Allie Kemp: When the city skyline reveals a killer -Md Uzzal Hossain

Leawood is a beautiful city in the state of Kansas, USA. This is where the Kemp family lives. 19-year-old cheerful young woman Allie Kemp (Alexandra ‘Allie’ Kemp) is loved by her parents. Talented Allie dreams of the future—one day she wants to work to improve the fortunes of helpless children. Besides studying, Allie and her younger brother took up maintenance work at a local swimming pool. It takes three to four minutes to walk from home to the workplace. On a cloudy day, June 18, 2002, the path of this promising young woman ended forever.

A brutal murder sparked curiosity

Allie came to work on June 18, like every day. As the weather was not favourable, not many people came to swim that day, so there was little activity. Allie called her friend Laurel (Laurel Vine) around three o’clock and offered to spend the rest of the shift chatting. The young woman, Allie, also called another friend, Phil Howes, but he could not pick up the phone. Laurel comes to the pool after a while to meet a friend. It was quiet all around; only one man was seen going out. Laurel didn’t even realise she was watching Allie’s killer pass before her eyes. Not finding her friend, she assumes that Ally may have gone on some urgent errand. Without further ado, Laurel then returned home.

Meanwhile, Allie’s younger brother appeared for the next shift. He finds his sister’s purse and phone on the table, but not Allie. Their father, Roger, appeared soon after informing their mother. Both of them started looking for Allie. Roger went down to the pool first to see if their daughter had accidentally drowned there. Then he went to look for the room where the swimming pool pump is located. Under a blue tarpaulin, a father saw perhaps the most horrifying sight—the mutilated body of his child. He quickly called the emergency number, but Allie could not be saved.

The investigation took shape

According to police officer Major Craig Hill, such an incident in Leawood was unimaginable. The law and order forces fell to the waistline. After visiting the place, he realised that there was a big fight there. The young woman fought fiercely with the killer to save herself. Detectives learned that a Ford pickup truck had disappeared from the parking lot immediately after Allie’s murder. Laurel tells them that while looking for Allie, she saw a man get into a truck and leave—a white male in his thirties, 5 feet, 8 inches to 6 feet tall. A sketch of the suspect was also created based on her description.

The hunt for the killer began

Allie’s family, neighbours, and friends spread the picture of the possible killer around. Roger arranged for it to be televised as well. But due to the lack of necessary sources, the police investigation fell into decline. Allie’s father now advertises in the newspaper. A $1,000 reward was announced for information leading to Allie’s murder. However, as this amount seemed insufficient, he quickly increased it to $25,000. The Leawood City Council added another 25,000. The total prize money stands at $50,000. The image is very similar to that of a man named James Straiter. But James was at work at the time of the murder, as his boss himself confirmed.

But in February 2003, the police became interested in James again. He was accused of raping several women in Kansas and Missouri. He was arrested, but a DNA test cleared him of murdering Ally.

A plan executed for the first time

One day, while driving, Roger Kemp noticed a billboard hanging on the side of the road. Immediately, an idea came to his mind. If the picture of the suspect is given on the billboard, hundreds of people will see it every day while passing by, and some of them will surely recognise this man! He wrote to billboard companies, asking for the cost. A company called Lamar Advertising allowed Kemp to use one of their billboards for free. The results were quick. Someone called and said, The man on the billboard is probably Teddy Hoover. The police find out that this man also works in swimming pool maintenance, and that the truck that Laurel saw drive away has exactly the same car as Hoover. More sensational information was found in the case documents. Hoover worked at Allie’s workplace and was on duty on the day of the murder. The police also spoke to him, but he was not on the suspect list because they found nothing suspicious about Hoover’s behaviour.

When detectives asked for a sample of Hoover’s DNA, he contacted his lawyer. When it became apparent that there was no way out without providing the DNA sample, Hoover fled. He was not found for almost a year. Then someone called to say that Hoover was living with a girlfriend at a new address in Connecticut, Benjamin Appleby. The police knocked on his door with an arrest warrant. Under cross-examination, Hoover confesses to killing Allie. According to his statement, he liked young women. But the girl rejected his unsolicited proposal that day in June. Undeterred, Hoover follows Allie into the pump house, teasing her in various ways and, at one point, even sitting on her body. When Allie wants to leave, a scuffle ensues. In a fit of rage, he punches Allie with great force, then escapes by covering the unconscious girl in a tarpaulin. It was then that Laurel saw him drive away.

Justice served

Hoover stood in court on charges of murder and attempted rape. He was found guilty after presenting the arguments of all parties. The judge gave him a harsh sentence: Hoover will have to spend 50 years in prison, after which he can apply for parole if he survives. The defendant appealed against the verdict, but it was unsuccessful.
To keep Allie’s memory alive, her family has established the Allie Kemp Foundation. Their activities include self-defense classes for girls. In the words of Roger Kemp, they want no one else to end up like Allie—no more empty chests of families. This foundation has trained about 2,000 women so far for this purpose. What happened to Roger’s prize money? The information that led to the arrest of Allie’s killer was deserved. But he keeps his identity a secret and gives the entire amount to the foundation.