Barbara was asleep before Rachael

let Ian into the condominium.

Ian grabbed several knives from the kitchen drawer

and went upstairs.

The evidence suggests they both went into Barbara's bedroom.

She was stabbed over 50 times.

Blood spattered the walls and ceiling

and soaked into the mattress.

At some point, one of them plunged the butter knife

into her eye while she was still alive,

in an evil act of spite and contempt.

Rachael used a sponge to clean the blood, leaving her DNA.

Ian left his finger and palm prints on the wall.

The couple bundled the body into an empty television box, which

Rachael then sealed with duct tape, leaving her prints.

Later that night, they dumped Barbara's body

into the Pacific Ocean.

Investigators found remnants of a burnt mattress

on the railroad tracks near Ian's workplace.

Prosecutors think this was where Rachael and Ian burned what

they thought was the last remaining piece of evidence.

At her trial, Rachael testified in her own defense,

claiming she was no killer.

-RACHAEL MULLENIX: I did not do that to my mother.

I'm not saying I'm completely innocent.

I made bad choices afterwards, and I will admit that,

but planning and killing my mom I did not do.

NARRATOR: The jury didn't believe it.

Rachael Mullenix was convicted of her mother's murder.

FOREPERSON: We, the jury, in the above entitled action,

find the defendant, Rachael Scarlett Mullenix,

guilty of the crime of felony.

NARRATOR: She was sentenced to 25 years to life.

In a separate trial, Ian Allen was also

convicted of Barbara Mullenix's murder,

and he, too, was sentenced to 25 years to life.

After his trial, Ian admitted to police

what the forensic evidence already proved,

that Rachael was involved from the beginning.

-STEVE MACK: Once he realized his life was over

and she was laying all the blame on him, the loyalty stopped.

-SGT. DAVID BYINGTON: She killed her mother,

and Ian helped her kill her mother, and that's an absolute.

That's not a question.

-KELLY KLEMENS: The juries expect

to hear forensic evidence.

If you don't have forensic evidence,

I think you have a really hard time proving your case.

-SONIA BALLESTE: The forensics were very important,

especially in the case against Rachael.

The forensics being able to prove that what she was saying

was not true, it spoke louder than anything

else in that courtroom.