Jury recommends life sentence for Clay County contractor

A Clay County jury on Thursday recommended life in prison for Clay County contractor Corey Binderim, who was convicted of killing a woman whose home he was remodeling.

Susan Mauldin, 65, was reported missing from her Fleming Island home in October 2019. Her remains were found later in a landfill in Georgia

Mauldin had threatened to call police and a lawyer when Binderim stopped remodeling her bathroom after being paid $12,000 for the job.

The jury convicted Binderim, 49, of first-degreee murder and heard two days of testimony in the sentencing phase of the trial.

That testimony included friend Phyllis Yates, who told the jury of the weekly lunches she had with Mauldin, including a day before her murder.

“The past five years has really affected me in a lot of ways,” Yates said. “I am thankful now justice is being served. We will now cling to the memories that we built with Susan Mauldin, December 2006 through my last standing lunch date with my best friend on Oct. 23, 2019. I am looking forward to seeing my special friend in heaven.”

The jury had the option to recommend a death sentence. The jury voted seven to five for the death sentence. State law requires an eight-to-four vote for the death sentence.

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