Naman Shrestha
When 31-year-old Allison Michelle Feldman was found dead in her Scottsdale, Arizona, home by her then-boyfriend in February 2015, shockwaves were sent across the entire community while grief took over her family and friends. The complicated investigation led the detectives to dead ends for three years before DNA evidence linked Ian Mitcham to the gruesome crime. ABC’s ’20/20: Home Alone’ explores the entire case and the investigation that ensued in a detailed manner, with the help of interviews with Allison’s loved ones and the officials who helped apprehend Ian.
Ian Mitcham Evaded Justice For Years Before DNA Evidence Linked Him to the Murder
Born around 1976, Ian Mitcham grew up alongside three older brothers, including Mark Mitcham. On the fateful night of February 17, 2015, he broke into a house near Pima and Thomas Roads in Scottsdale, Arizona, and sexually assaulted the 31-year-old resident, Allison Michelle Feldman, before strangling her to death and fleeing the scene. The following day, her remains were discovered by her then-boyfriend, Alex Sukhodolov, during a welfare check. While inspecting the crime scene, the detectives found a partial DNA sample, but it didn’t match anyone in the database. The case stayed dormant for three years until the investigators relied on familial DNA testing, which allowed them to narrow their search to Mark Mitcham, a convict serving time for a sexual offense.
This break in the case encouraged the detectives to take a closer look at Mark’s family, whose DNA could match the sample found at the crime scene. Since his father had died by that time and his two older brothers had no run-ins with the law, they zeroed in on his younger brother, Ian Mitcham, who was arrested for DUI in 2015. Fortunately, his blood sample was retained as evidence by the Scottsdale Police Department from the DUI investigation. After the testing concluded that his sample matched the DNA profile found at the house of Allison Feldman, he was arrested on April 10, 2018, and charged with burglary, rape, and murder. At the time, Ian worked at a deli and lived with his family.
Ian Mitcham is Currently Waiting For His Second Sentencing Hearing
From the onset, Ian Mitcham denied having anything to do with the killing of Allison Feldman. In January 2023, a Maricopa County judge ruled that his DNA sample collected during his 2015 DUI investigation could not be used as DNA evidence for the Allison Feldman case. The ruling stated that his vial of blood was supposed to be destroyed after 90 days. However, the prosecution appealed the ruling in June 2023, and the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling in August 2023. Finally, in late 2025, Ian Mitcham’s murder trial got underway. During the trial, the prosecution presented physical evidence against the defendant and claimed that it was a crime of opportunity.
On the other hand, the defense argued that the investigators didn’t pursue any other possible suspect, maintaining that Ian was innocent. In the end, after months of jury trial, on April 9, 2026, he was found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree burglary, and sexual assault of Allison. On May 27, 2026, the jurors were deadlocked on whether the convict should be sentenced to death or life in prison as they failed to reach a unanimous decision. The following day, during his sentencing hearing, Allison’s sister, Kelly Weinblatt, took the stand and stated, “The sexual assault committed against Allison was not only violent. It stripped her of her dignity, safety, and humanity in her final moments.” Ultimately, he was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison — 3.5 years for burglary and seven years for sexual assault.
Ian, who was also ordered to register as a sex offender, also received credit for the 2,328 days he had already served behind bars. Since he was yet to be sentenced for the first-degree murder conviction, on June 18, 2026, the prosecution announced: “Now obviously it’s not a retrial of the guilt phase or the aggravation phase, but we are going to be retrying the sentencing phase of that case.” However, as per Arizona’s state laws, if the second sentencing hearing also results in another hung jury, Ian would automatically receive a mandatory life in prison sentence, avoiding the death penalty. Thus, the convict is seemingly held up at a county jail, awaiting his sentencing hearing.
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