Falsely Accused: The Wrongful Conviction of Alan Beaman (Falsely Accused‪)‬

Thirteen years after being sentenced to 50 years in prison, Alan Beaman is a free man. The Illinois Supreme Court overturned his murder conviction because the prosecution failed to turn over evidence, proving there was a viable alternative suspect who had ample opportunity to kill Jennifer Lockmiller, an Illinois State University student found dead in her apartment in Normal, Illinois, on August 28, 1993. A clock radio electrical cord was wrapped around her neck, and she had been stabbed in the chest with scissors. Her shirt and bra were pushed up around her neck, and her shorts and underwear were pulled down. A box fan was lying across her face. Seven fingerprints were recovered from the clock radio. Two of the fingerprints were left by Alan Beaman, four belonged to Jennifer's boyfriend Michael Swaine, and one was unidentifiable. Based on the crime scene and Jennifer's class schedule, the prosecution argued that the time of death was shortly after noon on Wednesday, August 25. However, at the time of the homicide, Beaman was in Rockford, Illinois, which is over 120 miles north of Normal. According to the prosecution, Beaman drove to Normal after leaving a Rockford bank at 10:11 a.m., arriving around noon. When he walked into Jennifer's apartment, he saw Swaine's property and at that point he "snapped," murdering her. Beaman left the apartment by 12:15 p.m. and drove back to Rockford, arriving around 2:10 p.m. There was no other forensic evidence such as DNA or contradictory or inconsistent statements from Beaman that revealed deception of his whereabouts, or occurrence witnesses who placed him at her apartment at the time of the murder. Basically, the prosecution argued that he killed her because he was jealous of these other men and that had the opportunity to kill as he could drive to Normal and commit the murder.