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Man killed by robber dies in Florida home

by ashley wiehle
the southern

Saturday, December 31, 2005 6:47 AM CST

HERRIN - Carterville High School graduate Shawn Mulkin was shot and killed by an armed robber in his home in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday night.

Shawn, 44, is the son of John Mulkin, who founded The Herrin Spokesman in 1957. Martha Mulkin, Shawn's stepmother for the past two decades, said she and her husband learned of the news on Wednesday.

"We haven't comprehended it yet," Martha said, speaking from the family's Carterville home Friday. "You have these flashes of reality and your mind just draws back from it. You can't let it in."

John, who turned 80 on Dec. 17, owned The Herrin Spokesman from 1961-68.

"The thing lying on top of the mail is the birthday card he got from Shawn," Martha said. "It will be the last thing we ever get from him, and it's still there on the desk."

"It's absolutely unbelievable that something like that could happen," John said. "Shawn was very cheerful, always planning something big for the future. He never planned a small project. He was quite a guy."

Shawn grew up in Herrin and went to school in Herrin until high school, when the family moved to Carterville. He moved to Florida in about 1986, Martha said, and enjoyed living in the Sunshine State tremendously.

"He and a friend went down and thought Florida would be a great place to live," Martha said. "He had a very happy life there. He worked for Domino's Pizza for years and, in the last two or three years, he had switched over to a newer company called Donatos. He was 'the pizza man.'"

Working as a pizza man was Shawn's true calling, his stepmother said.

"He just loved it. He made a good living at it," Martha said. "He made an effort to please people, and he loved being around them. He had a lot of repeat customers. He knew their kids' names and their dogs' names, and he would always have dog biscuits in his pocket and knew the name of the dog that was coming to the door.

"A lot of customers switched over to his place because they wanted him to bring their pizza," she continued. "And in a second, some idiot just erased him."

The men responsible for Shawn's death were involved in a widespread crime spree in central Florida, according to WFTV.com, and still haven't been caught.

Shawn's wife, Eva, was present when her husband died, Martha said. Shawn was the stepfather of two children, and had two grandchildren.

"She saw it happen," Martha said. "She's our biggest worry. How can anyone deal with a loss like this under these circumstances?"

Shawn will be cremated, and his ashes scattered on a river where he and his wife liked to canoe.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Shawn's parents' home at 1006 Jeffrey Drive, Carterville, IL 62918.

ashley.wiehle@thesouthern.com

(618) 997-3356 ext. 5807