CLEARFIELD – The first day of the Jack Allen murder re-trial wrapped up Monday afternoon. The first day saw the commonwealth call a total of 14 witnesses.
Allen was convicted nearly 10 years ago of killing his wife Theresa Allen by shooting her in the back with a shotgun in Lawrence Park Village on July 19, 1995. The case was sent back to Clearfield County after it was found that Allen had not been property informed of his rights in representing himself the first time around.
The afternoon saw more eyewitnesses take the stand. One eyewitness was almost 15 years old when the incident occurred.
“I observed Mr. Allen shoot Mrs. Allen,” said the eyewitness. The man said that he saw Allen holding a shotgun. He said that Allen turned and walked away after shooting Theresa Allen.
Another man took the stand and said that on July 19 a van pulled in to his driveway. The man who got out asked to use the phone. The man said that Allen got “real shaky” and could not make the phone call. The man made the call instead. He said that while on the phone Allen said “I did something wrong. I shot my wife. Since I took a life I have to take mine.”
Investigating officers also took the stand on Monday afternoon. State Trooper Van Keys said he was called to the scene of a shooting at Lawrence Park Village on July 19. Keys said he was there shortly, but long enough to get a description of the vehicle Allen was driving and the gun he had used before a call went out that the vehicle had been spotted.
Keys left and took Allen into custody. Keys said that as he was handcuffing Allen, Allen began making statements like, “I didn’t mean to shoot my wife, it was an accident.” Keys said he did not question Allen and that Allen made the statements voluntarily.
Keys said he also took a shotgun found in the front of the van into custody, as well as five shells.
Keys also testified that he witnessed the investigating officer, retired Lawrence Township Police Officer Colin Collins, unload three rounds from the shotgun, two live rounds and one spent.
Jack Wall, state police firearm toolmark examiner, testified that he examined the shotgun at the Erie Regional Crime Lab. Wall said a number of tests were done on the gun and said that in his expert opinion, the gun did not have a “hair trigger,” but had an average trigger pull for a shotgun. Wall also said that in testing other rounds he had fired from the gun, he confirmed that the spent cartridge found within the gun was definitely fired from that gun.
Clearfield County Coroner Joel Heath took the stand and described the wounds he witnessed on the body of Theresa Allen in performing her autopsy. He also said that the cause of death on her death certificate was listed as “shotgun wound to back.”
Collins took the stand and related that on July 19 he was called to Lawrence Park Village for a shooting. On-scene he said that there was a young lady on the ground in the parking lot and that she was not conscious. Theresa Allen was later identified to Collins by witnesses to the shooting.
Collins said that several witnesses related that Theresa Allen had been shot by Allen after some verbal altercation.
“There was quite a lot of blood,” said Collins.
Allen, who is representing himself, questioned Collins on the blood, and the fact that officers cleaned the blood from the ground before photographs of the scene were taken. Collins said he was concerned for the safety of the children in the area, which is why he cleaned the blood from the ground.
The trial will resume Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. at the Clearfield County Courthouse.