After months in trial, jurors heard closing arguments in a Scottsdale murder case that marked a first in Arizona.
Allison Feldman, 31, was killed inside her Scottsdale home back in 2015. 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.
Over a decade after the murder, the trial against Mitcham began in November 2025.
Throughout the course of the case, prosecutors called a wide variety of people to testify. Jurors heard from Feldman's dad, her boyfriend, and officers with the Scottsdale Police Department.
Mitcham's defense team indicated before trial that they planned to point the finger at a third party, a former Valley pharmacist that previously lived not far from Feldman.
Prior to the trial beginning, Scottsdale police told ABC15 they had no evidence linking that other man to Feldman's murder.
Monday, during closing arguments, prosecutors took the jury through graphic crime scene photos.
"Ian Mitcham committed this murder. Every piece of evidence points to him," said prosecutor Jeffrey Roseberry.
He also talked about the DNA evidence and the clean-up effort they say that happened inside the home.
"Mitcham made every attempt to clean the crime scene, to wipe away the brutality of what he had done," said Roseberry. "But he missed a few crucial spots of DNA."
Jeffrey Kirchler, one of Mitcham's attorneys, called the DNA a "misdirection".
"At the very beginning of this trial, I told you that the state charged the wrong person," said Kirchler.
His closing arguments focused on poking holes in the police investigation and their evidence. The defense team also emphasized that there is no known connection between Mitcham and Feldman.
"They arrested him and then they tried to build a case, a narrative, around the DNA," said Kirchler. "Instead of digging deeper, trying to figure that out or maybe realizing that the DNA didn't matter."
The defense team didn't finish their closing arguments, so that's where court will be picked up Tuesday morning. Prosecutors will get the final word before the jury gets the case, potentially as soon as Tuesday.
Mitcham is charged with Feldman's murder along with sexual assault and burglary.
Feldman's case was a focus of ABC15'S streaming series Arizona Crime Uncovered. You can watch the full episode on the ABC15 app and YouTube page.
