Florida crime: Life sentence for horse farm murder and cold case arrest

Two separate murder cases in Florida have resulted in a life sentence and a long-awaited arrest.

Caylen Deller, 32, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and failure to report a death. Prosecutors stated that Deller killed her boyfriend, Chad Mullen, at her San Mateo horse farm in September 2024. Deller claimed she acted in self-defense, alleging Mullen had threatened her, but a jury rejected this defense after she was found to have enlisted help to move the body to a shallow grave.

In a separate investigation, Orlando police arrested 55-year-old Dale Smith Jr. for the second-degree murder of his ex-fiancée, Michelle Parker. Parker disappeared on November 17, 2011, shortly after an appearance on ‘The People’s Court’ aired. While her body has not been recovered, authorities stated that evidence points to Smith as the person responsible. Smith is currently being held without bond.