Transcript of Home Alone

Hello, everybody. It's Debra Roberts here with some news to share. The first episode of The Scream Murder, a new podcast from 20/20, is out right now. But if you wanted to get this early, all you gotta do is subscribe to 20/20 True Crime+ on Apple. Our subscribers already listened to that episode weeks ago, ad-free. And this week, they're gonna be able to listen to episodes 1 through 5. As always, our subscribers have access to hundreds of 20/20 episodes going back years. completely ad-free. So if you're interested, subscribe to 20/20 True Crime+ on Apple now.

On October 19th, 2025, the Louver became the backdrop of something straight out of a heist movie. In this series, I'll take you inside the events of that day through the eyes of the people who lived them. Then I'll join the international hunt for the Louver jewels. Heist at the Louver, a new series from ABC Audio. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast Or subscribe to 20/20 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts to listen ad-free.

Blowing another nonstop half hour across the state. Just horrible, what's going to happen here.

Winds out of the east at 14 miles per hour.

It's currently 95 degrees.

Allison was kind of a character. She grew up in the '80s and the '90s, so loved '80s and '90s pop. She loved to have fun and sing along with the radio.

We went down to Tucson. We throw some music on. and I happened to catch her belting out Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun. It's just her, that just amazing person.

She lived in Scottsdale. She worked out of her home.

She had a good relationship with her with her family, and that was very, very important to her.

We talked almost every day.

Alison's mother Elaine told people she would text Alison every night, and Alison, she'd always text her back. And then one February afternoon, the clockwork calls and texts stop.

I called her when I was leaving my office and it went straight to voicemail.

My wife said, it's just not right. Things were out of normal.

One of the neighbors reported hearing a long, intermittent scream.

Yes.

Was it Alison?

We believe so, yes.

If it could happen to Alison, it could have happened to any one of us.

As it turned out, the critical piece of evidence ended up being this stain that just didn't have an explanation. This becomes key evidence to solving this case.

Oh, yeah!

In Arizona, Saturday is like the Sabbath. College football is religion. The marching bands, a sea of red and blue, and tens of thousands of Wildcat fans roaring as one. For Alison Feldman, this was home turf.

If you take a look at Alison's Facebook page, you're going to find pictures of Alison at U of A sporting events. She really liked to be a part of the university.

I graduated the University of Arizona.

Yes. Yep. She was a huge Wildcat fan.

Alison was from Minneapolis. And once she graduated from U of A, she moved up here to the Valley, which is what we call the Phoenix metro area.

Tucson was too small, and the city girl in her said, I'm gonna move to Phoenix.

By the age of 31, things are going very well for Alison. She even buys her own home. She loved that house.

Yeah, she had just bought that house less than a year earlier.

People generally consider it to be very safe, especially where Alison was living.

Scottsdale rises from the Sonoran Desert like an oasis beneath rugged mountains and towering saguaros, where coyotes and roadrunners still roam. But neighborhoods, restaurants, and resorts have transformed the desert floor. And in February, when much of the rest of the country is locked in winter, the days here are often warm, dry, and bright. It was here in this corner of the Arizona desert Allison was building a life of her own.

Allison was really at the top of her game in early 2015, and for a 31-year-old, she had her whole life ahead of her.

She sold wound care products in hospitals.

So Allison was the burn specialist for my region. She was somebody who wanted to succeed. When you meet Allison, it's difficult not to get drawn in. She's kind of like gravity.

She was very active in Camp Courage, a camp in Arizona for kids who've been burned. That was a really important cause to Allison.

She loved working with the kids.

What was it that they saw in Alison?

Her unconditional acceptance. And she approached all of the children and everyone, really, in her life equally the same. Really remarkable young woman.

Alex Stone comes into her life.

Yep.

That was her first really serious boyfriend.

Wanted to marry him.

Yes, she did. They were really happy. And that was the first guy I really saw her just sparkle over.

On February 17th, it was a pretty normal day for Alison. She got up, she did work, she had a performance review, and then later in the day, she had errands to run. She went to Kohl's. She went to Walmart. And then she came home, and really, that was kind of going to be the end of her day.

I tried to text her, and the text didn't go through. But I didn't think anything of it. But the next morning, we tried to call her.

The number you have called is not available.

And her phone was off. It's never off.

So Alex, being her boyfriend, was in communication with her the previous evening, Tuesday night. He sent her a goodnight message and then sent her a good morning message, which went unanswered.

Video catches Alex pulling up to Alison's house to go check on her.

So he gets there, and what does he find?

At first, when he arrived, he checks the garage to see if her vehicle's there. Maybe she's out on a sales call or something else. He knocks on the door, rings the doorbell even, until he eventually uses his key to go inside.

Later on, you see him come out of the house, and it's at that time that he makes a 911 call.

911 emergency. Oh my God. Oh my God. There's blood everywhere. Where's the blood from? The blood— the blood is everywhere.

The next day, the 18th, Alex went to her house.

Yes.

What did he find when he got there?

So he walked in and saw he was Like, you know, the house was disheveled a little, and found her laying on the floor. So then he called 911. 911 emergency.

Oh my God. Oh my God. My girlfriend, she's not breathing. Stay on the line.

Let me get you over to the paramedics.

Don't hang up. I think she's dead.

It was horrible to listen to. I mean, he was screaming and just raw, really distraught.

There's blood everywhere. Where's the blood from? The blood is in her head.

I overheard the radio dispatch when they said that the boyfriend had found his girlfriend unresponsive.

Lieutenant Hugh Lockerbie with the Scottsdale Police Department was one of the first investigators to arrive on the scene. So this is the house where Allison actually lived?

Yes, that is correct.

When you arrive here, what do you— what's the first thing that struck you?

When I got on scene and I'm standing right where we're at today, the door's open, all I could smell is overwhelming smell of bleach.

All the way out here?

All the way out here. So when we got in the home, there was bloodstains smeared throughout the home. And then when we looked down a hallway, we see Alison lying on the floor in the hallway with her dress covering her face, and she was completely naked. It looks like it was a blitz attack, like she wasn't expecting this attack from this individual.

She was in shock. Was very beat up. It, it kind of took your breath away a little bit, just the brutality that she went through.

And you can tell that there had been a struggle?

Oh, for sure, yes. There was broken nails from her fingers in different places throughout the house. I think just by her injuries, you could tell that she was fighting. She wasn't going down easy.

I also had the chance to meet with Detective John Heinzelden. A seasoned veteran of the Scottsdale Police Department, he walked me through the mountain of forensic evidence recovered from Allison's home. Now, these are the 3 pictures of her backyard pool. What did you find back there?

