Mullen drew up a "hit list" from sex offender registries of men who targeted children. He told the Times he had gone to "interview" Eisses because "I wanted to know 'why' he did what he did."
"I then interviewed all three occupants, and out of the three only one showed remorse or guilt. He is the one I let go," he wrote. He said he killed Eisses and Vazquez because they "blammed [sic] their victims — they showed NO remorse." He added, "I wanted one alive to spread the message that 'we' will not tolerate 'our' children being used and abused."
He continued, "Don't get me wrong. I am no saint. I've been haunted since childhood. I just don't want other children to grow up confused, sad, scared."
Prosecutor Setter told the paper that Mullen was trying to rationalize an irrational act of vigilantism.
"He is trying to justify these killings, to make it sound like these men had some choice in their deaths, that he interviewed them and they failed his test by not being remorseful. They did not," Setter said. "He intended to kill them from the outset."
After trying to wave off legal help and plead guilty during his arraignment, Mullen was persuaded by his brother and court-appointed lawyer to put up a defense. At a second court appearance, a week after his arrest, Mullen sat weeping in the jury box. Questions about his sanity at the time of murders likely will play a role if and when the case goes to trial.
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