'Dad' Executed After Committing the Worst Murder in Oklahoma in 2008

It’s often described as the worst crime in Oklahoma in 2008. Any crime against a child is horrific. Some of the stories you hear make you feel sick inside. This case is among them.

The State of Oklahoma executed Travis Mullis by lethal injection on September 24, 2024. His death occurred one month before the son he sexually assaulted and killed would have turned 17 years old. Call it an early birthday present for 3-month-old Alijah Mullis. He was the innocent victim of his father’s unhealed trauma and a negligent mom.

The Crime

The horrific crime occurred on January 29, 2008.

Travis, Alijah, and Alijah’s mother, Caren Kohberger, lived in a mobile home with a friend in Alvin, Texas. 

On January 28, 21-year-old Travis attempted to sexually assault his friend’s 8-year-old daughter. He returned home and argued with Caren. He confessed that memories of the sexual assaults he endured as a child were messing with his head. He was afraid that he would hurt a kid in the house and needed to leave the house. Despite his warnings, Caren allowed him to leave the mobile home with Alijah.

Travis headed to Gavelston around 5 a.m. on January 29, his rage and urges building inside. After finding a secluded area, he parked the car and sexually assaulted Alijah.

Alijah, likely in severe pain, cried uncontrollably. Travis tried to hush him, but he only cried louder. Travis wrapped his hand around his tiny baby son’s neck and strangled him. Alijah gurgled; Travis removed his hands from his neck. He unbuckled Alijah from his car seat, tossed him to the ground, and stomped on his head at least twice. After crushing his son’s skull, he threw his dead body into the brush.

A couple looking for wildlife along the Seawall made the grisly discovery. They immediately called the police.

Alijah’s death was determined to be a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Travis Turned Himself in to Authorities

Travis fled the state, turning ihmself into police in Pennsylvania three days later. He confessed to the crime during an interrogation with detectives in Texas.

He went on to plead guilty to capital murder.

Alijah’s Mother Arrested

Police charged Caren with child endangerment after Travis was secured in custody. She called local hospitals looking for Travis and Alijah. But she never called the police to report that her son was in potential danger. It's unclear if she was prosecuted. I cannot find information indicating a conviction.

On Travis Mullis’s Execution

Kayla Allen, first assistant district attorney in Gavelston, said of Mullis’s execution:

“Some acts are such egregious violations of not only the law, but of civilized standards, that society’s only appropriate response is to impose the ultimate penalty on the wrongdoer.”

Travis’s last statement was:

"Yes Warden, I would like to thank everyone, all my friends, Pat, all my pen pals, and all the people in my corner inside and outside even on Death Row, that accepted me for the man I became during my best and worst moments. I want to thank the field ministers, the Warden, and the correctional staff for all the changes being made across the system, Even the men on Death Row, to show it is possible to be rehabilitated, and not deemed a threat and not the men we were when we came into the system, we have changed we are not the same. I took the legal steps to expedite to include assisted suicide. I don't regret this decision, to legally expedite this process. I do regret the decision to take the life of my son, I apologize to the mother of my son, the victim's family. I have no ill will towards the court, the judicial system, the prosecution, or the execution protocol. The morality of execution is between you and God. It was my decision that put me here. I'm ready Warden."

His execution went as planned. He was pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m.

Sources:

https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/mullis-v-thaler-civil-891847056

https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/mullistravislast.html

 https://www.txcourts.gov/All_Archived_Documents/JudicialInformation/oca/pdf/jchgs/Galveston032111JChg.pdf 

https://abc13.com/archive/5943323/

https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/mullis-v-thaler-civil-891847056