We believe at some point this assault spilled out into the backyard. In the pool, we found an earring that was, that was lying on the bottom of the pool. The matching earring was still in her earlobe. The other thing we found is a carpet remnant that Alison used to have on the outside of her sliding glass door. That was in the bottom of the pool, and that was stained with blood that we determined to be Alison's. And what we recovered as well was this clump of Alison's hair. And this is— and this is ultimately where she ended up before she was brought back in the house.

There was a couch in Alison's home What did you find underneath it?

So after a few days of processing Alison's home and processing evidence, we moved this couch, and as we lifted it up, there was a broken beer bottle.

And that's this picture, right? That's the beer bottle?

Yes, it was a Leinenkugel's beer bottle.

Did that suggest that maybe Alison was drinking with this man who killed her?

Initially, we didn't know exactly what So with all the evidence that the police are uncovering, what can be of equal importance is what they're not finding. And in this case, what they're not finding is any sign of a forced entry. So what that can mean, but not always, that the victim knew her killer and might have let them in.

So we're walking down the, the same alley that runs behind Alison's home right now. And this alleyway is, you know, significant because we had no evidence that our killer came through the front door or through the garage door.

And that explains why the killer was never captured on that front yard security camera. So he had to come this way, had to come down this alleyway, John.

He could have potentially opened the gate to go in. It's dark here too. You can easily hide. Could have been here peering through the window, looking over there.

And with her lights on, he could see her, but she could not see him.

Correct.

That is chilling. To figure out who killed Alison, detectives first had to turn back the clock and reconstruct the final hours of her life on February 17th, 2015.

So this is Alison on the 17th. She went to the Kohl's department store, and she was shopping. So, and as a matter of fact, she walks right across the camera. She's wearing her blue jean jacket and that black dress that we found in the house later that evening after, after her murder. This is roughly 6:30, 6:45, where she's shopping right before she returns home.

Alison was home by 7:15 that night. Now, detectives began combining security videos, her alarm system records, and witness accounts to narrow down when the attack began and how long her killer remained in the house. When do you think she was killed?

Based on a witness that heard a scream sometime around 9:30 that Tuesday evening is when I believe the murder occurred.

And then the killer left At what time do we think?

At 1:04 AM the following morning is the last door activation. There's no more door activity until the following day.

So you think the killer spent almost 4 hours in that house?

That is correct.

What did you determine was the cause of death?

There were multiple causes. So she had lost a great deal of blood. She also had some blunt force trauma injuries to the back of her head and manual strangulation. So it was a combination of strangulation and a loss of blood that ultimately was the cause of her death.

Alison's autopsy showed that she was also violently sexually assaulted.

I got a phone call from the Scottsdale detective, and he said, are you driving? And I said, yes. And he said, pull off the road. And so I knew what was coming next.

My dad called me and said she'd been killed. I was screaming, and I was just in disbelief, like, this can't be happening right now. There's no way.

She didn't have any enemies, so that makes it difficult to start.

You know, who, who would want to do this to her?

Alex was the first person that detectives looked at.

I haven't robbed anybody. We had a great relationship. Ask any friends, family, whatever you want.

In the back of my mind, I was wondering if he played a role in her death.

Do you recall about what time you got to her house?

You're the 13th person that's asking me this, bro. Okay. And this shit is getting old.

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Yo, what up?

It's Jamie Foxx. Check this out. I got a brand new hilarious stand-up comedy special coming to Hulu. This one is personal. I got some stories to tell, some things to celebrate, and of course, plenty of laughs along the way. We're talking life, Family, music, unexpected moments, and a whole lot of comedy. So come spend an hour with me and let's have some fun. Jamie Foxx: Take Care of Yourself, streaming October 7th, only on Hulu.

Feeling short on smiles?

Does your frown need to be turned upside down?

We got the perfect dose of comedy. 30 minutes of Scrubs.

Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, and the rest of the gang at Sacred Heart are back for a brand new season.

We play medical doctors Just like in real life.

And we'll definitely be up in each other's cases.

Scrubs, Wednesdays on ABC.

And stream the next day on Hulu.

Side effects may include laughing, cheering, and lots of high fives.

There's another one here.

There's another matching. Oh yeah, here's another matching.

I had the chance to sit down with Allison's big sister Kelly.

She was on the dance team. She really loved dance.

Who shared photos and memories. 2 little girls growing up together, once side by side in matching dresses.

My mom loved the matching outfits for a long time.

And years later, dressed for Kelly's wedding day.

This is one of my favorite pictures. She was my maid of honor. I love this picture.

It's just—

it reminds me of such a happy time in our life, in my life, her life.

It's a murder case that put the Valley on edge, the death of Alison Feldman.

And this is Alex Stone. Alison's boyfriend, he's the first person you look at, right?

That's exactly it. There's— and there's already some sort of built-in relationship. There's all kinds of things.

Detectives immediately focused on Alex because not only was Alex dating Alison, but he had access to the house as well and found Alison at the crime scene.

A neighbor told me that he went into the house, and he's the one that discovered her. And she told me he came out and sat on the sidewalk and just wailed.

And this is Alex, and he's arriving at home, at her house. You see actually him getting out of his car and him using the keypad on the garage to open up the door. He also goes to the front door. And he rings the doorbell before he actually uses his key to go in. So as you can see, at 4:05 PM now, you see Alex has come out of the house. He's actually on the call with 911.

As in all these cases, you've got to interview him. What did you hope to learn, and what did he say?

We're trying to get a pattern of life. We're trying to get the last time someone spoke with Alison. Was there anybody that she was having issues with? Was there any issues between them with their relationship?

Hours after finding Alison at the crime scene, investigators sat down with Alex Stone for an interview.

Okay, let me explain some things we have to do first here, okay? We're just doing some procedural things so we can investigate what exactly happened.

We have to look at him as a potential suspect, so we want to get his DNA, anything on him that would lead us to believe that he might be involved.

If someone did something to her, There might be possible evidence on your clothing, DNA or whatnot. So we want to— we want to make sure we preserve all that. Take my clothes. Okay. Whatever you want.

They collected all of his clothes. They were looking for marks on his body because she had gotten some good scratches in.

But despite the signs of a struggle inside Alison's home, investigators say Alex had no visible marks.

Do you recall about what time you got to her house? You said you went to game.

I got to her house 30 seconds before 11 o'clock. Okay. And when you got there— The 13th person that's asking me this, bro.

Okay.

And this shit is getting old.

They met, I believe, on a dating site. They had been dating not for very long, but she was happy. You just don't know. You know, they'd been dating for some months. And again, you watch those true crime shows, and it always leads back to the boyfriend or the husband or things like that.

Did that thought cross your mind that Alex might be responsible?

I mean, yes.

Yeah.

It did.

It—

you know, you don't want to think that, but it— I mean, it did.

But while detectives were scrutinizing Alex Stone, evidence back inside Allison's house was beginning to point somewhere else. Do you find something you refer to as PMH?

