By Trish Svoboda

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) apprehended a Phoenix man linked to a cold case homicide that transpired in Hutchinson approximately 42 years ago. The suspect was taken into custody for his involvement in the 1982 murder of Michael McKeown. He was transported to Kansas and booked into the Reno County Jail on Wednesday morning.

On Thursday, January 25, KBI obtained an arrest warrant for Jerry Allen, 75, of Phoenix, Arizona. The Phoenix Police Department apprehended Allen and he was taken into custody for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Allen was booked into the Maricopa County Jail. Extradition was waived, and he was transported to Kansas, where he will face charges.

Michael McKeown, aged 44, from Hutchinson, was discovered deceased on the morning of March 24, 1982. The Hutchinson Police Department and KBI probed into McKeown’s murder. According to investigators, he was fatally shot the previous night while sitting in his car, which was parked in the lot outside his apartment in Hutchinson.

In the past year, KBI agents carried out interviews across three states, providing crucial evidence to advance with charges in this cold case. The investigation remains ongoing.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Reno County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case. A first appearance is scheduled for Friday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m.