Dateline: True Crime Weekly – Episode Summary

Episode Title: DNA at heart of Arizona trial. Aspiring model's killer fights to clear his name. Plus, Relisha Rudd.
Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Andrea Canning, NBC News

Episode Overview

This episode delves into several high-profile true crime stories, each exploring the intersection of forensic breakthroughs, legal battles, and calls for justice.
The main segments include:

• The groundbreaking familial DNA case in the Arizona trial of Ian Mitchum for the murder of Alison Feldman
• The Illinois fight for exoneration in the decades-old murder of aspiring model Karen Hearn Slover
• Updates in recent headline cases (Bryan Kohberger, Sandra Birchmore, Jorge Landeros)
• A feature on the disappearance of eight-year-old Relisha Rudd and the systemic failures that have kept her case unsolved

The tone is empathetic, investigative, and deeply concerned with both the technicalities of justice and the ongoing impact for victims' families.

1. DNA & Justice: The Arizona Trial

[02:10]–[09:27]

Case Details

• In 2015, 31-year-old Alison Feldman was found murdered in her Scottsdale, AZ, home:
  Sexual assault, asphyxiation, and blunt force trauma to the head ([03:42])
• Initial investigation focused on those close to Alison; DNA from over 70 people collected
• A 3rd unknown male DNA sample was eventually ID'ed using a controversial familial DNA search, a first for Arizona

“We did the familial DNA search, which we have never been able to do before… It’s the first case ever submitted, and we were able to link it on the first time we tried it.”
— Andrea Canning & field producer Brittney Morris ([06:45])

Familial DNA: The Controversy

• Investigators used government databases to match DNA, identifying Mark Mitchum’s family, whose brother Ian was arrested near Alison’s home
• Ian Mitchum’s DNA matched the crime scene

Defense Challenges

• Defense argued the DNA collection violated Mitchum’s Fourth Amendment rights, as samples were retained from an unrelated DUI arrest
• Trial judge initially agreed — major roadblock for prosecution
• Appellate and Supreme Courts reversed this, allowing DNA evidence at trial

“The judge ruled the state could not use their DNA evidence. An appeals court later overturned that ruling... The Arizona Supreme Court agreed.”
— Brittney Morris ([07:52])

Upcoming Trial & Defense Strategy

• Mitchum maintains he never knew Alison nor entered her home
• Defense now suggests another person—the pharmacist—may be responsible; pharmacist intends to plead the fifth ([09:06])
• Alison’s family has persevered through years of delay

“It's been ten years since Alison's murder. Yes. A devastating amount of time. And what's so incredible is their strength.”
— Brittney Morris ([08:12])

2. Illinois: The Slover Family’s Fight to Clear Their Names

[10:49]–[18:43]

Case Background

• Karen Hearn Slover, aspiring model, was found dismembered in 1996 after disappearing from Decatur, Illinois
• Investigation led to conviction of her ex-husband, Michael Slover Jr., and both his parents, Michael Sr. and Jeanette; all sentenced to lengthy terms

Evidence & New DNA Testing

• Key 1990s evidence: cinder blocks, plastic bags, personal items linking body/disposal to Slover property ([14:08])
• Illinois Innocence Project now claims DNA on duct tape (used on bags) does not match any Slovers; also, a bloody fingerprint at the bridge does not match

“They say one of them is a female. It’s not Jeanette’s.”
— Karen Izert ([15:19])

• Illinois State Police refuse to run new DNA in CODIS, citing chain-of-custody concerns ([16:54])
• Next legal step: A hearing on the DNA’s admissibility is scheduled for next year

Family Impact

• Michael Jr. now on parole; both parents have died in prison
• Innocence Project continues posthumous fight for exoneration
• Karen’s loved ones wish for closure

“Everyone just really wants this case to go to bed... just let Karen Hearn Slover lie in peace.”
— Karen Izert ([18:24])

3. Dateline Roundup: Recent High-Profile Cases

[19:19]–[23:36]

Sandra Birchmore Case (Massachusetts)

• Birchtree assistant’s death was originally ruled suicide
• Former officer Matthew Farwell now indicted for her murder and charged under fetal protection statutes (Birchmore was pregnant)
• Farwell pleads not guilty; trial set for October 2026

“By killing Birchmore, he also caused the death of her unborn child. So if convicted, he'll face a mandatory life sentence.”
— Mike Nardi ([20:22])

Bryan Kohberger (Idaho)

• Previously pled guilty to four student murders; restitution hearing held ([21:15])
• Photos of the knife sheath released

“The knife sheath... is chilling when you actually see it.”
— Andrea Canning ([22:19])

Jorge Rueda Landeros (Maryland)

• Guilty verdict for the 2009 murder of Sue Ann Marcum; second-degree murder carries up to 30 years ([23:22])

4. Spotlight: The Disappearance of Relisha Rudd

[23:39]–[29:29]

Case Background

• 8-year-old Relisha vanished in 2014 from a D.C. homeless shelter
• Last seen with shelter janitor Khalil Tatum, who violated the no-fraternization policy and gave Relisha’s family gifts
• Tatum committed suicide after authorities found his wife dead; Relisha was never found

“The question that we have is we see her going into the room, but we never see her coming out.”
— Natalie/Derecka Wilson, Black and Missing Foundation ([27:19])

Systemic Failures

• 18 days passed before Relisha’s absence was acted upon—triggered not by family, but by a vigilant educator
• The case highlights the vulnerability of children in poverty and the disparities in missing persons investigations for children of color

“Nearly 40% of missing persons in the US are people of color. And black children make up about 33% of all missing child cases.”
— Andrea Canning ([24:11])

• The Black and Missing Foundation produced a new documentary (“The Vanishing of Relisha”), now available on their YouTube channel ([29:09])

“We know that someone out there knows something. There are so many people that was in that shelter.”
— Derecka Wilson ([28:23])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Harley Feldman (Alison's father):

  “I want to make sure that he doesn’t get away, that he’s put away for hopefully the rest of his life.” ([03:08])

• Black and Missing Foundation on systemic bias:

  “If you have white, blonde hair, blue eyes, the world wants to jump in and help. And for missing women and young girls of color... their cases are not taken seriously.” ([23:58])

• Karen Izert (re: Innocence Project’s findings):

  “They said that there was no eyewitness, there was no weapon, there was nothing that links this family to the crime.” ([15:19])

Timestamps for Segments

• [02:10] – [09:27]: Arizona DNA/Feldman Murder Case
• [10:49] – [18:43]: Slover Family/Illinois Innocence Project
• [19:19] – [23:36]: Dateline Roundup: Birchmore, Kohberger, Landeros cases
• [23:39] – [29:29]: Relisha Rudd/Black and Missing Foundation

Conclusion

This episode highlights the ongoing complexities in cold-case justice: from forensic innovation and constitutional debates to the personal toll of delays. It also underscores gaps in the social safety net and investigative bias when it comes to missing persons of color. The episode draws on interviews, court reporting, and advocates’ insight, remaining rooted in Dateline’s signature blend of respectful storytelling and investigative rigor.