PMH. So PM stands for photo marker. That's how we identify each item. So PMH was a brown dripped stain on the dining room floor Literally in the middle of the crime scene. It was the sore thumb that sticks out amongst everything else.

What it appeared to be, in my opinion, looked like someone who was, like, chewing tobacco and had spit on the ground. We all knew right away that PMH was going to be the hot ticket item in this investigation. It was collected and taken to the lab.

The abbreviation PMH, especially useful in producing another one: DNA.

DNA in crime solving is a game changer.

If there's DNA at a crime scene, it's probably your fastest way to solve that case and get to an identity.

To help us understand what DNA can reveal, we turned to forensic experts David and Kristin Mittelman of Othram, whose work has previously been featured You're basically building a library surrounding this, this sample of DNA. DNA is just like a camera.

Instead of a visual field, it's an identity feed. It's recording the identity of people that have been in that area at that time.

And it's not something you can conceal. DNA is one of those very honest biometrics that if it's you, it's you.

Within a few days, we had a DNA profile of an unknown male that, um, quite frankly shouldn't be there.

And this wasn't DNA found in just one isolated spot. There was also DNA found on a knob inside the laundry room. There was DNA found on the door handle going out to the patio and that broken bottle of Lienenkugel beer found under the couch.

So now we've got 4 locations inside the house where this unknown suspect's DNA has been located.

And sure enough, when investigators compared the unknown male DNA profile to Alex Stone, it wasn't a match.

He just could not be included any further, and we eliminated him as a suspect.

So investigators entered the unknown male DNA profile into the national database called CODIS, hoping it would lead to the killer. killer's identity, but there were no hits. What does that tell you?

Tells us that this person has, has never been arrested, that this person is not in the system.

Police insisting they have every available resource working to get the case solved, but right now Allison's killer is still out there.

Lieutenant, you told me you interviewed hundreds, hundreds of people.

Yes, we had a a lot of people calling in. Our goal was putting a name to PMH. Whose DNA does that belong to?

As the investigation ramped up into Alison's murder, police cast a wide net and looked at over 100 potential suspects.

Alison's killer could be anyone, anywhere. Alison Feldman loved fashion, and in Scottsdale, she had plenty of places to indulge it. Clothes, shoes, the latest styles, and with a work trip to the Bahamas coming up. Allison was shopping for the occasion.

I mean, she was so excited about that trip, and she was Miss Fashionista, so she was of course shopping and finding the, the latest and greatest things that she could wear out there.

But what looked like ordinary activities for Allison Now presented detectives with a daunting question. Had someone she encountered at a store, at work, or simply going about her life taken an interest in her? Did she ever tell you that she felt threatened?

No. No.

Watched?

Afraid of anyone?

No.

I get angry that this happened.

I can't figure out why it would happen to such a Allison's family tells us that she had led a very busy life, very active, very social. How did that complicate your investigation?

It opened the, the area, I guess we'll say, because her sales area included trips to Albuquerque on a regular basis, her trips to California on a regular basis. Could he be the clerk at the hotel she stayed in Albuquerque that decided to drive in?

This is Arizona Crime Uncovered. I'm Ashley Holden. So my name is Ashley Holden, and I'm an investigative reporter here at ABC 15. I cover a lot of crime. I might actually be one of the longest reporters in the market that has covered this case. We're tracking the latest developments as the Alison's case was getting a lot of coverage. People were terrified.

It could be somebody that lives in the neighborhood.

It could be a random act of violence.

There were community meetings that were standing room only.

That was collected, will be analyzed.

Because people wanted to hear from police. Neighbors eager for any information about the recent murder of Alison Feldman.

I didn't want to be home alone. If it was somebody we knew, are they coming after any of us?

What was it like thinking that the killer might be in that community?

It was horrible because all I could think is my sister's in a coffin and he is out living his life.

As far as who it was, whether it's somebody she knew or didn't know, it really doesn't matter to us. We just want him caught.

You attended the memorial service here in Scottsdale.

She so much enjoyed helping others, especially children.

What were you looking for?

Looking for someone suspicious. A lot of times what you'll see is someone involved in these cases will want to keep tabs on what we're doing. Oh, are they any closer to solving this or finding me? So we're, we're looking not only at what's going on in front but also in the back of the room and who might be in the shadows.

With no name for the DNA left inside Alison's home, detectives began comparing that unknown male profile against people across Alison's life and her community.

Police interviewed everyone— the pool person who came to Alison's home, handyman, transients in the area, sex offenders who lived in the area. Investigators relying heavily on forensics to help them find her murderer.

We collected DNA samples from over 130 different individuals.

They were taking everybody's DNA at that point. My brother lived right around the corner. They took his. They took my fiancé's. They took, you know, just anyone and everyone's that they would come across.

That became the investigative pattern in this case— identify somebody in Alison's life, collect their DNA, and compare it to the unknown male DNA found inside her home.

And among the people investigators scrutinized was someone especially close to Alison, her boss and mentor at her medical supply sales job, Jeff Chiardi.

Jeff Chiardi was the last person to actually see her alive on the 17th. They had their meeting, their lunch meeting, that they went— he went over his, his annual review with her. Maybe this was something. Maybe he could be someone that, that we need to talk to further.

Ali was like a little sister. She's one of my closest friends.

Because of the amount of text messages, phone calls between us, and the fact that I was probably the last friend or family member to see her alive that day, that naturally I would be a person of interest.

I had just sat down with her Tuesday Afternoon. We just did her performance review. Been racking my brain. Was there somebody following her?

And then 10, 15 minutes into the discussion, they immediately asked for a DNA sample because my DNA was in the home as well. I had been to Alison's house on numerous occasions, both for social and work functions. And the DNA, that, that's ultimately what cleared me.

Back at Alison's home, detectives are leaving no stone unturned. And because the DNA didn't lead them to a suspect, they even start examining everyday household items, looking for another trail of evidence.

One of the items we processed was a Swiffer box of mop inserts that we found in Alison's laundry room. That box contained a fingerprint that was unknown.

It could be the killer.

This is exactly what we're concerned with.

The blood that was on the box in the other parts of the house, you know, had— they had used a Swiffer to kind of try to clean it up.

So in processing that fingerprint, we identify the person who left it as this man, Francisco Martinez. He works at the Walmart distribution center on the west side of Phoenix. But police quickly realized Martinez, like countless others, is a false That particular Swiffer box was one of the items he handled, which was transported to the Walmart where Alison purchased it at some point. There's no way of knowing when it happened, but this is the lengths that we went through to identify people, to rule them in, rule them out. And in this case, we completely ruled him out as this is just an innocent person.

In my heart of hearts, I always thought that it was going to be somebody that she knew, someone in her life.

I couldn't get out of my head of who, who would have done this.

