SCOTTSDALE, AZ — It's been over ten years since Allison Feldman was murdered and seven years since a suspect was arrested. Now, after over a decade of waiting, the trial against defendant Ian Mitcham is set to begin on Wednesday.
Allison was killed inside her Scottsdale home. The case went cold for years before familial DNA was used, pointing police to suspect Ian Mitcham.
A battle over how that key DNA evidence was obtained delayed the case against Mitcham for years and even reached the State Supreme Court.
In December 2024, Arizona's highest court ultimately ruled the evidence could be used at trial.
Last month, prosecutors and defense attorneys went back and forth over what would be admissible at trial. Court documents showed Mitcham's counsel now plans to point the finger at a man they wanted to call to the stand.
Those documents laid out why they wanted to call the man to testify.
"There's no DNA of his in the home," said prosecutors in court. "There are no fingerprints of his in this home."
That's what county prosecutors told the Judge, adding there is nothing other than "speculative notions" put forth by the defense involving this other person.
The defense team claims the man allegedly made incriminating statements in the past to neighbors, lived not far from Allison's home, and viewed the victim’s dating profile.
Scottsdale Police said they do not have any evidence linking the man mentioned by the defense to Allison's murder.
Ultimately, the judge decided the man could plead the Fifth outside the presence of the jury.
At last check, Mitcham’s team did not have a statement for ABC15, but previously told our team, "Ian is innocent."
This is a capital case with trial dates scheduled out through the end of May.
"It's hard to imagine some days because it took so long to get here, and now things are starting to happen," said Allison's dad, Harley Feldman, outside court last month.
He has opened up to ABC15 about preparing emotionally for the trial, knowing there will be difficult things to hear.
Allison's case was a focus of our streaming series, Arizona Crime Uncovered. You can catch up on the case by streaming the episode on the ABC15 app or on YouTube.
