ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of killing a woman after an apparent altercation in a St. Petersburg hotel last week, authorities said.
According to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, Paul Mason Stottler, 39, listed as a transient in Largo, was arrested on June 26 and charged with second-degree murder.
In a news release, the sheriff’s office accused Stottler of killing Emma Mullins, 76, in a room at the Holiday Inn Express in St. Petersburg.
Police responded to the hotel at approximately 11:35 a.m. ET on June 25 after a Holiday Inn Express employee reported finding a deceased person in one of the rooms.
According to the sheriff’s office, Mullins was found on the floor wrapped in a blanket with sheets, towels and clothes covering her.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, WTVT reported.
Investigators discovered bloodstains, overturned furniture and broken glass in the room, along with signs of trauma on Mullins’ body, the sheriff’s office said.
During the investigation, detectives learned that an altercation had taken place between Mullins and Stottler, WFLA reported.
Video surveillance footage showed both Stottler and Mullins entering the hotel room, the sheriff’s office said. Several hours later, Stottler was seen on camera exiting the room while carrying several bags. He was also observed disposing the bags in a dumpster located in the hotel’s parking lot.
While searching the dumpster, detectives found three documents with Mullins’ name concealed in an ice bucket, along with bedding and a pair of men’s pants that were stained with blood.
Stottler was subsequently arrested and remains in custody at the Pinellas County Jail.
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