And then another person of interest emerges, someone turned in by his own mother.

And I'm just kind of looking at the pictures, and here he's, you know, apologizing and saying sorry and asking for forgiveness.

When Alison's case was covered here in the Valley, in the first few months, People were, were scared and trying to figure out what happened here. There were so many different stories on Allison's case.

Despite the lack of any solid leads pointing to the killer's identity, 8 weeks after her murder, it's clear Allison's father Harley will not allow her case to go unsolved.

She didn't have any enemies, and so that makes it difficult To start, you know, who would want to do this to her?

There were no other crimes that we could put 2 and 2 together to say this was anything similar to anything else we've investigated or anywhere in the valley.

Nothing you could connect it to?

Nothing we could connect it to.

It's not like watching CSI that in an hour they solved the crime.

They have his—

the person's DNA, but there's no match.

That's when police receive an anonymous tip. It's a man living less than a mile from Allison's home, so they bring him in for questioning. His name, Alex DeLucio.

The only thing I could have thought of is that I do go jogging in the area, so— but I don't even know who in that area would even, like, know my name. Like, yeah, this person knew your first and last name, so I'm guessing this is someone, like, stirring up trouble.

So Alex DeLucio lives in the neighborhood, He was cooperative with us. But one of those key pieces that we were looking for, DNA, he chose not to share that with us.

I worked at a law firm, and my criminal lawyer buddy advised me, just don't do DNA without a court order. Because even— even later, once that's on the record, people mishandle it. People misuse it. And it's just not good.

When he refused to give his DNA, Police basically had to come up with a plan to get a sample from him.

One of our surveillance teams actually followed him until he went to a local coffee shop. He discarded the cup. One of our agents was able to pick that up, impound it, and bring it to our lab for testing.

DeLucio's DNA is then tested, and what do you find?

Yes, so he did not match our unknown profile.

Just another dead end. As weeks turned to months, hopes of finding the killer began to fade. That's when, out of nowhere, detectives receive a call in October of 2015 naming another person of interest.

Christopher Haight is an Iraqi War veteran, and intermittently he's living with his mom, Patricia.

His mother called us and said Christopher attended a Medical conference or medical training up in Flagstaff. And he had just called her and said he has a new girlfriend.

He was showing me the phone. I was saying, what is the girl's name? And he said, Alison. He said that she had a boyfriend. And I said to be careful. And he said nothing to worry about.

After seeing the news coverage, she felt it important to call us and, and at least let us know this information.

And so Patricia is concerned that he might be the killer here.

They live in the foothills of Tucson. So it's about 100 miles south of here. So we went down. We spoke with them.

He's apologizing and saying sorry and asking for forgiveness.

That has to be a tough call to make as a mom, to be so worried that your son might have committed a horrific crime that you turn them in.

Could this finally be the break detectives were searching for? So investigators dig deeper.

Christopher, at the time of the murder, was determined to be somewhere up in Prescott Valley, somewhere about 120 miles away from here at the time.

Kate is eliminated as a suspect.

Kate is eliminated both in terms of he was— he was not in the valley at the time, and the DNA did not match our unknown profile.

As investigators are going through all of these DNA samples, They're not getting a match. They've done this extensive canvas. They've looked into pretty much every aspect of Alison's life. And this is when the case really starts to grow cold.

And our biggest fear, too, is, will our offender reoffend again? Will we have another innocent victim out there?

The case was absolutely stalling.

Where does that leave you?

Leaves us with, I think, the next thing we were planning on doing is starting over from scratch.

This must have been frustrating.

Absolutely.

On the steps of the Scottsdale Justice Center, this group clenching candles, sharing songs, hugs, and memories.

A huge smile.

She was amazingly bubbly and happy and always, you know, always on her game.

31-year-old Allison Feldman was found murdered inside her Scottsdale home near the 101 and Pima Road.

Alison's file is right there on the corner of my desk. It never moves.

But Detective John Heinzelmann says there are still no clear suspects in the case.

We're still investigating this case. We're hoping that we get that phone call that gives us the lead we need.

The anniversaries, the vigils for Alison's case, they served as a reminder to the community that the killer had still not been caught.

Did you ever fear that this case might never be solved?

There were times. Absolutely, there were times. Um, but I had faith too.

Meanwhile, the Feldman family is trapped in limbo. But then a development halfway around the world breathes new life into this investigation.

Yes, it does. That was just one of these made-for-TV stories.

Welcome to the greatest show on Earth. FX's AHS: 13. What do you sense? A harbinger of our doom. The star-studded cast returns.

Something wicked this way comes.

You all got to unite! I'll drink to that.

If you're gonna rise up and rule the world, you better get Get yourself a damn sense of humor.

FX's AHS 13, now streaming on Hulu.

So you're aware of a tape?

Yes.

We're gonna be just like Scream, kill them one by one. I'm sorry, Cassie's family. He's gonna die. There should be no law against killing people.

I've been doing true crime 25 years or so. I thought I had seen everything until I encountered this story.

I'm never gonna forget it.

These 2 boys stabbed this girl 30 times and are videoing their glee.

Just killed Cassie.

This is a real shocking piece of video. I've just never seen anything like this.

If you're okay with talking about it, why did you make that video?

The Scream Murder.

A True Teen Horror Story, an all-new podcast coming October 6th wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe to 20/20 True Crime Plus on Apple Podcasts to listen early and ad-free. Terms apply.

31-year-old Alison Feldman's death is still a mystery.

Her killer is still on the loose.

The investigation showing she was assaulted and tried to fight off the attacker who left with only a few of her belongings.

The investigation, though, Harley thinks is making progress.

Yeah, there's been some good tips leading to some good investigations. Not getting to the right person yet, but getting much better at leading to the right path.

Harley worked really hard to keep the case in the forefront of people's minds because he was hoping that that could help solve the case. But with so few answers, Alison's case faded from the headlines.

The second-year anniversary was really hard because you're still unsolved.

How does the lack of answers affect your ability to grieve?

It's horrible. It's horrible.

Did your father ever lose faith?

No.

That the killer would be found?

No, he didn't. I would say my mom and I definitely did. definitely did, but he was always positive it was going to happen and get solved.

That's when a chance meeting during a family trip taken by Allison's mother and grandfather, Sidney Schaffner, would finally lead to a major break in the case. The story goes like this. In 2016, there was a mission organized to bring together the survivors of World War II concentration camps with the troops that liberated them.

So Elaine Feldman went with her dad, who was a World War II vet, overseas. He was getting an award because her father had actually helped free a concentration camp and save people.

So he was chosen as one of the people to go on this trip. My mom went with him. And it went to Auschwitz and then on to Israel.

While they're there, they meet Barbara Leff, a politician here in Arizona.

Barbara Leff is right for Arizona families.

