The prime suspect in the killing of a Putnam County man in September was arrested in Volusia County Friday on a first-degree murder charge, officials said.
Caylen Deller, 30, was wanted in connection with the death of her ex-boyfriend Chad Mullen, 52, a father-of-two who was found buried last month on a Federal Point road farm.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office initially said Deller was on the run after failing to arrive at an appointment.
But authorities caught up with her and started trailing her on I-95 until she got a flat tire, a source told The Citizen.
On Thursday, Deller’s friend and alleged accomplice, Tina Marie Lee-Ellis, 56, was arrested on a charge of accessory to first-degree murder after the fact. Lee-Ellis, of Satsuma, allegedly helped Deller dispose of Mullen’s body, according to a source.
Mullen was declared missing on Sept. 15 after his phone pinged for the last time Sept. 9 near Deller’s horse farm, Stormy Stables.
Police named Deller a person of interest in the case after the discovery of his body.
The troubled equestrian denied any role in the slaying in an interview with The Citizen, saying she had nothing to do with Mullen’s end.
But Deller’s ex-boyfriend, Ken Wadell, the father of her 5-year-old daughter, told The Citizen that she confessed to shooting Mullen twice because he was abusing the child.
Wadell said he didn’t believe her accusations, and said she admitted to using a horse and straps to move Mullen’s body from the murder scene to a nearby car.
Mullen’s mother told The Citizen that her son had a volatile relationship with Deller and feared her wrath after their split.
Deller faces the death penalty of convicted.
