PHOENIX (Court TV) — An Arizona man is standing trial for the cold case murder of Allison Feldman.
Ian Mitcham is charged with first-degree murder and burglary in Feldman’s 2015 death. Prosecutors accuse Mitcham of sexually assaulting, strangling, and bludgeoning the 31-year-old attorney in her Scottsdale home.
FILE – Allison Feldman (L), Ian Mitcham (R) (Scripps News Phoenix)
The case went cold for years until familial DNA testing linked the defendant to the crime through his brother, a convicted child molester. Police later matched Mitcham’s DNA to evidence from the scene using a sample collected after a 2015 DUI arrest.
In their opening statement, the defense pointed to another man as the possible killer: Feldman’s pharmacist at the time of her death. The defense argued he made incriminating statements and lived near the crime scene. Prosecutors, however, say there’s no physical evidence tying that man to the murder.
Feldman’s boyfriend, Alex Stone, testified that he found her body on February 18, 2015. Stone testified he went to her home after she failed to respond to his text messages and phone calls. Stone said when he walked into the house, there was an overpowering smell of cleaning products. Feldman’s nude body was found in the hallway, partially covered with a rug, Stone testified.
The case was delayed for years over legal battles about the admissibility of DNA evidence, ultimately upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court in December 2024.
The trial is expected to last up to seven months.
Follow more coverage of Ian Mitcham’s case on CourtTV.com.