And really, the Feldman family bonds with her. They tell her about their daughter's case and how there's still no answers.

And she had said, oh, if there's anything I can do, like, I'm a former state senator in Arizona. And my mom said, well, there is something you could do.

Eventually, this becomes the spark for figuring out, can familial DNA be used here in Arizona?

Familial DNA allows you to use the same piece of evidence to expand your search by one relationship.

Now remember, investigators had DNA from Alison's presumed killer, but it did not match anyone in the criminal database system called CODIS.

So instead of just the person that left the DNA at the crime scene, you are now able to search the person and their nuclear family that might have left the DNA at the crime scene.

While the use of DNA was not uncommon in police investigations, familial DNA still was not being widely used to help unravel cold cases. The hope is that using familial DNA might allow detectives to narrow their search by at least pointing to the killer's family.

But the question was, was it legal here in Arizona? Could it be used in Arizona in this case?

Even though there was no law against it, as it turns out, Arizona had never used familial DNA before. in a criminal case. So with urging from former State Senator Barbara Leff, the Attorney General gave the green light to use it for the very first time.

And Senator Leff made some phone calls, got that process rolling, and introduced familial DNA into Arizona.

And that was groundbreaking.

It was groundbreaking. Alison's case is the very first case in Arizona where familial DNA was used In 2018, that familial DNA, a match was made through it.

That hit wasn't a direct match. It was not the dart into the bullseye, but it got us really, really close.

After years of dead end, you finally have a solid lead.

We have a solid lead. We have a name that we can follow up on.

The close match identifies Mark Mitchum. So Mark Mitchum's DNA is already in the system because he was convicted of child sex crimes.

How was he eliminated, Mark Mitchum, from the investigation?

So, well, first off, he was in Department of Corrections custody at the time.

He had an alibi.

And secondly, we take a look at the DNA profile and Mark's profile, and our lab compares those 2, and they rule him out. They say, this is not your person, but again, it's a relative. Of Mark.

Someone who's related to him?

Yep.

As it turns out, Mark Mitchum has brothers, 3 of them.

So, uh, yeah, we're investigating— we're investigating a murder.

Okay. Okay.

And—

How did you get to me on a fucking murder? Well, that's kind of why we're here.

Mark had the ultimate alibi. He was already behind bars. He had already been convicted in another crime. And so he couldn't have killed Alison Feldman.

So once Mark Mitchum is ruled out, who do you focus on next?

So now we cast our net, and we look at his relatives.

So there are 4 Mitchum brothers— Craig, Eric, Mark, and Ian. Police start looking at the 3 other Mitchum brothers, and one is living out of state. So they don't really focus on him. But then there are 2 Mitchum brothers that live pretty close to Allison.

And so they built a family tree, looked at the locations of those brothers and when the crime actually occurred, and tried to figure out if one made more sense than the other.

So among those brothers, there's Iyam Mitchum, who in 2018 becomes someone you start looking at very closely.

Yes. But in 2015, he lived in Tempe. just off of Scottsdale Road, probably less than 2 miles from Alison's house. Let's get his DNA and let's compare it to our unknown and see if they match.

That's when investigators make a startling discovery. They realize that police had crossed paths with Ian Mitchem once before.

Good evening. More like afternoon.

On the side of a road.

You have your license with you, sir?

As police are looking at the Mitchum brothers, they realize, wait, we know Ian Mitchum. We actually already have a blood sample of his in our possession.

How much alcohol have you had to drink today, sir? What's that mean? What's that mean when you shake your head no? I'm sorry?

Ian had been pulled over for a DUI.

You're under arrest for DUI, sir.

About a month before Alison's murder.

I've tried to cooperate, dude.

No, you have not.

You've been nothing but uncooperative, actually.

And they had taken 2 blood samples.

This is where we start doing the chemical tests regarding the blood and breath tests that you consented to.

One was supposed to be tested for alcohol. The other was retained by the Scottsdale Police Department in case Ian wanted to do his own testing.

Time of draw, 18:35.

It's important to understand that the blood sample was only tested for alcohol and had never been subjected to DNA testing. That's why it wasn't in CODIS. So for investigators, looking at that blood sample was a no-brainer next step in the investigation.

And finally, 3 years after Alison's murder, you run this DNA test. And it points to this man.

Yes, it does. This is a 100% match to our PMH, to all the DNA in the scene.

So this unknown DNA stain on the floor comes back to this man?

Yes. Ian Mitchum, absolutely.

Now we have a name to that DNA, but he was also on the beer bottle. He was also on the laundry room door. knob, and then also on that exterior door. So he's in multiple different places in Alison's home.

This was monumental in the investigation. This moved it forward in a way that the case had never been moved forward before.

So I got a call, and the assistant chief said to me, we know who it is, and we're going to arrest him tomorrow.

What was that moment like for you?

Surreal disbelief, like, is this real that we've had to wait over 2 years and this is happening all of a sudden? Is this real? Is this really the person that did it?

Immediately, a million questions start floating through your mind.

Why?

What happened? Did they ever interact? Was there a reason why he was in the neighborhood?

We're investigating the murder of Alison Feldman.

Okay.

Okay.

3 years after Alison's murder, police bring him in for questioning.

So do you—

do you know Alison?

I don't know who she is.

I heard her on the news.

Okay.

Never met her in person?

Never met her.

Okay. We gave Ian an opportunity to sit down with both of us and talk about this evidence. Maybe he had a reasonable explanation.

She was murdered in, um, On February 17th, 2015. Okay, and we have evidence from the scene, primarily DNA of yours.

So how did it get there?

What are we talking about? Okay, well, that's why we're here. We know the what. We have that, that she was murdered in her home and that, and that you were there.

No, I was not there.

Your DNA is all over the apart—

all over her house.

Okay?

Okay. This doesn't—

this doesn't make sense to me.

I don't know.

That's why we're kind of asking a lot of kind of very general questions.

Can't get my head around me being the suspect for freaking murder.

Yeah.

It's—

yeah, I want to cooperate with you guys. I want to do everything I can.

If there's something that you did, now is the time, because when we walk out of that When we leave you, that opportunity may not present itself again.

I feel like you guys have already made your decision.

Why?

It's me being guilty.

I can't get past the evidence.

Despite his repeated denials, on April 11th, 2018, Ian Mitchem was charged in the first-degree murder of Alison Feldman.

Ian, why'd you do it?

Ian, do you have a comment?

And the court entered a plea of not guilty for him.

Then begins a legal battle that no one saw coming, derailing an almost decade-long investigation and breaking the hearts of the Feldman family all over again. In 2022, a county judge throws out the DNA. It's April in Arizona. Sunny, dry, already pushing 90 degrees. Most folks here are doing their best to stay cool. But inside Scottsdale PD, Ian Mitchum is beginning to feel the heat.

