A man serving a life sentence for killing an elderly Richfield woman now awaits another sentencing

A man serving a life sentence for killing an elderly Richfield woman now awaits another sentencing for killing a woman in Yuma, Ariz.

Morris Mullins, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, a class 1 felony, Yuma County Superior Court clerks said Tuesday. Mullins entered the plea during a hearing on May 23.

He admitted to killing 80-year-old Lilly Kraetch in 2000. Kraetch was found slain in her home in what prosecutors described as a burglary gone bad. Yuma prosecutors dismissed the case in 2001 for lack of evidence. Mullins' father was convicted of destroying evidence and the crime lab hadn't finished testing what was left.

Prosecutors have said correspondence that surfaced from Mullins implicated him in Kraetch's murder, leading to the charges being refiled.

"We're very happy that he has pled guilty. We feel he is guilty," said Merridee Torgerson, the daughter of another of Mullins' victims, Amy Davis.

Mullins is serving a life sentence in Utah for Davis' murder. The 78-year-old woman was sexually assaulted and beaten to death inside her Richfield home in 2001. In a plea deal, Mullins pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. A rape charge was dismissed.

"I think he's pretty well going to be incarcerated for the rest of his life, which makes us very, very happy," Torgerson said. "We don't feel he could ever be rehabilitated to be a citizen that would be good for society."

Mullins faces life in prison either with or without parole when he is sentenced July 13 in Arizona. Torgerson said she and her brothers have written letters to the judge, urging him to give Mullins life without parole. She also plans to travel to Yuma for the sentencing.

"I am looking forward to going and seeing what I see is the final nail in his coffin," she said.

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