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Jury Convicts Ian Mitcham in 2015 Killing of Allison Feldman

The outcome stems from DNA evidence allowed by Arizona’s Supreme Court under the inevitable-discovery doctrine.

Overview

  • A Maricopa County jury found Ian Mitcham guilty of first-degree murder, sexual assault, and burglary Thursday after three days of deliberation.
  • Prosecutors said DNA linked him to items the attacker touched throughout Allison Feldman’s Scottsdale home.
  • Detectives identified Mitcham through a familial DNA search, a method that flags close relatives in databases, then confirmed a match using a blood vial from a prior DUI case.
  • The Arizona Supreme Court in December 2024 allowed testing of that DUI vial under the inevitable-discovery doctrine because state law requires DNA collection from imprisoned felons.
  • Jurors return April 15 for the sentencing phase to decide whether Mitcham should face the death penalty, with the court scheduling it to finish by the end of May.