In 2018, Trysten Mullis discovered his mother, Amy, dead on their Iowa farm. Later, he became a major witness during what became known as the “corn rake” murder trial involving his father, Todd Mullis. Now, Trysten says he was pressured by his step-grandfather and an attorney about how to testify, and he’s fighting to clear his dad’s conviction.
Trysten Mullis Revisits His Testimony
CBS News carried an article that revealed Trysten revisiting the place where his mom died. Back then, he was only 13 years old. Now, at 21, he described how some of his testimony didn’t tell the whole story. For example, he spoke about the gap in the timeline.
When questioned during the 2019 proceedings, Trysten said that he was unsure how much time had passed while he was getting water. He isn’t retracting his evidence, but there are some points where he now feels what he said was used against his dad.
The Timeline That Convicted Todd Mullis
Prosecutors used that gap in the timeline against Todd Mullis. They argued that while Trysten was getting water, his dad had enough time to go to the red shed, kill Amy, and return to the hog barn.
Speaking with CBS News, Trysten Mullis recalled saying, “I don’t know how much time,” his dad had been out of sight. However, he explained that he wasn’t suggesting it could have been 20 minutes or another lengthy period.
Instead, he said it was “a matter of seconds.” He now says that he walked around the corner, drank directly from a hose, and immediately returned.
Per Court TV, during the trial of his father, Todd Mullis, Trysten, then 14 years old, testified in a different courtroom. He described finding his mom, Amy, impaled with a corn rake. He also talked about the traumatic ride to the hospital and how his dad cried when he told the children their mom had passed away.
Could Amy’s Death Have Been An Accident?
Although his dad was convicted of murder, Trysten now believes that his mom’s death was accidental. He has also submitted legal documentation and supported Todd’s efforts to overturn his conviction.
Other coverage during the interview with Trysten revealed that he and his dad had been concerned about Amy’s health. He reminded the outlet that his mom had been in the hog barn cleaning light fixtures.
It came soon after a medical procedure, and he noticed that when she was climbing on and off a bucket to clean the lights, she seemed unsteady.
She agreed to go inside and rest, but first, Todd and Trysten asked her to fetch a pet carrier from the red shed on her way. She left, and for about an hour and a half, Todd and his son carried on working in preparation for the shipment of piglets.
The prosecution presented evidence from state medical examiner Dr. Kelly Kruse, who noted that the corn rake had only four tines, but Amy Mullis had six puncture wounds in her back.
Challenging The Corn Rake Theory
If you didn’t know, when Amy was discovered, she was found lying in the red shed with a four-tined corn rake embedded in her back.
The updated evidence suggests that instead of Todd attacking Amy with the rake, she could have fallen after becoming dizzy or tripping over something in the shed. The theory is that when she fell, three of the rake’s tines initially penetrated her back.
However, Amy may have sustained the additional wounds while struggling to free herself. The experts believe she fell again as she tried to get off the rake and later turned it while attempting to remove it. They say this could explain how a four-tined rake left six puncture wounds in her body.
The newly introduced evidence hasn’t overturned Todd Mullis’s conviction. In June 2026, Judge Laura Parrish turned down his request for a fresh trial following a six-day post-conviction hearing.
Fight Isn’t Over
However, Mullis’s lawyers say they plan to appeal, hoping an appellate court will consider the scientific evidence supporting their argument that Amy’s death was accidental.
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