UPDATE: Wise County father gets 2 years for 2016 child abuse death

The father of Wise County twins who died in 2016 will spend two years in prison while awaiting trial for a murder charge.

Court documents show one count of homicide against Franklin Len Mullins was dropped due to the lack of clarity and disagreement between medical expert witnesses in how the 5-month-old child died. Mullins was convicted of child abuse for not providing medical aid to the infant who died from E.coli in May of 2016.

According to Commonwealth’s Attorney Chuck Slemp, a second-degree murder case is still active in the death of the other infant Ryan Mullins who died two months after his brother from what doctors described as non-accidental head trauma. The baby’s mother Viola Mullins is also charged in the child’s death.

(PHOTO: SVRJA)