Man accused of killing woman in Mariposa County pleads not guilty to felony murder

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The man accused of killing a woman in Mariposa County has pleaded not guilty to felony murder.

Justin Bolton has been charged in the death of Wendy Pullins.

On June 15, 2022, Wendy was reported missing after not showing up to work.

Later that September, Mariposa County Sheriff's deputies found her Jeep in a rural part of the county.

A homicide investigation was then opened in September of this year after test results confirmed a large amount of Wendy's blood was found in her Jeep.

Last week, police arrested Bolton in Mendocino County.

Tuesday morning, Justin Bolton, entered a not-guilty plea at the Mariposa County courthouse on a first-degree murder charge for the death of Wendy Pullins.

"It's bittersweet, knowing that, that monster killed my sister, and having to see him and hear him plead not guilty," said Holly Watson, Pullins' sister.

Watson tells Action News she watched the hearing online and it stirred up a lot of emotions about her family's matriarch who now leaves behind three children and nine grandchildren.

"My sister was a person that if somebody needed help or needed a ride, or just needed anything, she was right there, she would help anybody or everybody," said Watson.

Pullins was last seen in June 2022.

In a 17-month-long investigation, the Mariposa County Sheriff's office located Pullins' Jeep Cherokee down an embankment with her blood, tracked down a white Subaru in connection to the case, and tested it for forensic evidence, opening a homicide investigation.

"I followed up on multiple leads, and the short of it, is that at the end of that investigation, there was sufficient evidence for us to accuse Mr. Bolton with the crime of murder," said Mariposa Co. District Attorney, Walter Wall.

Pullins' body has not been found.

Mariposa County District Attorney Walter Wall's office says it's been decades since they've had a no body homicide case in the county.

"No body homicide is difficult, because the person could still be alive somewhere, but a no body homicide relies on all the other evidence and circumstantial evidence to be able to prove it, and so, in this case, I believe there is sufficient evidence to prove that," said Wall.

Watson hopes that at some point, her sister will come back to her.

"We definitely want her home, I don't want her out there by herself anymore," said Watson. "I just miss her."

The district attorney's office added they will do everything they can to get justice for Pullins.

"In this case, I want to do right by the public, and to bring closure to this case, for the people of Mariposa, and for Wendy Pullins' family," said Wall.

Bolton's attorney says he believes in the innocence of his client.

If convicted, the suspect faces 25 years to life in prison.

Bolton will remain in custody until his next court appearance on February 20th.

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