Where does this put me right now?

Well, right now, am I being arrested for murder?

You are under arrest for murder. We know the what. We have that, that she was murdered in her home and that, and that you were there.

No, I was not there.

So who is Ian Mitchum? Police learned that he lived in the area since 1998, working mostly odd jobs, including at Local deli.

To his employer, Ian Mitchum was a reliable worker.

He actually helped prepare things.

He did a lot of stuff.

He came to work on time.

No complaint about him at all.

At the time of his arrest, Mitchum was supporting a 7-year-old daughter and had been living with a girlfriend for more than a decade before a recent breakup. But their investigation revealed nothing that might otherwise link him We asked him specifically about the DNA in the home.

He did not deny that DNA being his, but he did deny entering in the home. So we gave him numerous opportunities to help explain himself to us, and he was unable to explain how his DNA ended up in there.

I don't have any answers for you guys.

This is my shit.

So he basically said, that's my DNA, I just don't know how it got there?

Yes.

And his strong denials— he denied ever being in the house, he denied knowing Alison.

Despite his denials, did you think you had the evidence to get a conviction?

I firmly believe we had the evidence.

A stunning turn of events in a Valley murder case. Police Police were led to Mitchem 3 years after her death through the use of familial DNA. It was a first for Arizona, brought many legal challenges.

So here's the thing. During Ian's DUI arrest, he voluntarily provided 2 samples of his blood. But Ian Mitchem also signed a document which, under Arizona law, directed authorities to destroy the blood samples after 90 days. But that never happened. And in 2018, investigators used that blood to link his DNA to Alison's murder.

So what the defense's argument then became was not so much the familial link that we created with Mark's DNA, but the fact that how did we test the blood that we had, Ian's DNA, and was that given under consent? Should it have been destroyed?

Well, this battle over DNA has been brewing because of how and where police got this sample. So the defense said this violates his constitutional rights, his expectation of privacy, and it should not be allowed in at trial.

So Ian's defense lawyers file a motion to have the DNA evidence thrown out. And in 2023, a Maricopa County judge agrees.

And the judge basically said, we can't use this key piece of evidence in trial. And that meant prosecutors really didn't have a case.

It was kind of stunning because we were ready for trial. They already talked about how many jurors they were gonna have to interview and so forth. And all that stopped.

It must be hard not to lose hope.

The only saving grace for me was that I knew he was sitting in jail on a very low bail. large bail. And then you're like, are we ever going to go to trial? Is he going to get off? It's, it was, it's very grating on you.

Then the prosecution immediately appealed and went to the Arizona Appeals Court to try to reverse this, this lower court decision.

Then I learned about the appeal process, and, you know, you start to think, well, maybe we'll never get there.

The Appeals Court ruled that it was admissible. So then it was brought back in. Well, then it was defense's turn to appeal that decision.

And it goes all the way to the state Supreme Court?

Yes.

Alison's case happened in 2015. By the time this goes to the Arizona State Supreme Court, it's 2024. It's almost 10 years later.

Prosecutors argue that because Ian Mitchum had voluntarily provided 2 blood samples during his DUI arrest and was later convicted, that they could in fact legally retain it and then retest it.

It is evidence of a crime that will be stored by police like any other evidence and used at trial.

One of the fundamental pillars of criminal law is this idea of inevitable discovery or inevitability, and that is the idea that if the police have overstepped some Fourth Amendment boundary but they're going to get it anyway, it doesn't make any difference.

Tonight, the state Supreme Court says DNA that linked a suspect to a cold case killing can be used as evidence.

They ruled, they said yes, This DNA evidence can come into trial, and it isn't— it is not suppressed.

And finally, you're thinking there might be justice here.

That's where we're at now. Now that we— we're back to where we were before. We have our case ready to go. We have our prosecutors on board. And let's— let's get to court. Let's get this thing started.

Here's 11 years of bottling up all of this and the constant fight back and forth in court just to get to that moment of the opening day. I, um, I was anxious.

But on the eve of the trial, the unthinkable.

As the trial nears, we hear about a possible confession, but it's not from Ian Mitchem.

Long before Ian Mitchem was arrested, the years-long investigation into Alison Feldman's murder yielded hundreds of clues and almost as many persons of interest.

Among them, a trespasser who broke into a home nearby, a drifter wanted for for another murderer who they tracked all the way to New Mexico. And then there was an anonymous tip phoned in about a pharmacist.

His name is James Katsilamidi, seen here in a photo from a nearby Arizona town newspaper. He was heralded for helping first responders provide emergency care.

This tipster tells police he lives nearby and he's A pharmacist. And he ends up being Allison's pharmacist. So investigators, they go to Walgreens, and they interview James Katsuminas.

Did you know the victim at all? I actually— she went to my pharmacy. Did you guys talk, or— You know what? It was only, like, a transactional thing. Like, basically, you know, what's her address?

Like, you know. Ever been to her house for any reason?

No.

No.

But the tipster had told police differently, that Katsoulemedes supposedly wandered the back alleys where Alison lived.

We were told by a person or two that, that you're sometimes in that area. You walk around that area. Do you go for walks down there? I've been down there with my dog and stuff. Did you go for any walks that night on the 17th? I didn't go for a walk that night.

He was cooperative. He provided a a DNA sample.

Was it a match?

It was not a match.

So he's cleared, not a suspect?

He was cleared at that point, yes.

Ordinarily, like the others cleared by DNA, that might have been the end of the story. But more than a year later, police learned something new about the pharmacist.

And it comes from neighbors, people that were talking to him, and basically say, I'm concerned about this because he kind of confessed to doing this.

That sounds significant, an admission.

It, it does. On its face, it does.

Those 2 neighbors telling police what they claim they heard Katsoulemedis say.

And then he started talking to us, and that's kind of when he just went into saying like the joke that he said about how he killed her.

And he's like, no, no, I'm just kidding.

And then that's when he went to say the DNA test part. He's like, oh, I've already been DNA tested. He's like, they cleared me.

The way he said it, did it seem like he was kind of joking around?

He kind of had like this really crazy look in his eye.

Sickly, creepy.

You can't tell if he's kidding or serious. It made best sense to drive over to James' house and speak with him again. Have you been talking with the neighbors about this case at all?

I, I mean, I mean, I did initially, but it's been kind of such a long time.

I'll come right out and ask, any chance you're involved in anything that happened to Allison?

Oh my God, no.

In this conversation, the police don't ask him directly whether or not he said what the neighbor said he did or why he would joke about it, but Katsouleimatis himself brings up to police that before the murder, he had checked out Allison on a I was playing around on that dating website, Plenty of Fish, but I remember she was in there.

You saw her on Plenty of Fish?

Yeah, yeah. I never asked her out because I'm—

But we have no evidence to believe she was on Plenty of Fish, so I, I'd have no idea what the veracity of that statement from James was.

