13x44 - Runaway Love

[bunniefuu]

Up next, an exclusive yacht

club gets an unwelcome guest.

This was a Jane
Doe floating in the water.

I saw a
female adult with s*ab wounds

throughout her torso,
her face, her neck.

The victim's ex-husband

and daughter are both missing.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon.

You have a couple
that's divorced.

You've got the rage-k*lling.

But, the victim had enemies too.

It was, I'll get in your face.

I'm not afraid.

I will mess with your life.

Could a k*ller
be brought to justice

with a sponge and a
wet cardboard box.

Well, in this
business we call that a clue.

Newport Beach, California

is one of the wealthiest
communities in America.

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.

Newport
Beach, very low crime rate

overall, mostly property
crimes, but anything

with homicides, very rare.

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.

When I arrived on the dock,

I saw a semi-clad female adult
with numerous s*ab wounds

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

- SEAN ENLOE, MD: Of
the 52 s*ab 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.

The victim hadn't only
been stabbed multiple times,

but there were weapons
still with the body.

A knife in an eye tells me

that this is someone who
absolutely hated this woman.

I've
had numerous stabbing victims,

but nothing with the
stabbing instrument still

inside the body.

Wrapped in
the sheet, investigators

found a second w*apon.

A knife that

was caught in the folds
of one of the beddings

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

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.

Investigators found
a potential piece of evidence

about 100 yards away.

There was a
cardboard box near the body,

and we thought that it
might have some connection

to the decedent,
so we seized it.

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.

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.

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.

We knew exactly who she was.

She was Barbara
Mullenix, who lived

in Huntington Beach, California.

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.

They decided
to reunite as roommates only

to see their daughter
go through high school,

so it was a temporary
situation based on finances.

And information
on the television box found

in the water near
Barbara's body,

indicated the m*rder
might have happened

in Bruce Mullenix's home.

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.

That television
was purchased by Bruce Mullenix,

the ex-husband of
Barbara Mullenix.

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.

My sergeant came in and said

that Mr. Mullenix had
arrived at the scene.

I got to be honest.
I was shocked.

- I
- thought that was some bravado.

He genuinely appeared to
be amazed and surprised

why the police
were at his house.

Just to have
a homicide detective look you

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

it just doesn't feel good.

The medical examiner
estimated Barbara was m*rder*d

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.

As a reporter, of course,

it was interesting that he
was conveniently out of town

on the night that this m*rder
was said to have occurred.

Bruce denied any
involvement in Barbara's m*rder

and admitted that they had
their share of disagreements.

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.

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.

Well, in this
business, we call that a clue.

Crime scene
technicians sprayed the room

with Leuco Crystal
Violet, a chemical that

turns purple in the
presence of blood.

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.

And it was clear, the k*ller

tried to clean up the blood.

In the kitchen was a
box of latex gloves,

and on the bedroom nightstand,
was a yellow sponge.

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.

Investigators found
something else in the kitchen

too.

The knives
in the kitchen drawer matched

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

It was very distinctive.

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

Entire sections of the wall

were removed for examination.

One very clear print
survived the clean-up.

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.

Investigators
compared the bloody prints

to those of Bruce Mullenix.

The prints weren't his.

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.

But where was the
Mullenixes' daughter, Rachael.

Bruce didn't know and
neither did investigators.

Prior to
Bruce Mullenix returning home,

my concern was that Rachael
had been harmed also

or had been m*rder*d.

We did not know Rachael's

whereabouts or her condition.

We tried calling her cellphone.

There was no answer.

It would go directly
into voice-mail.

The last time anyone saw her,

she was with her boyfriend
a day before the m*rder.

They went
to see a movie, ironically

enough, titled,
"Lady in the Water."

But despite her disappearance,

Bruce was convinced
his daughter had

nothing to do with
Barbara's m*rder.

I don't
believe she participated at all.

I don't believe
Rachael participated

at all in the m*rder.

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 m*rder.

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
m*rder*d over there.

At the time he made
that statement,

he was unaware that a
m*rder had occurred.

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.

Because she was so young,


authorities might have been

concerned, at least very
early on, that something

might have happened
to her as well.

Rachael's
father told investigators

Rachael had a boyfriend,


and that Barbara
wasn't happy about it.

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.

When Barbara realized
that Ian was having sex

with her 17-year-old
daughter, she

threatened him with a
statutory r*pe charge.

Later, when cooler
heads prevailed,

Rachael asked her parents
for a signed statement,

a guarantee Barbara
wouldn't thr*aten

the statutory r*pe charge again.

Barbara and Bruce agreed.

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.

It ultimately told me

who was in control
of that house.

But a week
before Barbara's m*rder,

there had been a
major confrontation.

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.

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.

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 thr*aten 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.

But Rachael made it clear,

she had no plans to
end the relationship.

No one
says no to Rachael Mullenix.

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.

Two years exactly.

Two years before Barbara
Mullenix was m*rder*d.

In Florida she was
att*cked with a knife

by her daughter, Rachael.

Her arms had been slashed.

But Barbara
refused to press charges.

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.


only when she was drunk.

Now, after Barbara's m*rder,

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


Since Ian lived at
home, the Allen family

consented to have
their home searched,

including their computers.

We found out
through forensic's examination

of the computers, that the
day of the m*rder somebody

used a computer in
Ian Allen's home

to look up directions
to Tampa, Florida.

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 m*rder.

She claimed Ian had kidnapped
her against her will.

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.

But would the forensic evidence

prove her story true or false?

Once in custody,
Ian Allen confessed

to the m*rder of
Barbara Mullenix.

He insisted he acted alone.

Did you go there
intending to k*ll her mother?

I was going there intending

to thr*aten her,
just to scare her.

And it got out of control?

Very quickly.

Meanwhile, Rachael Mullenix

insisted she was
an innocent victim.

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.

No one will tell me anything.

What's going on?

You are under arrest
for the m*rder of your mother.

Do you
know that I was kidnapped?

Do you know that?

I know that's
what you're saying.

What do you
mean that's what I'm saying?

It's true.

We have physical
evidence to the contrary.

What are
you... but what do you mean?

What Rachael didn't know

was that investigators
had forensic evidence that

tied her to her mother's m*rder.

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

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

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.

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.

I was able to identify three

fingerprints to
Rachael Mullenix.

It was her left
middle fingerprint

and her left ring fingerprint.

To have Rachael's
prints on that duct tape,

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

On the handle of
Ian's 38 caliber p*stol,

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

Why she
didn't use it to get away

from the kidnapper,
I don't know.

It seems a little strange to me.

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 m*rder.

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

it is more consistent with
more than one individual

than with one.

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
m*rder, and the noise

of Ian attacking her
mother woke her up.

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.

One message
read, she's taking a Xanax.

Another read, she woke up.

So you see that
they're alerting one another

about what's going
on with Barbara.

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 k*ller.

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 k*lling
my mom I did not do.

The jury didn't believe it.

Rachael Mullenix was convicted
of her mother's m*rder.

We, the jury, in
the above entitled action,

find the defendant,
Rachael Scarlett Mullenix,

guilty of the crime of felony.

She was sentenced
to 25 years to life.

In a separate trial,
Ian Allen was also

convicted of Barbara
Mullenix's m*rder,

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.

Once he
realized his life was over

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

She k*lled her mother,

and Ian helped her k*ll her
mother, and that's an absolute.

That's not a question.

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.

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.