OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Phillip Dellar was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison – with no chance for parole – for killing his girlfriend at their Fox Crossing apartment.
A jury convicted him of first-degree intentional homicide for the July 25, 2021, murder of Leianna Mule. She was stabbed more than 70 times.
The life prison sentence was mandatory. Judge Bryan Keberlein had the option to make Dellar eligible to ask for parole after a period of the judge’s choosing, but the judge declined to do so, court records show.
According to the criminal complaint, after a 911 hang-up call, the dispatch center reached Dellar, who stated “someone killed my girlfriend.” On the scene, Dellar told officers a male intruder stabbed him and Mule.
Dellar maintained the intruder story, except perhaps at one point:
“Without prompting, Detective Gustafson asked the Defendant, ‘how many times did you stab her?’ Initially, the Defendant said, ‘I don’t know. There were so many stab wounds on her back. She had so many stab wounds. I don’t know. I don’t know at all.’ Abruptly, the Defendant turned his head towards Detective Gustafson and partially opened his eyes, with his voice becoming louder and saying, ‘Why would you ask me something like that?’ and said he never stabbed her and that he was trying to help her from the attacker,” the complaint states.
Police reviewed security camera video, and did not observe anyone meeting Dellar’s description of the intruder entering or leaving the apartment building.
Witnesses told police that Mule was upset with Dellar for cheating on her, she planned to leave him, and Dellar was not reacting well. Dellar affirmed to police the couple had broken up and “he was not taking it well.”
An autopsy showed Mule had more than 70 knife wounds, including to her lungs and liver.
Dellar also had knife wounds, although a doctor said he did not believe his lacerations were defensive wounds, the complaint states.