And then something else comes up about beer.

Sorry, I've been, I've been drinking beer.

He was drinking a beer at the time when you visited him, and you asked him what other kind of beer he drank.

Summer Shines are good.

People love it.

Uh-huh.

Which, like, which one?

Who?

Which, which brewery?

The Lion's Head.

Yeah.

And he mentions the same brand of beer that was found at the crime scene. He does.

So, Leinenkugels, that was another thing that— that made us look a little bit further.

Look further, even though the police did not believe that Allison and the killer actually drank together.

So police take another DNA sample from James, and he's ultimately cleared again.

So Katsoulemedes is out of the picture for police until all those years later, When the trial for Ian Mitchum is approaching, that's when they find out that despite those DNA tests, the pharmacist might be just what the doctor ordered for the defense.

The state charged the wrong guy.

Now to the start of justice a decade in the making.

This is State of Arizona versus Ian L. Mitchum.

Did you view this trial as finally a chance to get justice?

Yes, for Allison. Yes, definitely.

Because the wait had been so long.

The wait had been so long.

For the entire trial, Allison's 78-year-old father Harley would drive They drive roughly an hour each way to be seated inside the Maricopa County Superior Court.

I would like the judge to know who I am. I want the jury to know who I am, and I want the perpetrator to know who I am.

We are here because on February 17th, 2015, the defendant, Ian Mitchum, inflicted unimaginable violence Upon Alison Feldman, an innocent and unsuspecting victim.

I honestly didn't know what to think or what was happening.

Even though Judge Sunita Cairo honored his request not to be shown on camera, the anguish in Alison's boyfriend's testimony is palpable.

And then, uh, I made my way into, uh, into the rest— into the rest of the—

the rest of the house.

It was just so horrible.

I found Alice on the floor.

She did not have any clothes on.

I called 911.

Oh my God, I just came over to my girlfriend's house and she's not breathing.

It was really hard, just the details about the brutality.

It was emotional to hear them lay out everything that Allison had gone through and that this happened inside her home.

When you first walk into this home, what do you initially notice?

Initially, the— you got smacked in the face with a chemical smell. It was so bad that we had the doors open trying to air it out.

We had observed and we had believed in our investigation that there was significant cleanup.

Prosecutors tell the jury that that cleanup still left DNA behind, and that is the linchpin in the case against Ian Mitchem.

So the police, of course, are focused on DNA, right? Because whoever left this DNA in the house did it.

It's that simple.

The only unknown at the time was PMH, which we eventually, um, have discovered who the contributor of PMH being, um, Ian Mitchum.

Watching him sit there every single day stone-faced, it was just like a kick to the stomach.

Ian Mitchum is found guilty Ian is facing a possible death penalty, but his defense is not going to go down without a fight.

Ian is innocent. The state charged the wrong guy.

Accusing the police of a rush to judgment, claiming that detectives had a surplus of other people to investigate.

When they did not match PMH and that interview was completed, they were eliminated, correct?

That's correct.

You didn't go down that rabbit hole any further?

Not generally, no.

They said that you took a shortcut, too focused on DNA. They did.

The DNA had to be explained. It just couldn't be spoken away and say, well, there was a shortcut.

DNA is not like a fingerprint. Fingerprints, you have to be present to put it down. DNA is not like that. It moves freely, like a cold in the air or like dust in the wind.

My reaction to that was sheer absurdity and that that could be the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

Despite the defense never explaining how Mitchum's DNA could have innocently wound up in the house, The prosecution doesn't stop there. They begin presenting a case over and above the DNA recovered at the scene.

Prosecutors remind the jury that Alison died in part of asphyxiation, and they called 2 different women to the stand who testified Mitchum had a sexual fetish— choking.

And then during times you were engaging in this behavior, did it go too far for your level of comfort?

Yes.

He would initiate things like choking me with his hand, and there was another time that he used his belt, and I was very uncomfortable with that.

So the fact that they've said in their testimony, yes, we engaged in this behavior, again, is just another similarity with this evidence that we saw in her house.

Adding Ayan's character to the scientific evidence.

Yes, absolutely.

The defense counters that consensual acts with a partner don't link Ayan to the crime, but prosecutors say there is more that connects him. So they ask one of those ex-girlfriends to establish that Mitchum had 2 problems: too much drinking and not enough money.

Can you explain for us the impact of the continuous drinking from a financial standpoint to your daily living?

It caused a lot of problems, almost losing the house, sometimes not having stuff we needed in the house for groceries, bills, things like that. It became quite a strain because the money was all being directed towards that.

Towards the drinking?

Towards the drinking and going out.

Prosecutors tell the jury that a large amount of cash was taken from Allison's home. And shortly after the time frame of this murder, a large deposit was made by Ian into his bank account.

And we're pulling up to the Bank of America here.

Now, it turns out that Allison's wallet The wallet had been stolen, you later found out, from her purse.

Yes.

Yes.

Large amount of money, cash deposit into his own bank account here.

How much was it?

Quite a bit. Over $1,000.

We know that this is an anomaly.

He never makes a deposit like this.

Ian's brother Craig testifies that he regularly gave him large amounts of money.

Where do you think he got that money?

Got it from me.

How do you know that?

I don't know it for a fact, but I'd bet my bottom dollar on it.

But prosecutors argued there's no proof he did that night, and the evidence of guilt is overwhelming.

The facts are hard things to ignore.

We told you before this trial even started that Mitchum's attorneys were working to point the finger at a former Valley pharmacist.

No one is surprised the defense brought up The pharmacist as an alternate suspect. What was surprising was when they called in his ex-girlfriend.

And he came up and grabbed me and slammed me into the refrigerator.

The scene is what it is. The investigation is what it is. But Ayn didn't kill Allison. Somebody else did, and that somebody is James Katsalomidis.

Remember, James Katsalomidis was Allison's pharmacist and he lived nearby, but police had looked at him and they had cleared him.

James Katsalomidis is not accused of the crime. He's not on trial. But the main part of the defense case was to make it seem as if he could have committed this crime. How do you react to that?

The defense always has this, what we call the Saudi defense— some other dude did it.

What else could they do? Let's blame someone else, that it couldn't possibly be this guy.

But the prosecution knows it only takes one, one juror with reasonable doubt that maybe Ian Mitchum Do you know someone by the name of James Katsouleimides?

Yes.

First, they call several of Katsouleimides' neighbors, who were not shown on camera, to testify about what they saw as suspicious behavior.

He was going out the back door, walking in the alleys. It would be dark. I don't know what time exactly. They're not lit. And so it didn't make a lot of sense that he would want to travel back there.

A person would be walking in the alleys. James did that. A person who had a connection to her.

He did.

