This article contains disturbing details regarding crimes against an infant.

Texas is preparing to execute Travis James Mullis on Tuesday for the murder of his infant son Alijah, who his grandmother described as a “very precious” child.

Mullis, 38, is scheduled to die by lethal injection nearly 16 years after he sexually abused and murdered 3-month-old Alijah, leaving his body in a hidden area of Galveston’s Seawall, a well-known tourist location south of Houston.

If the execution takes place as planned, Mullis will become the fourth individual executed in Texas this year and the 15th or 16th in the U.S., depending on whether he is pronounced dead before or after Marcellus Williams, another inmate due for execution in Missouri on the same day.

Additionally, Mullis’ execution is part of a series of five executions scheduled across the country from September 20 to September 26, with Freddie Owens being the first executed on Friday in South Carolina, as reported by YSL News.

Here’s what you need to know regarding Travis Mullis’ execution.

What crimes did Travis Mullis commit?

Mullis was found guilty of the death of his infant son, who suffered choking, sexual abuse, and was killed before being discarded in a secluded area by the seawall on January 29, 2008. He eliminated all evidence, including Alijah’s car seat and body, before fleeing the state.

Mullis surrendered and confessed to Alijah’s murder four days later, explaining to police in Philadelphia that he reacted in a moment of rage after he could not stop the baby from crying.

He was convicted of capital murder on March 11, 2011, and was sentenced to death ten days later.

Mullis has acknowledged killing his son but has fluctuated on challenging his death sentence for over a decade. He lost the ability to appeal in state court years prior but sought a reprieve from a federal court with new representation in July 2013.

Mullis’ lawyers contended that his conviction stemmed from inadequate legal representation, judicial errors, and constitutional mistakes during the trial. Ultimately, a federal court dismissed his request to overturn the death sentence, and an appeals court upheld this decision in June 2023.

Peter Walker, one of Mullis’ defense attorneys, expressed to the Houston Chronicle in May that proceeding with Mullis’ execution without assessing the constitutionality of his sentence demonstrates a “systemic failure.”

Who is Travis Mullis?

Mullis grew up with relatives in a small Maryland town after his mother passed away when he was very young.

During his early years and into his teenage life, he received sporadic mental health treatment and medications for behavioral issues resulting from sexual abuse by a family member. Mullis lived with his aunt until he turned 18, when he was faced with the ultimatum to either take his medications or leave, as per court documents.

He chose to leave.

Mullis relocated to Texas, staying temporarily with a friend before moving around Houston, living with anyone willing to take him in. He later started a relationship with Caren Kohberger, and they had Alijah together.

The young family, dealing with financial struggles, moved into a mobile home with one of Mullis’ friends and her family in Alvin, just outside Houston, according to court records.

Who was Travis Mullis’ son?

Alijah, as described by his grandmother Carolyn Entriken, was the most “extraordinarily beautiful” baby she had ever seen, according to YSL News.

“He had stunning steel blue eyes and adorable reddish hair,” Entriken recounted in court, as documented in a March 2011 transcript obtained by YSL News. “All babies are beautiful, but he was especially precious.”

Entriken had the chance to visit her grandson in Texas before his death, having traveled from northern New Jersey in December 2007.

During her visit, Mullis appeared “very loving and caring,” she recalled.

“He had his arms around my daughter, and they were having fun together. He seemed very affectionate,” Entriken said, reflecting on what she witnessed of the young family. “They looked like a happy family out enjoying themselves.”

Entriken, who passed away in 2022, had intended to return for another visit soon.

“I wanted to come back and see Alijah,” Entriken expressed. “I didn’t want to let too much time pass where I couldn’t see him grow up.”

When and where is Travis Mullis being executed?

Mullis is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Prison in Huntsville, situated about 70 miles north of Houston, any time after 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, September 24.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice plans to employ a “single drug protocol of pentobarbital” for Mullis’ execution, a spokesperson from corrections informed YSL News on Thursday.

What will Mullis have for his final meal?

Travis Mullis will select his last meal from a menu that is “accessible to all inmates at the Huntsville Unit,” as condemned individuals in Texas can no longer request specific last meals.

Who will be present for Travis Mullis’ execution?

It is currently uncertain if any of Mullis’ family members will be present for the execution.

Various media journalists will be present, including:

• The Associated Press
• The Huntsville Item
• Houston Chronicle
• KPRC Houston

When will the next execution in the U.S. take place?

Mullis’ execution will be the second of five executions scheduled nationwide within a six-day timeframe. This follows the execution of Freddie Owens, who was the first to be executed in South Carolina in over ten years on Friday.

Additionally, Missouri is set to execute Marcellus Williams on Tuesday for the stabbing death of former reporter Leisha Gayle in 1998, despite arguments from prosecutors and victim family members suggesting he may be innocent.

There are also two more executions lined up for Thursday.

Alabama plans to execute Alan Eugene Miller using nitrogen gas for the 1999 shooting deaths of three colleagues, despite evidence indicating he has mental health issues, as well as a witness from the state’s previous nitrogen gas execution in January likening the method to a “horrific” experience.

On the same day in Oklahoma, Emmanuel Littlejohn is scheduled for execution for the killing of a convenience store clerk in 1992, despite his claims of not being the shooter.

If all five executions are carried out, a total of 18 death row inmates will have been executed in the U.S. this year. Six more executions are planned, with potential additions to the schedule.

Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers