Craig D. Corgan, District Attorney, Washington County Courthouse, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 74003, appears on behalf of the State of Oklahoma.

MR. CORGAN: Ladies and gentlemen, this will be the last time you'll hear from us. When I sit down the lawyers will be through, the case will be yours.

I'll have a few things to say, I'll spend some time, but I suspect my comments now will be far shorter than the time that's so important in this case, that time that Steve Allen spent inside his home, that 30 minutes as his wife bled there and died.

You know, I've not had a trial yet with Mr. Carlson that he didn't tell the story about the naughty boy and the wise old man, and I'm so glad he told you that because that's so important in this case. And let me tell you why it's important. You see, the wise old man was very discerning, and why was he discerned? Because he refused, he refused, unlike the other people, to allow that naughty boy to shift the responsibility of his actions to the old man.

You see, in every other case the naughty young boy would put the people in the position and whatever they said he made them responsible for what? His actions. The wise old man refused to do that. He looked back at the boy and he said, you are responsible for your own actions. You determine. You are responsible for what would happen.

And that's the defense in this case. Stephen Allen does not want to be responsible for his actions. It's Sandra Allen's fault because she was cold and indifferent. It's the Bartlesville Police Department's fault. It's Roger Burch's fault. It's everyone else's fault except Stephen Allen. Let's make someone else responsible for my own actions.

The defense is composed what if's and why's, lots of questions, much like the glass. You see, when you first put the ink in it it clears the glass, but as you look at it and as you wait and you examine it, what happens? It clears up. You can see through it. You know, the defense in his case has spent a lot of time and a lot of money on those what if's and why's. Why is that? To stir the water, to murk it up and get you from looking at the issues and the evidence.

What have they done? Well, Barry Krueger, $127; Roger Shuy, $6,875; Blair Gluba, $4,200. On and on and on until we come to a grand total of some $48,000. $48,000 to work on what if's and why's.

But the problem, the problem of that, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is there are some things in this case that just cannot be explained away. And the inability to explain those things speaks so loudly and so clearly.

And what are some of those things? Well, first of all, the neighborhood activities that evening. They speak so loudly. There was no intruder there.

The contact lenses. There's no evidence of three or four lens. There are two lenses. You have the two and they were taken off the body of Sandra Allen. Leaving [the child] outside and alone for so long speaks so loudly in this case. Waiting 30 minutes before you pick up the phone and get aid for your dying wife with 911 speaks so loudly. Hiding the hammer speaks so loudly.

Inconsistent statements of the defendant. He tells Mr. Otte he shook her once, he tells the good doctor he shook her twice, he tells Mr. Herring and Mr. Eastman that he doesn't know if he did it. He doesn't remember. The inconsistencies.

The memory lapses. Now, that's interesting when you look at brief reactive psychosis. How is it if you're suffering from brief reactive psychosis you remember Mark Spurgeon and seeing him that evening. You tell Mr. Otte that the next day, and yet you have brief reactive psychosis that doesn't help you remember what you told Mrs. Crossman when you said, is she talking. Is she talking.

The shirt. Stephen Allen's shirt speaks so loudly. Each one of those blood spatters, each one of the droplets of Sandra Allen's blood speaks so loudly as to a beating and not a shaking.

I can go on and on and on with what if's and why's. Look at the glass, and you see it cleared up. When you look at the defense and you don't stir it around, when you get to the issues, it's not there.

You know, Stephen Allen betrayed Sandra Allen in life. Now he attempts to betray her once again in death. And only you, only you now can tell Stephen Allen no more. Only you can say, Stephen Allen, no more betrayal. No more hired guns. No more what if's and why's. No more computerized tests and brief reactive psychosis. No more, no more, no more. Why? Why? Because Sandra Allen is dead and the evidence shows the man who said he would love and honor and cherish her took her life.

Speak the truth, examine the evidence and return a verdict of guilty. Thank you.

The information contained on this pages was taken from the District Court in and for Washington County, State of Oklahoma, Transcript of Jury Trial Proceedings (Volume V), Held on August 6th, 9th, and 12th,  pages 214 - 218.

lh1998-99, 2000