ROCK HILL, S.C. — The trial for a Rock Hill woman charged with the murder of her child began on Tuesday.
Rock Hill Police say Jackleen Mullen, 26, killed her four-year-old daughter India Martin in May of 2020, then lied to investigators about the child's whereabouts. Mullen was taken into custody and later charged with murder.
Mullen has pleaded not guilty.
In court Wednesday, investigators testified about their search for the little girl who police said was ultimately found in Mullen and Audrevious Williams' bedroom dresser drawer.
"You want to go to jail for murder," one officer asked Mullen in body camera footage shown to jurors of the night Mullen was arrested. "Where's that child? She's dead and we know it."
"My kid's not dead," Mullen replied in the video, "My kid is at Cindy's house."
Cindy is a relative of Mullen's, according to investigators, who said the four-year-old with disabilities was not with Cindy.
Court records show both Mullen and Williams, who was Mullen's boyfriend at the time, were charged with homicide by child abuse and neglect in this case.
Defense attorneys for Mullen described Williams as an aggressive, abusive man, signaling to jurors that he shouldn't be trusted. While the defense doesn't deny their client lied to investigators, they said Williams lied too.
"Having investigated probably thousands of cases in almost three decades, it’s not uncommon for people who are under suspicion, let's just say, to lie to police, right?" defense attorneys asked.
"That's pretty normal," Rock Hill Police Detective Rob Smith said on the stand.
Williams is expected to take the stand Thursday to testify against Mullen in this case.
Attorneys for Mullen maintain that she did not murder her child.
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