Allison Feldman murder case: Arizona Supreme Court hears arguments on DNA evidence

PHOENIX – The Arizona Supreme Court will hear a case Thursday that will have significant implications for the investigation into a Valley murder and potentially many future cases.

During a hearing on September 26, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the evidence presented in the Allison Feldman Murder case in which familial DNA was used for the first time police link a suspect to a crime.

Feldman was found dead in her Scottsdale home in 2015. It took investigators three years to find the suspect.

Ian Mitcham, 31, was arrested for Feldman’s murder after investigators said they DNA from the crime scene matched Mitcham's brotherwho was in prison.

Police then used a DNA sample of Mitcham from a 2015 drunk driving arrest to match him to the crime scene.

Last year, just before the case was due to go to court, threw away the DNA evidenceThe defense argued that the use of the sample was a violation of Mitcham's Fourth Amendment rights because he did not consent to its use and the sample should have been destroyed.

The Arizona Court of Appeals later reversed this decisionwhich led to an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Lawyers for both sides will be given 20 minutes to present their arguments at the hearing on September 26. It is not yet known when a verdict will be reached.

The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. You can watch it live in the video player at the top of this story.