BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A suspect has been arrested in the mysterious 2021 killing of Marquita Mull.
Mull, a 50-year-old Buffalo woman, went missing and her body was later found off a trail in Chautauqua County, next to the remains of a second, unidentified woman in September 2021.
Watch: Marquita Mull's sister speaks immediately following the murder arraignment
The suspect, 61-year-old Richard J. Fox of Buffalo, was arraigned on one count of second-degree murder on Wednesday morning in Buffalo City Court.
According to the Erie County District Attorney's Office, Fox is accused of killing Mull in June 2021 at a location in the City of Buffalo.
Fox is a Level 3 registered sex offender. Level 3 is the highest level, meaning he must comply with the most restrictions.
Records show that Fox was convicted of two sex crimes. The first was in Chautauqua County in 1993. Fox was convicted of third-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl and was sentenced to 18 months to 3 years in prison. Then in 2005, he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape and first-degree aggravated sex abuse of a 42-year-old Buffalo woman in Buffalo. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The district attorney's office said Fox was arrested at a residence in Niagara Falls and was also charged with four felony charges under New York State Correction Law for his alleged failure to register as a sex offender. He was arraigned on the following charges:
- One count of Sex Offender Failure to Report Change in Address (Class “D” felony)
- One count of Sex Offender Failure to Verify Address Every 90 Days (Class “D” felony)
- One count of Sex Offender Failure to Provide Photo (Class “D” felony)
- One count of Sex Offender Failure to Mail Verification Form (Class “D” felony)
According to the DA, Fox faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge and up to seven years in prison if convicted on the other charges.
“As a result of the diligent and collaborative work of this multi-agency investigation, I am pleased to announce the arrest of this defendant. While this remains an active case and we continue to seek more information, I want to applaud the many dedicated members of law enforcement who never let this case go cold. The family of Marquita Mull has waited more than four years for answers, and we are committed to obtaining justice for the victim and her family."
Fox is scheduled to return on both cases on January 13 for a felony hearing and was held without bail.
WATCH: In September 2024, to mark three years since the discovery of her sister's remains, Wendy Mull traveled to the scene and was accompanied by members of WNY Missing and Unidentified Persons. The group helped search for Marquita Mull.
Mull was living in the Broadway neighborhood of Buffalo when she disappeared in the summer of 2021. Her family said she had mental health and physical problems after being hit by a car several years earlier. Her family reported her missing after she failed to pick up a disability check.
Then on September 27, Chautauqua County authorities said, a woman hiking along the Chautauqua Rails to Trails in the Town of Portland saw something off the trail in a wooded area that caught her eye. She went into the woods and saw what turned out to be a human skull.
Chautauqua County sheriff's investigators and a forensic team found skeletal remains in what seemed to be a shallow grave. But as they were excavating the remains they noticed a distinct scent. About 10 yards away from the shallow grave in a gully, they found the decomposing remains of a second body.
An autopsy later revealed the second body was Mull.
Her family was baffled by how she ended up nearly 60 miles away from Buffalo in a remote part of Chautauqua County.
