MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ — February 17, 2025 marks ten years since Allison Feldman's family last heard from the 31-year-old. The University of Arizona graduate was found dead in her Scottsdale home the next day.
It would be years until an arrest was made, which marked a first for the state of Arizona. But a decade later, the case still hasn't made it to trial.
A battle over DNA evidence stalling the case and even reaching the highest court in Arizona. Even with a new trial date on the books, the battle over DNA might not be over yet.
"It's a little easier, just because it's been a long time," said Allison's dad Harley Feldman. But she was still the apple of our eye, and a daughter that we loved and we miss her."
Harley sat down with ABC15 just days before marking a decade of pushing for justice in his daughter's case.
Back in 2015 people in the Scottsdale community were left scared after Allison, was found brutally murdered in her Scottsdale home near Loop 101 and Pima Road. Police said Feldman died of head trauma. According to court documents, she was found nude and her body smelled of bleach.
Her case marked the first in Arizona where familial DNA was used to help track down a suspect, Ian Mitcham. Despite the arrest, court documents said investigators couldn't find a connection between Allison and Mitcham.
Just before trial a Judge tossed out Mitcham's DNA sample and said it couldn't be used as evidence because it was collected as part of an unrelated DUI case. The lower court said it shouldn't have been available for testing. According to court documents, the testing process was done without a warrant.
But then an appeals court reversed that decision.
The Arizona Supreme Court listened to oral arguments in late September and announced a decision in December. The Arizona Justices said the warrantless search did violate Mitcham's Fourth Amendment rights, but believed police would have inevitably obtained his DNA lawfully since Mitcham is now a twice convicted felon.
With the DNA evidence currently allowed at trial, a new October court date has been set.
ABC15 asked Allison's dad if he ever expected to wait this long for some kind finality with the case.
"I had no expectation, and I think the court system works but it works its own pace," said Harley.
But Mitcham's attorney is trying to take this battle up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and has already filed what's called a petition for writ of certiorari. He is requesting the court set guidelines for when inevitable discovery can be applied, in his filing challenging the AZ Supreme Court's interpretation.
Read the petition below:
It appears there is a response deadline of March 12 with the Supreme Court.
After a decade, Harley knows there may still be a long journey ahead.
"I do this for her," said Harley. "The reason we moved to Arizona was so that we'd be close to the courts."
ABC15 did reach out to Mitcham's attorney, but he did not want to comment.