A person who was, you know, maybe looking into the yards, looking at what his neighbors are doing. James did that.

Next, the key moment for the defense— testimony that James Katsalomidis supposedly said he killed Alison.

Would you please introduce yourself to the jury?

Yeah, my name is Logan Lewis.

The defense team brought up the neighbors who had talked to James, who had heard this alleged confession, and he said something that So that was weird at the time.

He said that he had raped her and killed her. That's what he said to me. He immediately followed up with though that he was joking.

Police asked Castle Lamedis about that in a phone conversation before the trial.

I'll just tell you, um, what she said, because what they tell— what they told us is that you said that you raped and killed What? Do you remember telling them that or anything like that?

No.

Okay.

Oh, God, no. No. Absolutely not.

This case is about who left this DNA that the police knew of.

And they knew that James had been excluded at the time that they heard about this joke.

Got his buccal swab. That was checked against unknown male. Number 1 didn't match. Wash your hands of it. They ignored him. They didn't contact his ex-girlfriend Rachel Machanek.

Rachel Machanek dated Katsouleimides in 2014.

How long did you date James?

2, 3 months.

Now she finds herself called to the witness stand by the defense with disturbing testimony for the jury.

He just started choking me out of nowhere. Just literally out of nowhere.

Describing 2 times she claims Katsoulemedes choked her and a separate violent attack.

And he came up and grabbed me and slammed me into the refrigerator.

The defense was trying to show how an angry outburst like that might have been what happened to Allison, right?

Yes, that was exactly their their point.

Katsoulemedes denied it, and because his ex-girlfriend never filed a police report, there was no investigation, and he was never charged with anything. Prosecutors tell the jury that neither her testimony nor any of the other defense witnesses actually connect him to Alison's murder.

Contrary to what the defense wants you to believe, the state did not charge the wrong guy.

20/20 reached out to Katsoulemedes and his attorney for this broadcast, but we never heard back. Now, only one question remains for the defense. Will Ian Mitchum take the stand himself?

This was a big moment. Will Ian Mitchum testify in court? So the judge asks Ian's attorney...

Does the defense rest at this time?

The defense rests.

And that's when we realized we're really never gonna hear from Ian during this trial.

Which means all that's left are the closing arguments.

They could not find a connection between Ian and Alison, ever. To this day, 2026, there is no connection between Ian and Alison.

The absence of a connection between Mitchum and Alison does not make it less likely That he committed these crimes. Stranger-perpetrated crimes happen all the time.

You have heard all about James. James is a real possibility that Ian is not guilty. If you believe it could be James, the law requires not guilty.

The idea that James killed Alison Feldman light of all the evidence pointing to Ian Mitchum is laughable. And the state asks that you return the only reasonable verdict, and that is guilty.

I feel really good, but you don't know exactly how the jury's going to rule.

I'm always worried. I mean, you just need reasonable doubt with you know, by one juror.

Now, as deliberations began, Allison's family has no idea that just after they hear from the jury, they will be dealt yet another tragedy.

Sitting at 91 degrees at Sky Harbor, dew point's at 29, so it's still very dry.

Relative humidity We were waiting for the verdict. I was basically on standby waiting for the call.

I've never checked my phone so much in my life, I don't think.

I think the jury will come to the right conclusion. Just my guess.

We do want to start with breaking news and a verdict in the Ian Mitchum trial.

I remember getting the call from Harley that the verdict was going to be read.

When I got that call, I raced down to the courthouse, and I was standing in a very packed courtroom. Everyone was anticipating hearing this verdict.

And I will ask that the clerk read and record the verdicts.

I was having trouble steadying myself. I think my hands were shaking at the time.

Do you find the defendant as to count 1, first-degree murder, guilty?

Ian Mitchum— as a jury found him guilty in the 2015 murder of Alison Feldman.

Ian Mitchum looked on with a blank stare as the jury found him guilty of murder, sexual assault, and burglary.

Immediately, I heard kind of a gasp from Harley.

I was holding Harley's hand, and I can still feel his It's just this huge— just release. Just, oh my gosh, we've got her justice.

This lone sound in a very quiet courtroom. And I think there was just exhaustion from the years that he had fought to get to this point.

It's been a long haul. And I've done this for Allison the whole way, and we, we won today.

Following the verdict, the judge allowed victim impact statements. The 10-plus years of waiting were no consolation for a still wounded family.

This loss is not something we just move on from. It's something we carry with us. Every day for the rest of our lives. It was hard. I did mine virtually because I don't live in Arizona. It was just kind of raw for me. Losing Allison didn't just take her from us, it's changed everything.

Oh my Allison dear, I love you so much and I wish you were here.

My mom, no, she didn't go to court. It's just very too difficult for her, so she recorded hers.

I lost my future when I lost you. You never lived to see your dreams come true.

The actions he took that night not only stole Alison from the world in the most horrific way possible, but also completely destroyed everyone in our family.

In the end, Harley Feldman's torment proved just too much. Just a week after giving that statement, he passed away.

It was a shock. It was an absolute shock.

We're—

I mean, we're grateful that he heard— he heard the guilty verdict, um, because this was so important to him.

Harley had been the voice for the family, the voice of this case for Allison, and to lose his presence was incredibly hard.

The memory of Alison Feldman lives on at that foundation she gave so much of herself to. I went there and saw the plaque they've placed in her honor. She has a permanent place here.

She does. She was part of the foundational building blocks for the work that the Arizona Burn Foundation does and will continue to do. Her joy filled a room when she would enter. She loved working with the kids.

How do you hope people remember Allison Feldman?

For her joy, for her compassion, and doing the things that she felt strongly about.

So after my dad unexpectedly died, he's now buried here next to Allison. It's some comfort. I like to think they're together. So we have her name, her— and then her Hebrew name, Chaya Rifka. I think it's really important to have a place And then, as I mentioned, dance was a huge part of her life, which is why we have the ballet, the ballet slippers on here. So in the Jewish faith, you don't, like, commonly leave flowers. Instead, you bring a rock. You know, it's something that's long-lasting. I come visit when I can, and I just like to come and talk to her. It's peaceful and comforting here.

How often do you think of your sister?

All the time. It'll be silly little things. My daughter's personality is just like Alison's.

So she lives through— on through your daughter?

Yes, she lives through my daughter. There's just so many things that I'm like, oh, that's such an Alison thing. And now I think about her and my dad and that they're hopefully together.

We should note tonight that the jury was deadlocked on whether to sentence Mitchum to death for Allison's murder or life in prison.

A new trial for that sentencing phase is now expected in 2027.

David, I.M. Mitchum meanwhile has filed an appeal on all 3 of his convictions. That's our program for tonight. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Deborah Roberts.

And I'm David Muir. From all of us here at 12 On Your Side, good night.

2020 and ABC News.

Good night.