A Fatality in the Stairwell

0:10I was at the New Haven Police Department when I heard our dispatch taking a call from a frantic caller. 9-1-1, what's the address of your emergency? I have a cell phone, there's blood everywhere and I can't look all over. I immediately got in my car, alerted Officer Shaneybrook. We activated our lights and sirens and proceeded to the scene. It was a little after four in the morning. He's not responding. Okay, I'm going to have help on the way to you. They'll be there in just a few minutes, okay? As we approached the house, I see who I later found to be Allison Davis out in the front yard waving me down.

0:48I'm sorry, I'm like in the jam. No, you're fine. I'm not appropriate. You're fine. You're fine. Okay. I asked where the victim was. He's right there. She directed me in through the kitchen. By the front door, I could see a male laying face down with a large pool of blood around his head. What's your name? Kevin Davis. Did Allison attempt to talk to Kevin? No, sir. Not that I ever saw. Kevin, can you hear us? Kevin. Just stay here, Kevin. Ma 'am, is there anybody else in the house just so we're aware? Just my dog. Okay, when did you find him? Just now, I woke up, I was sleeping on the couch, he was sleeping upstairs, and all of a sudden I woke up to a loud bang and I was like, what is that?

1:36This just doesn't look like a fault. After I got the prognosis from the paramedics, I went up and let her know that he is extremely critical. Right now we're treating this as a crime scene due to his condition, okay? I inform her that at this point she cannot go back into the house. Like, why is it being treated as a crime scene? Just due to his condition, okay? He's critical right now. All right? The crime scene part really surprised her. She doesn't have a normal reaction from me calling her her husband's critical, right? I think she's still in shock. You think so? I had Detective Kruger paged out.

2:15I get the call. It's about 5 in the morning. So I get dressed, show up on scene. Allison's standing outside, relatively very calm. He said that you guys were at East Haven last night. She says they're out drinking at East Haven Tavern. We got home. He had some more beers. And she said that she had slept on the couch. And then I woke up to a loud noise. And when I came over, I saw him face down. She said he had fallen down the stairs and there was blood everywhere. I asked her if I could search the home. She said that she wanted to cooperate. Signed my consensus search paper and I go into the home.

3:00I verify. There's a blanket and a pillow on the couch. The TV's on. Someone was just sleeping there. Checks out. She said that they had a couple of beers when they got home. There's beer cans lined up. Everything seemed to be normal. My alarm had just gone off for work, and I get a phone call from Allison. My name is Casey Clem, and Allison Davis is my best friend. There was an accident, and Kevin had fallen, and he was on his way to the hospital. I said, say no more, I'm on my way. She, like, just fell apart in my arms and just started hysterically crying. They had pronounced him brain dead. When I was sitting next to Allison at the hospital, Detective Krueger called.

3:47I said that the scene is released. You can return home, get clothes, whatever you need to do. And he suggested that we have someone come clean this up, and that there was a lot of blood. In hindsight, I would have held the scene for longer. After the autopsy, that's when it started to change. This is no accident. She didn't do this. She never would have done this. It's a homicide. Did Allison Davis murder her husband, Kevin?

4:21Peter Van Sant reports a death in the stairwell.

4:29August 12th, 2023. New Haven, Indiana. Shortly before morning broke, in the home he rented with his wife Allison, at the base of a steep stairway, Kevin Davis' blood seeped onto the floor. Where's that blood coming from? Right through his nose. The amount of blood was, it was alarming. It was, it was everywhere. Allison had already given Detective James Kruger permission to search the house. If you do agree to that, I need you to sign there saying that you understand it. But she warned them about the bedroom, where their pit bull, Willow, would sometimes growl at strangers who approached. She's up in the bedroom, and she's a guard dog.

5:17Okay. And I don't know if she'd do anything, and I don't want anything to happen. Right now, what I won't do is I won't go in that room. Okay. It's critical right now. Kevin had been rushed to Parkview Regional Medical Center. After speaking with first responders and breaking the tragic news to her loved ones, Allison also headed to Parkview. So you go to the hospital? Yes. Steve Krause watched his daughter try to will Kevin back to consciousness. Their favorite phrase for one another was babe. And Allison's up there, hey babe, you're going to be okay. Hey babe, you know, I'm here with you. Hey babe, I love you.

5:58She had, like, blood on her fingernail cuticles and on her phone. I could tell she had been crying, but she kind of just looked, like, in shock. Her best friend, Casey Clem. They had her in, like, a little small waiting room with a chaplain, and I was trying to calm her down to ask questions, you know, like, what was going on? Back at the house, Detective Kruger lifted restrictions and cleared the bloody scene. It was horrific. But at this point, he believed it was an accident. Maybe he took a head plant down the stairs. I don't know. I wasn't there. The detective said, I think we're done here.

