Hey y'all, before we get to the show, I wanted to please ask you to rate and review

murder in alliance. The more ratings and reviews we get, the more people that find us,

and the more people that hear this, the more likely it is we will get tips and leads to find out

who killed Avon, previously on murder in alliance.

This is murder in alliance, an active investigation into who killed Avon Lane.

I'm Maggie Freeling.

The trial against David Thorn in the killing of his ex-girlfriend Avon Lane officially started

January 18th 2000, with the prosecuting attorney's opening statements.

The assistant prosecutors handling the case for the state of Ohio were Jonathan Bumel and

Chris A Hartnett. Prosecutors forcefully argued that David hired Joe to kill Avon and that Joe

was the perfect person to do it. He was broke and idolized David. Witness testimony

person after person described Joe's conversations about David and his seeming obsession with him.

The friendless teen would do anything for David Thorn. Then the prosecution laid out the motive.

David was upset that he had to pay child support. Remember in the months leading up to the trial,

David was court ordered to pay $358 starting January 1999. In March, money started being deducted

from David's paycheck. The prosecution said that he owed $700 from the first two months of the

year, January and February. So they said instead of paying, he'd prefer to get custody over Brandon.

Plus, they also argued that Amy, David's girlfriend, didn't like Avon, so Avon was just a problem

all around for David. Bumel was the one to make the opening statements.

There was a solution to these money problems, to these relationships problems, and that was the

elimination of Avon. And David Thorne had a person in mind to do it and had a cheap price.

This is a voice actor. There is no recording from the actual trial that I can find.

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