A judge sentenced Jerry Allen, who was in his late 70s, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 20 years this week, closing out a Hutchinson murder case that sat unsolved for more than four decades. Allen was convicted in connection with the 1982 killing of 44-year-old Michael McKeown, who was found dead in his car outside the apartment complex where he lived.
The sentence, handed down Monday, followed Allen's August conviction on one count each of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to KWCH. The Reno County District Attorney's Office confirmed the sentencing, which the station reported capped a case that had gone cold since McKeown was found slain in March 1982.
McKeown was discovered dead on the morning of March 24, 1982, in his vehicle parked outside his Hutchinson apartment complex, per the station's report. A separate account from the outlet, published in 2024 as the case was being revived, indicated investigators believed McKeown was actually shot and killed the night before, while his car sat in the lot outside his apartment at 320 E. Sherman St.
Court documents described Allen as having agreed with two others, Ron Solida and Janice McKewon, to commit or assist in committing a crime, the same report states.
A Reno County jury reached its verdict on August 14, convicting Allen of intentional, premeditated first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit intentional, premeditated first-degree murder, according to Ad Astra Radio. Allen was 75 years old at the time of his arrest in March 2024, living in Phoenix when authorities finally caught up with him.
Cold Case Cracked After Interviews Across Three States
The case had remained unsolved for more than four decades before authorities reopened the investigation, with Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents making the arrest in 2024, according to the Little Apple Post. The breakthrough came after investigators built a stronger evidentiary case against Allen decades after the killing.
KBI agents conducted several key interviews in three states, which provided the additional evidence needed to proceed with charges in the cold case, per the Hays Post. More than 40 years after McKeown's death, Allen was brought to trial, convicted and sentenced Monday.
