PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Monday, a judge granted bond for the woman accused of being an accomplice in the premeditated murder of Putnam County father Chad Mullen, whose body was found buried on a Hastings farm property in October.
Tine Marie Lee-Ellis, 56, turned herself in to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office last month.
Investigators first arrested Mullen's "on again, off again" girlfriend Caylen Deller for his murder, and later determined she was working with someone else, who they say is Lee-Ellis. Deller is charged with first-degree murder, meaning deputies believe Mullen's killing was premeditated.
A judge set Lee-Ellis' bond amount at $540,000. She will have to pay 10% of that amount to bond out.
If she posts bond, she is required to wear an electronic monitor and not have any contact with the victim's family.
Authorities say Lee-Ellis used to work at the property where Mullen's body was found and after a search through her home, investigators found guns, ammunition and meth. She was arrested weeks later and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine. She's since been charged with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact.
Mullen was reported missing by family on Sept. 15. Less than a week later, investigators discovered he was involved in a "volatile on-again, off-again relationship" with Deller, and the pair were broken up at the time of his disappearance.
On Sept. 20, the sheriff's office served a search warrant at Stormy Stables in San Mateo, which Deller owns. Mullen's body was not found on the property.
Weeks later on Oct. 16, Mullen's family and the sheriff's office announced a $15,000 reward for any information leading to Mullen. Then, on Oct. 28, a tip led investigators to a farm property in Hastings, where a body was found.
A medical examiner identified the body as Mullen and ruled his death a homicide, as he was killed by a gunshot.
Lee-Ellis' next pretrial hearing is set for Jan. 9.