What We Know
Allison Feldman
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Allison Feldman, 31, was found dead in her Scottsdale, Arizona, home on Feb. 18, 2015. For about three years police had an unidentified male DNA profile and no suspect. On April 9, 2026, a Maricopa County jury found Ian Mitcham guilty of first-degree murder, sexual assault and second-degree burglary. He maintains his innocence and has the right to appeal. His sentence on the murder count has not been imposed.
What's confirmed
- Who she was: Allison Feldman worked in medical sales, with wound and burn care products, and talked with her parents almost every day (ABC News; TC Jewfolk).
- Feb. 18, 2015Allison Feldman is found dead in her Scottsdale home (ABC News; ABC15).
- January 2015Mitcham is arrested for DUI and consents to a blood test. Police draw two vials; he signs a "Destruction Notice" acknowledging the spare would be destroyed if he didn't ask for it within 90 days. He never asks, and police don't destroy it (Arizona Supreme Court opinion, CR-23-0236-PR).
- Later: Arizona's first use of familial DNA points investigators to an incarcerated relative of the person whose profile was left at the scene, and from there to Mitcham (ABC News; ABC15; court opinion).
- April 2018without a warrant, police extract a DNA profile from the kept vial; it matches the scene profile (court opinion, para. 7; FOX 10).
- Dec. 17, 2024the Arizona Supreme Court holds the warrantless search violated Mitcham's Fourth Amendment rights, but that the inevitable-discovery exception applies, so the DNA evidence is admissible (court opinion, para. 2).
- April 28, 2025the U.S. Supreme Court declines review (ABC15).
- April 9, 2026guilty on all counts: first-degree murder, sexual assault, second-degree burglary (azfamily; ABC15; FOX 10).
- May 27, 2026the penalty-phase jury cannot agree between death and life; mistrial (azfamily; KTAR; FOX 10).
- May 28, 2026Judge Sunita Cairo sentences Mitcham to 7 years (sexual assault) and 3.5 years (burglary), consecutive, 10.5 years total. The murder sentence is pending (azfamily; FOX 10).
- June 2026County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says her office will retry the sentencing phase only, with a new jury (KTAR; ABC15).
- Her father, who helped develop Arizona's familial DNA system, died less than a month after the verdict (FOX 10; azfamily; KOLD).
The defense
At trial the defense argued police arrested the wrong man and that investigators leaned too heavily on DNA and did not fully pursue another possible suspect. After the verdict the defense said: "Ian has maintained his innocence, and today's verdict does not change that." (azfamily; ABC15)
What we don't know
When the new penalty-phase jury will be seated, or what sentence Mitcham will receive on the murder count. As of the latest reports we could find (through June 2026), no date had been announced.
What happens next
A new jury is planned to decide the penalty only. If it also cannot agree, Arizona law means a life sentence, not death. He has the right to appeal. We'll update this when the court acts.
Sources
- ABC Newsabcnews.com/US/familial-dna-led-conviction-arizona-womans-violent-murder/story?id=136759502
- ABC15 (verdict)abc15.com/news/region-northeast-valley/scottsdale/verdict-reached-in-2015-murder-trial-of-scottsdale-woman-allison-feldman
- azfamily (verdict)azfamily.com/2026/04/09/suspect-found-guilty-all-counts-2015-murder-allison-feldman-scottsdale/
- FOX 10 Phoenix (verdict)fox10phoenix.com/news/allison-feldman-murder-ian-mitcham-trial-verdict
- azfamily (mistrial)azfamily.com/2026/05/27/jury-deadlocked-ian-mitcham-sentencing-deliberations-continue/
- azfamily (sentencing)azfamily.com/2026/05/28/judge-sentences-ian-mitcham-charges-tied-allison-feldman-case/
- KTAR (retrial of penalty phase)ktar.com/arizona-news/prosecutors-retry-sentencing-ian-mitcham-mistrial
- ABC15 (U.S. Supreme Court)abc15.com/news/crime/supreme-court-denies-suspects-appeal-over-dna-evidence-in-allison-feldman-murder-case
- TC Jewfolktcjewfolk.com/2015/02/24/remembering-allison-feldman/
- Arizona Supreme Court opinion (primary)azcourts.gov/Portals/0/OpinionFiles/Supreme/2024/CR230236PR.pdf
The record · as of Oct. 3, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
What happens next
Updates and corrections
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