42 year murder case suspect appears before county judge
Aggravated batter suspect sentenced to 172 months
Jerry Allen, a 75-year-old Phoenix man, was brought before the Reno County District Court Friday in a suspected connection to a 1982 cold-case murder.
Allen was arrested for the alleged murder of Michael McKeown. McKeown, then age 44, of Hutchinson, was found dead on the morning of March 24, 1982. Investigators believe he was shot and killed the prior night in his car while it was parked in the lot outside of his apartment at 320 E. Sherman St., in Hutchinson.
Judge Daniel Gilligan officiated the case and read the charges Allen is being accused of. Gillian said Allen is facing one count of first-degree murder, a Class A felony due to the age of the crime, and conspiracy to commit murder, a Class C felony. First-degree murder warrants imprisonment for life, with conspiracy warranting a minimum sentence of not less than one but more than five years in prison.
Gilligan assigned Allen a public defender of a court-appointed counsel for his defense. The next court hearing for Allen is an arraignment scheduled for May 1.
The court also saw the sentencing of Paul Stotts, a man accused of attempted first-degree murder. The original charge was reduced to aggravated battery before the sentencing following a conversation with the suspect’s father, who was the victim of the crime.
Stotts was arrested on June 2, 2023, following Larry Stotts, the defendant’s father, being dropped off at a Love’s in McPherson with stab wounds. While deputies were on scene at the Stott’s residence on 95th Avenue in Reno County, the Hutchinson Police Department had been sent to a suspicious vehicle on West Second Ave. The vehicle was registered to Larry and Jane Stotts and appeared to have blood inside of it.
Stotts’ defense said he has received medication and mental health services while incarcerated and requested probation for Stotts.
District Attorney Thomas Stanton disagreed with the defense and said probation is not the place for Stotts.
“He missed killing his father by an eighth of an inch,” District Attorney Thomas Stanton said. “I worked out a deal you have in front of you. Paul Stotts is a dangerous, dangerous individual. He has received a huge reduction in the consideration of his case.”
Following Stanton, Larry Stotts, the father of Paul, spoke in defense of his son.
“The catalyst for it, I have no idea. I don’t understand,” Larry Stotts said. “If he was on a program where he was on probation, if there’s accountability in place, we’re willing to give that support.”
Gilligan sentenced Paul Stotts to 172 months in prison for aggravated battery and explained his decision to the defendant.
“Those protection orders were not enough to protect your father, essentially killing him,” Gilligan said. “You had an unprovoked attack on your father.”
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.