Details on murder revealed during Corey Trumbull’s trial

CONTENT WARNING: This article included details about child abuse that readers may find disturbing.

WICHITA COUNTY, Texas (KAUZ) - The murder trial for Corey Trumbull, the man who was charged with the murder of 11-year-old Logan Cline, began Tuesday morning after the jury was finalized on August 21.

Our crews report that when District Attorney John Gillespie gave his opening statement, he spoke about Stormy Johnson and Corey Trumbull pulled both Logan and Lexi Cline out of school, and that each time Trumbull abused Logan, his sister Lexi was made to clean the blood.

For the rest of his opening statement, Gillespie said that Logan’s prolonged abuse caused brain bleeds and seizures which resulted in him not being able to walk and talk. Logan was also made to sleep underneath the sink and the bed.

Gillespie said Trumbull was the “alpha” of the household, and wouldn’t let anyone call 911 to help Logan.

He also told the courtroom, when Logan died, Trumbull and Johnson bought five bags of ice to put in the tub and later dumped his body.

Logan Cline’s maternal grandmother, Dorothy Hollen, took the stand and shared that she didn’t approve of Trumbull and Johnson’s relationship. When they moved the kids; she was in close contact with Child Protective Services. Holen said the only reason that Cline’s dad did not have custody of him is because he was in the Army in Afghanistan. She shared Trumbull told her that she would never see her grandchildren again.

Detectives took the stand and shared details on how the investigation began.

Detective Monica Messier of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area told the courtroom that she got the lead on Logan’s death after Johnson revealed to her that her son was dead in a car in Texas. Detective Matthew Bailey, with the Wichita Falls Police Department Crimes Against Children’s Unit, testified that he and his team were instructed to survey the area to find the remains.

Detective Bailey said the car Logan’s body was discovered in was half a block from the Red Roof Inn. He described the vehicle as dirty with a lot of debris, and he said they went for that car because of the distinctive odor.

Detective Bailey said the car was full of clothes, trash, and other miscellaneous items in the car. In the backseat passenger window, he said he noticed shoes and ankles, as well as the butt-end of blue jeans and shoes through the window.

Logan’s, now 18-year-old, older sister, Lexi Cline took the stand after the detectives.

Lexi shared that Johnson and Trumbull were using meth and the two forced her and her brother to take the drugs as well. She said that the meth interfered with her perception of time and also made her sleep during the majority of her brother’s abuse.

She told the courtroom, Trumbull said her brother was like one of the dogs and so he treated him like one. Lexi said both Johnson and Trumbull made Logan do sexual acts with the dogs when Logan cried and they laughed at him.

Stormy Johnson was living in Midland, Texas with two of her children when she met Trumbull around June 2019, according to court documents. Johnson, Trumbull, and the two children lived with Trumbull in hotels in various cities before coming to Wichita Falls around October 2019.

The 11-year-old’s body was found in an abandoned car down the street from the motel in February 2020 after a tip from the Las Vegas Police Department. Trumbull had been accused of multiple counts of child abuse, possession of child pornography, and domestic battery in their area; in a police interview, Johnson reportedly said that Cline had been killed in Wichita Falls.

Trumbull was indicted for murder and tampering with evidence in April of 2020, but couldn’t immediately return to Wichita Falls to stand trial due to the Las Vegas proceedings. Cline’s mother, Stormy Johnson, was indicted for murder in October 2021.

Stick with News Chanel 6 as we cover Corey Trumbull’s murder trial.