Brittany Morris

Anyway, that familial testing revealed that the unknown DNA likely came from a relative of a convict named Mark Mitchum.

He was in prison here in Arizona for an unrelated offense.

Yeah.

And at that time, he consented to giving a blood sample.

The Scottsdale Police Department decided to test that blood sample against the unknown male DNA found at Allison's home.

And it was a match.

Mitchum's arrest and how investigators identified him as their suspect was really big news in the Valley.

Ian Mitchum, at the time of his arrest, told police he did not know Allison and said several times that he had never been in her home and did not know why his DNA was there.

that it was against Ian Mitchum's Fourth Amendment rights to use that DNA evidence at trial.

The defense team said that the blood sample given during his DUI arrest should have been destroyed years before.

The defense team also argued he had not consented to his 2015 DNA sample being used in that way.

Yeah.

The judge ruled the state could not use their DNA evidence.

An appeals court later overturned that ruling in 2023.

And then the Arizona Supreme Court agreed.

They said while police did violate Mitchum's rights, the DNA evidence could still be used in a trial.

Yes, a devastating amount of time.

And what's so incredible is their strength.

Allison's dad, Harley, is...

In the courtroom for every single hearing.