SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Arizona Supreme Court has granted oral arguments in a battle over the DNA evidence that led law enforcement to the suspect accused of murdering Allison Feldman.
Ian Mitcham was arrested for the murder three years after the 31-year-old was found dead in her Scottsdale home back in 2015.
Allison Feldman
The case had been cold until a major break in 2018. For the first time in Arizona, familial DNA was used to lead police from the crime scene to Mitcham.
Feldman's dad, Harley, told ABC15 he didn’t know the suspect before he was arrested. Court documents from 2018 also said investigators couldn't find a connection between Allison and Mitcham.
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Those documents also said Mitcham denied knowing Allison, being in her home, or committing any crimes against her.
Feldman's parents have been waiting for over nine years for their day in court. But just as a trial neared, a battle over that critical DNA evidence began. In 2023, one judge tossed out a DNA sample. They said it couldn't be used as evidence against Mitcham because it was collected as part of an unrelated case.
Later, the Arizona Court of Appeals reversed that decision and Feldman's parents were once again hopeful a trial was around the court.
See ABC15's previous coverage in the video player below:
But Mitcham and his defense team appealed to the State Supreme Court in the fall of 2023.
Nearly seven months later, the court said they would take up the case and granted oral arguments. ABC15 was told the date for oral arguments has not been released.
The State Supreme Court has set dates for filings from both legal teams that range between May and July of this year.
ABC15 spoke with Allison's family hours after breaking the news that the State Supreme Court granted oral arguments.
"Now we're at the point, they're going to take the case," said Allison's dad Harley Feldman. "And so we've got to go through the process of position papers and going through the Supreme Court process, but at least something is happening."
Harley said what keeps him and his wife going is the memory of their daughter and the desire for accountability.
ABC15 reached out to Mitcham's attorneys, but they didn't have anything else to add.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell commented on the case at her bi-weekly press conference. She said they will be prepared to present their case, pointing out they were successful at the Arizona Court of Appeals.
"We're ready to defend our case and make sure that evidence is available to us," said County Attorney Mitchell.
ABC15 will continue to stay on top of this story and bring you updates as they come into our newsroom.
