Teen pleads guilty to murdering Olney teacher in a killing that rocked the small town
A teenager pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering a beloved 49-year-old teacher in Olney in a killing that marred a room in her West Main Street home with bloodstains, according to Young County court records.
Manuela Sabine Allen's body was found July 7 at Lake Cooper during what began as a missing person case and became a murder that rocked the community.
Julius Orion Xavier Mullins, 19, was sentenced in 90th District Court to 55 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for murder-lesser included offense for killing Allen on July 6, 2019, court documents show.
The first-degree offense is punishable by up to life in prison.
Allen was shot, suffered multiple stab wounds and asphyxiation, which fractured her neck, according to court records.
More: Olney police address anxiety over woman's homicide
Mullins also pleaded guilty Thursday to burglary of a habitation and tampering with a human corpse in connection with the murder, court documents show.
He was sentenced to the maximum, 20 years in prison, for each of those crimes, according to court records. All three sentences are to run concurrently.
Mullins was being held Friday in Young County Jail, according to online jail records.
Lake Cooper where Allen's body was found is in Archer County. The lake is about five miles northwest of Olney, a town of about 3,100 in Young County. The town is approximately 44 miles southwest of Wichita Falls.
Originally from Germany, Allen was a high school German and English teacher in Olney whose death was mourned by the community.
Olney ISD officials released a statement on Facebook shortly after her death: "We are deeply saddened at the passing of Manuela Allen. This is a tragic loss to the staff and students of Olney High School, but even more devastating to her family."
More: Memorial Service set for July 28 for murdered Olney teacher
Mullins once attended Olney High School and played football.
A Texas ranger's complaint gave this account of the investigation into Allen's death:
On July 7, the ranger began assisting the Young County Sheriff's Office with a missing person investigation to find Allen.
At her home, investigators found apparent bloodstains clearly stemming from serious injuries. It appeared bloodletting occurred in multiple sites around a room in her home.
Bloody footprints were apparently left after someone walked through blood into the kitchen.
Investigators found two different sources left footprints in blood on the kitchen floor. A sock worn by Mullins was consistent with the foot impression in the kitchen.
Mullins told investigators he used to date Allen's daughter, but they had broken up over a year before the teacher's death.
Allen's car was used to take her body to Lake Cooper. Investigators found fingerprints revealing human blood proteins on the car.
More: Texas Ranger details investigation leading to arrest in Olney teacher's murder
At the lake, investigators discovered bicycle tire tracks near the car and Allen's body. A bicycle Mullins said he had used had tires matching the bike tracks found where her body was recovered.
A witness indicated he saw someone riding from the Lake Cooper area toward Olney early the morning of July 7, 2019.
Shoes worn by Mullins appeared to match footprints where Allen's body was found.
More: Olney, Texas, woman's body identified near lake in Archer County
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Mullins pleads guilty to murdering Olney teacher
