Scottsville man confesses to murder on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in Allen County, wasn't like holidays in the past.

"We don't know why on that day he decided to come and turn himself in," said Scottsville Police Chief, Jeff Pearson.

Around 8:00 p.m. that night, Tommy Mulhall made a startling confession to Scottsville Police.

"He came to the Scottsville Police Departmnet, stated that he wanted to report a crime and that he had murdered Stuart Hearell," Chief Pearson told WBKO.

Stuart Hearell's body was uncovered in a shallow grave at 619 Carterstown Spur road in the early morning hours of Christmas Day. Ironically, that's less than 3 miles from where Gabbi Doolin's body was found last month.

The case dates back to around Thanksgiving.

"On November the 28th, Stuart Hearell, a resident of Cornerstone Manor Assisted Living facility here in Scottsville, was reported missing," Chief Pearson added.

Scottsville Police say they've had to search for Hearell before.

"In 2015 this was actually going to be the 6th time we had entered Mr. Hearell as missing," said Chief Pearson.

In a statement on the Scottsville Police Department's Facebook page on November 30th, they described him as missing and "disabled", saying, "Hearell has a brain injury & large knot on his head".

Hearell was a ward of the state. Both Cornerstone Manor and the Cabinent for Health and Family Services, Department for Aging and Independent Living declined to comment on this story.

The Cabinent for Health and Family Services issued us this statement via email: "The Cabinet defers to law enforcement for any comment as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this individual's death is currently pending."

Scottsville Police still aren't sure why Mulhall confessed, but they do know the two know each other.

"Mr. Mulhall had at one time been a resident at the assisted living facility and had left the facility and was living on his own now," Chief Pearson said.

They're still awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death; and to be 100% certain that the body uncovered was in fact, that of Stuart Hearell.

"We're just waiting on fingerprints but all indications say that is the body of Stuart Hearell," Chief Pearson said.

The investigation is ongoing. Mulhall is being held in the Allen County Detention Center, charged with murder and tampering with evidence.