A Florida man has been charged with second-degree murder following the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office investigation into the Holiday Inn Express murder of Emma Mullins, 76, whose body was discovered in a St. Petersburg hotel room after a staff member alerted deputies.
The suspect, identified as Stottler, was transported to the Pinellas County Jail following his arrest and charged with Murder in the Second Degree. His age is reported as 38 by the Tampa Bay Times and as 39 by another outlet; the discrepancy has not been resolved by official sources.
The Holiday Inn Express Murder Scene
A hotel employee contacted deputies after finding a dead person in one of the rooms. Deputies arrived at approximately 11:35 a.m. and found Mullins’ body on the floor, according to CBS12.
Her body had been wrapped in a blanket, with sheets, towels, and clothing placed on top of her in what the Sheriff’s Office characterised as an attempt to conceal her, The Independent reported.
Evidence throughout the room indicated a struggle had taken place. Furniture was overturned, and bloodstains along with broken glass were found in various locations. Mullins had suffered ‘blunt force trauma to her face and body’ and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance Footage and Evidence Recovered From a Dumpster
Surveillance video captured Stottler entering the hotel with Mullins the previous night at approximately 10:45 p.m. He was seen leaving alone at around 4:30 a.m., carrying several bags.
Cameras then recorded him discarding those bags in a dumpster in the hotel car park. Deputies searched the dumpster and recovered ‘three documents with Mullins’ name concealed in an ice bucket,’ as well as men’s clothing and bloodied bedding.
Among the items found in the dumpster was a pair of men’s trousers bearing blood stains, according to WSB-TV. The bloodied bedding recovered from the dumpster was consistent with the concealment of Mullins’ body inside the room.
Stottler did not remain at the hotel. He left before the body was discovered by staff, and deputies subsequently located and took him into custody before transporting him to the Pinellas County Jail.
The charge of Murder in the Second Degree under Florida law does not require proof of premeditation but does require that the act was committed with a depraved indifference to human life, or in the course of certain enumerated conduct. Subject to any onward proceedings, Stottler is currently held in custody.