6:41Allison stayed at the hospital. But back home, all that blood needed to be cleaned up. You don't think about that, right? Like, who cleans it up? I said, well, I will go do it. You had permission to do this? Correct. Permission from the lead detective in this case? Correct. How upsetting was this process of cleaning? Well, it's very upsetting. Sometimes I'd become overwhelmed and need to gather myself to finish what I'd come to do. Including tending to Willow, who had been left upstairs in their bedroom with the door closed. Allison was concerned that the dog hadn't been left out. They had no children, so the dog was like a child.

7:28Throughout that frantic morning, Allison and her family quietly prayed. I'm praying, Kevin, just wake up. Wake up. You look like you're sleeping. Just wake up. Kevin and Allison were part of a tight group of friends who were regulars at the East Haven Tavern, where Jodi Espy and Jessica Eckwright take care of the crowd. Our customers become our family around here. The news that Kevin was in critical condition hit hard. Everybody was just talking like, oh my gosh, he was just here. That's so sad. Kevin and Allison had been at the tavern just hours earlier. It would hard not to be a friend of Allison's because she just made everybody feel like you mattered.

8:14Kevin, a skilled landscaper, had a big personality that matched his big heart. Kevin Davis was just a nice guy, always hardworking, ready to help anybody out at any time. Close friends Todd Spessart and Jason Young scrambled to see Kevin. We all met at the hospital. Yeah. We talked to Allison and her parents. She had been crying, but she was holding back. She was a mess. She was devastated. Yes. The scene was overwhelming. Yeah, he's brain dead. There's nothing left in there. Just a few hours earlier, he was sitting right over here, right? Correct. Do you say anything to Kevin? Oh, yeah. I told him, I was like, I feel really bad about this, and it shouldn't have happened, and wish you were still here.

9:05And did you have a chance to say goodbye to your friend? Yeah, I said goodbye there. Yep. Yeah, then they were talking about, you know, donating his organs and stuff. I was like, wow. He was an organ donor? Yes, yes. She was very proud of him for that, too. His life support would be disconnected. Soon, 40-year-old Kevin Davis was gone. At 33, Allison was a widow. They were just happy type of couple that would dance in the kitchen to music together, just the two of them. Like, that's just who they were. They were great together. It shook their friend, Deontay Bristol. I was just holding back tears because we were just hanging out.

9:54Like, I was just hanging out with this guy. It's devastating, not just because he's no longer here, but the circumstances surrounding it are traumatic. It had to be an accident. Nobody ever thought it was anything but a fall. And that's what Detective Kruger concluded too. I just didn't see any need in a small department to tie up all our resources and hold the house for an accident scene. But the scene did raise questions. Despite a huge amount of blood, first responders didn't see any lacerations on Kevin's head. I was just told that he was bleeding out of his nose and mouth. There was no obvious wound on the side of his head.

10:34That same day, a doctor here at Parkview treating Kevin felt compelled to speak up. One of the doctors and the ER staff had some concerns with his injuries. The CT scans showed internal wounds, multiple skull fractures. She also noted bruising to his face and scalp and concluded, Kevin's injuries were not consistent with a fall down a stairway. That definitely raised some red flags in my mind. She alerted the coroner's office, who ordered an autopsy. When did this accident scene become a crime scene? After the autopsy. Once they told me that he had a crush in skull, definitely is not consistent with a fall from the stairs.

11:18That's when I started digging a lot deeper into this case.

11:38Three days after Kevin's death, the autopsy was completed, and the provocative findings turned over to police. I get the autopsy report saying that his skull is crushed in, definitely is not consistent with a fall from the stairs. But Kruger says it is consistent with a violent physical beating. And you now are going, we may have a homicide on our hands, right? Right. You have a suspect in this case. Yeah, Allison's definitely our suspect. You have two people in a house. One is murdered. It seemed a routine step to launch the murder investigation of Allison Davis. But the New Haven Police Department had a huge challenge, created by its own decision.

12:26By releasing the scene, that meant family members could re-enter the house? Yeah, the house is back to her. But when people other than law enforcement enter a house, once it's been released, there's a problem, right? There is. There can be contamination of a crime scene. Yeah. The day after police received the autopsy, four days after Kevin's death, Detective Kruger got a search warrant. That same day, and the next, he returned to the house, a body cam roller. I have a couple more search warrants here, okay? First one is I got to take your phone from you, okay? Police had been looking for more evidence, including a possible murder weapon or traces of blood.

13:08But by then, Allison's dad had already straightened up as best he could. I basically cleaned up the area that I could visually see blood, and it was around where Kevin was on the floor. It's right there at the bottom of the steps. So if I can gather the phone first. Allison shared with Casey a growing unease she couldn't shake. She was really upset that they took their phones. Is that password protected? Because that was a lot of their memories, pictures to look back on.

