CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Russell Perry pleaded guilty to an amended charge of involuntary manslaughter on July 18 in District Court. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
The state will argue for an eight- to 12-year incarceration in accordance with a plea agreement. Judge Catherine R. Rogers accepted the plea and factual basis, tentatively scheduling the sentencing for mid-October. Perry has been placed in custody pending sentencing.
Background of the Case
On Aug. 20, 2023, Stacey “Jason” Mullen was found unresponsive at Curt Gowdy State Park. Wyoming State Parks requested assistance from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office due to the severity of Mullen’s injuries and the potential for death.
Mullen was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado, where Dr. Jason Greer described his condition as “one of the worst brain bleeds he had ever seen.”
On Aug. 28, 2023, Detective Sgt. Martinez was notified by Swedish Medical Center staff that Mullen was removed from life support and had died, according to police affidavits.
Initial Accounts and Shifting Narratives
Initially, Gizelle Kellum, identified as Mullen’s emergency contact, described him as a transient who mainly kept to himself. She and her husband, Russell Perry, admitted to previously taking Mullen to the hospital for alcoholism-related issues. Further investigation revealed a deeper connection between the trio, who often drank together.
Kellum and Perry claimed they last saw Mullen around 7 p.m. Aug. 19, 2023, after dropping him off near the Ames underpass in downtown Cheyenne. However, Walmart surveillance footage and cellphone tower data contradicted their account, placing their phone near the park around the time Mullen was likely assaulted.
During subsequent interrogations, Kellum’s narrative shifted. On Oct. 19, she revealed that on the night of Aug. 19, after consuming alcohol, Perry and Mullen got into a physical altercation. Perry fought off Mullen, and when Mullen was knocked unconscious, Perry, Kellum and an unidentified man placed him in the back of their truck. They then drove to the Crystal Lake Reservoir by the dam.
Perry admitted to police that he “roughed him up” that night but sustained no injuries himself. The amended autopsy report from the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office classified Mullen’s death as a homicide caused by blunt force injuries from an assault.
Legal Proceedings
On Jan. 11, 2024, Cheyenne law enforcement arrested Perry and Kellum in connection with Mullen’s death. During a preliminary hearing at Laramie County Circuit Court on Jan. 19, Detective Benjamin Delcamp testified that Kellum and Perry’s story changed after learning that their cellphone was identified at Curt Gowdy State Park.
Delcamp also noted that there was no blood found in the truck when it was seized for a search warrant, and no offensive injuries were found on Mullen.
Perry’s public defender, Brandon Booth, emphasized the initial autopsy report, which included the possibility that Mullen could have fallen from a great height. He argued this could have caused Mullen’s significant injuries, challenging the narrative of a severe assault.
Both Perry’s and Kellum’s accounts of the fight state that Perry struck Mullen three times, which Booth argued was not enough to account for the injuries.
Diane M. Lozano, defending Kellum, highlighted her mental health issues, her being a relative of Perry, and her statements being the reason the police could break the case. Judge Sean C. Chambers concluded there was probable cause that Kellum and Perry committed a crime. The case was bound to the district court for arraignment, with no bond modification for either defendant.
Both the cases against Perry and Kellum have been settled with plea agreements.
Kellum’s Plea
On July 1, Gizelle Kellum pleaded no contest to accessory after the fact as a relative. This misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $750 fine. Judge Steven Sharp sentenced Kellum to 180 days, giving her credit for 175 days of time served.
The prosecution cited her differing stories during the investigation as the reason for the charge when they established a factual basis for the plea.