On the evening of February 4, 1982, the young woman was discovered dead in her home by her live-in boyfriend who contacted the police. The autopsy showed that the cause of death was multiple stab and incised wounds to the victim’s back and neck, and there was evidence consistent with sexual assault.
George Allen
Sentenced to 95 years
initially the police suspected a known sex offender Kirk Eaton. On march 14th 1982 the police brought George Allen into questioning because they mistake him for Eaton. the detective that was questioning Allen used his mental disabilities against him and made Allen confess to killing and raping the girl
as Allen was being interrogated he was under the influence of alcohol and throughout the interrogation he the detectives asks highly leading questions and prompts Allen to give him answers to fit the crime
Prosecutors’ primary evidence at trial was the confession and testimony by a police lab analyst that was later proven to be false. The analyst testified that semen was found on the carpet under the victim’s body, in her vaginal and rectal swabs and several other places. He testified that the only antigens recovered from seminal fluid at the scene were A and H antigens, which could not exclude Allen as the source of the semen. The prosecution emphasized this in its closing argument. If Allen had been excluded as the source of the semen, “[w]e wouldn’t be here. We’d know that he couldn’t have. But it’s consistent.” There was no other physical evidence linking Allen to the crime scene.
The victim’s work colleague, Pamela Ann Richardson, spoke with her at her home by phone between 10:00-10:15 a.m. and made arrangements to come to her home to pick up some work materials. By the time Richardson arrived between 10:30-10:45 a.m., the perpetrator was already inside the home. Investigators used the highly unreliable tool of hypnosis to improve her memory, with a primary focus on whether or not Richardson had called out the victim’s name while knocking on her door the morning of the crime (which is consistent with Allen’s statement that he had heard someone call a name). Police reports show that the witness was initially uncertain whether she had called out the victim’s name, but she later testified at trial (after the hypnosis session) that she was certain she had done so. This hypnosis session was not revealed to the defense or the prosecutor.
Allen’s first trial was deadlocked at ten-to-two in favor of an acquittal.
this picture shows him getting out of jail after being in for 30 years.
Allen presented an alibi defense and three witnesses testified that he was snowed in at home at the time of the murder. At his second trial, he was convicted on capital murder, rape, sodomy, and first degree burglary and sentenced to 50 years for capital murder and 15 years consecutively on each of the other three charges.
this picture shows how happy he is to get out of jail and finally be a free man and doesn't have to suffer anymore for a crime he didn't commit
this shows him, a police officer, his lawyer maybe, and his wife maybe all walking out of the courthouse with him after he became a free man