13:45All right, thank you very much. Allison would say she initially spoke willingly to investigators. All right, thank you. Have a good day. Doing all police asked of her. She would talk to whomever wanted to speak with her, is that right? She had nothing to hide. Why would she? There's nothing that suggests there was anything other than a fall down the stairs. And for you, this was a tragic accident. Of course, it was. And as the spotlight turned to Allison Davis, here at the East Haven Tavern, there were plenty who voiced their support. There's no way. There's no way what? That she could have done that.

14:22She could have killed him. There's no way. I could not imagine in any world where she would be wanted for murder. The tavern crowd tells the story of that night. Allison was working retail at Victoria's Secret. When she finished, she headed over. As usual, Kevin was waiting for her. On that night, where was he sitting? He was sitting over here at the bar. And his mood that night was? Was good. He was happy. He was friendly. I was here with him. You were here. It was around 9 p.m. when Allison walked in. Typical night. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the slightest. Kevin had a second, then a third beer and some vodka shots.

15:11Allison sipped on her usual, a sweet cocktail. It didn't seem like she was drinking excessively at all. The East Haven regulars carried on. Kevin could get a little loud, his friends say, but they knew that was just Kevin being Kevin. I mean, he was just a lot. What does a lot mean? He was very opinionated. But she loved him through it. Soon, it was after midnight. Time to turn in. They were calling it a night, winding down. Allison left the tavern first, with Kevin following shortly after. I think it was about one. Kevin and his buddy Jason started texting. Now those texts, do you still have them?

15:54Can you show them to me? Yeah. You can just start here, you can just start scrolling through. So this starts at 1.11 a.m. Jason asked, you guys make it back? Kevin responding, oh yeah, sorry, lol. A moment later, Kevin confides, yeah, we're good, bro. I'm just listening to music, lol. Just being funny, you know, all that was basically going on till about 2.31. But Casey says Allison told her it was late, and she had told Kevin to quiet down. She was tired, and all she wanted was to get some sleep. She said, Kevin, I have to get up early for work. I'm going to go downstairs and sleep if you don't stop.

16:38I need to sleep. Kevin sent Jason a seemingly innocent text. He says, I'm putting my phone on silent, left my ass off, got to go to bed, the wife. The wife. After the autopsy results came back and Detective Kruger got Allison and Kevin's phones, he studied that text and the ones before it. He thought they didn't seem innocent at all. He was obviously annoyed at her about something. Remember, Allison had told first responders that they'd had a fight. I woke up. I was going to fight last night. Who knows what was said? It obviously aggravated her. This is a wife that lost it and beat her husband to death.

17:20There's nothing to suggest that Allison did anything. this is just strictly an accident

17:40with evidence showing that kevin davis's skull had multiple fractures everything was being re-examined to determine if those injuries were accidental or intentional.

17:59Detective Kruger's team analyzed that 911 call and concluded Allison was acting. This is rehearsed because she wanted to listen to what the 911 dispatcher had to say and then she went into her whole rehearsal. Okay, and what happened to her husband? He fell down the stairs just now. I was sleeping downstairs. All I heard, all of a sudden, I heard a loud noise. She never asked him to hurry up. Almost every 911 call you listen to, hey, hurry up, I need you now. You know, this call is about her. It's not about Kevin. Kevin, can you hear us? And even as their body cams rolled, Hetrick and Shaniebrook questioned if Allison was genuinely concerned as Kevin lay dying.

18:47Typically, based on your experience, how is a spouse reacting in a situation like this? Usually just absolute panic. And when EMTs lifted Kevin, bring dead into an emergency vehicle... Did she attempt to get into the ambulance? Not once. Not once. Was she crying? I don't ever recall witnessing her cry. But they say they did hear her laughing. We both noticed it. When she was also talking to the paramedics, my body camera captured her, kind of laughing with the paramedics. Is there somewhere we could get clothes for you? Oh, because you can't. Yeah, that's the problem right now, like I said. I mean, it is what it is at this point.

19:33Okay, okay. Also strange to police was what they observed at the bottom of the stairs. This just doesn't look like a fault. If he fell down the stairs, why wasn't he more either wedged up against the doorway, not laying perfectly flat in a horizontal position? It's almost like he was laid down at that base of the stairs. It didn't make sense. Police would come to think they knew why. It didn't add up to a tumble down the stairs. What did it add up to you? Blunt force trauma. A beating, police say, several severe blows to the head. until Kevin's skull caved in. Right now we're treating this as a crime scene due to his condition, okay?

20:19Alright? Police uncovered something else. Allison told different stories as to where she and Kevin were sleeping. Remember, first responders heard this story. And I was sleeping on the couch and he was sleeping upstairs. But that's not what investigators say Allison told Kevin's mother, Alta Beers. Alta tells me that Allison told her that they were in bed together. I said, OK, that's interesting. She had told you she was on a couch. Yeah, completely different. Kruger says Allison didn't share with Kevin's family just how critically he was hurt. She's minimizing this entire situation, especially to Kevin's family.

21:05Why do you suppose Allison minimized his injuries? Because she caused the injuries. That's why she minimized them. She's caught lying. The detectives' theories, the 911 call... I'm going to do some of this. There's blood everywhere. Faked. Allison's behavior, unnatural. Kevin's body... There's blood up here. It had been moved. It looks to me like he's been positioned in a way that does not consistent with falling down the stairs. Prosecutor Tessa Helge teamed with Kruger and the doctors who had treated and examined Kevin. So your experts are looking at a man that they believe basically was beaten to death.

21:46That's exactly what they believe. Beaten by someone. Right. And that someone you believe was? Allison Davis. But the prosecutors sense the investigation faced some serious challenges. Where's the murder weapon? It's a great question. And what triggered this? Between them? I don't know. I wish I knew. But Helge and Kruger became convinced. They had learned something important about Allison and Kevin's marriage that could suggest a motive. I spoke with Kevin's mother, Alta, and she informed me that they were having some marital issues. You know, a domestic relationship that has gone bad. It is on the rocks.

22:29And remember these texts from the final hours of his life between Kevin and his friend Jason Young? He said, I'm putting my phone on silent, laughing my ass off. Gotta go to bed. The wife. Gotta go. The wife. Investigators suggested that message reflected tensions in the marriage. Jason believes that's ridiculous. Did he ever say to you, my marriage is in trouble? No. She would have told me if there was something going on. and never was that hinted. Allison's supporters say she was just being honest with investigators when she mentioned the argument. But with detectives bearing down on her, Allison had stopped talking to them about her marriage or anything else.

23:17She went completely silent after that. The cooperation stopped. Over with. Yep. Yep. On October 17, 2023, after two months of investigation, police declared Kevin's death a homicide. And two months after that, a warrant was issued for Allison's arrest for the murder of her husband. I mean, this is unbelievable. So we get a recommendation for criminal defense team in Indianapolis. Andrew Baldwin and Max Wiley. I spent quite a bit of time with her and she's just a wonderful person. Three days before Christmas, Allison Davis walked into the Allen County Jail with her parents. She said, I'm Allison Davis and I'm here to turn myself in.

24:06Did they handcuff her right in front of you? Yes. Do you believe Allison Davis had anything to do with her husband's death? No. Wiley and Baldwin thought they knew exactly why cops hadn't found a murder weapon. Because there was no murder. What was the instrument that you believe caused Kevin's death? The banister at the bottom of the stairs.

24:44Hey there, I'm Kendra Adachi and my show, The Lazy Genius Podcast, helps you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. And you get to decide what matters. I'm not here to tell you what to do. I'm here to give you a new way to see. Episodes of The Lazy Genius Podcast are full of compassionate time management tips and permission slips to do what makes sense for you. New episodes drop every Monday. Follow and listen to the Lazy Genius podcast on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.

25:23Indiana rarely allows bail on a murder charge. Allison Davis was locked up in the Allen County jail. She pleaded not guilty. We know Allison, and we know she isn't capable of what they accused her of. Does she have a temper? No, she never has a temper. She had a criminal record? No, she does not have a criminal record. Her father, Steve, hoped he'd given Allison tools to survive behind bars and face the anxious wait until her trial. Our family is faith-based, and Allison leaned on that faith. It was so hard. Casey Clem searched desperately for a way to help her friend. It's like, there's nothing I can do for her except pretend to be strong and remind her that I'm here.

26:20While loved ones missed Allison, she told them that she missed Kevin You know, she would say, I haven't been sleeping because I just keep seeing it in my head And I just miss him and I want him And, you know, she would talk about how all she wants more than anything in the world Is to just hear him call her babe again and hold her Friends and family were denied any direct contact No visitation Were you able to see her on a video FaceTime kind of situation? No, we were not. Only her attorneys, Max Wiley and Andrew Baldwin, could see Allison. Through plexiglass, they got to know their client and developed a sense of her relationship with Kevin.

27:05Do you buy into this notion that it was a troubled marriage headed toward a cliff? Not at all. No one's coming to the detectives right after this happened and saying there were problems in their marriage. You need to investigate this. Nobody. But remember, four weeks after Kevin died, Detective Kruger spoke with Kevin's mother, Alta. He says she told him Kevin and Allison were having marital problems. It was looking like it was leading towards a separation. I think it's fair to say that he was concerned about the marriage and that he had shared those concerns with his family. As Helge prepared, she believed she had a compelling story to share with a jury.