BALTIMORE COUNTY — Baltimore County police now know who shot and killed 59-year-old Samuel Allen.
DNA testing matched that of 75-year-old Alan Bass, a man currently incarcerated in Delaware serving a life sentence.
This stems from an incident on August 2, 1981.
Officers responded to the 6400 block of Liberty Road, where they found Allen fatally shot in his home. His wife and daughter, who were there at the time, watched the shooting happen.
Police say the two were in the kitchen when an unknown man, now identified as Bass, showed up wearing surgical gloves and demanding money.
When Allen entered the kitchen, Bass allegedly fired two shots, striking Allen. He then demanded money from Allen's wife and daughter, before forcing Allen's daughter out the door with him.
Once detectives arrived on the scene, they recovered a bag and shirt, packaging the items as evidence.
In November 2024, detectives were able to build a DNA profile from the evidence and that led them to Bass.
While there is an open warrant charging Bass with Allen's murder, he will not be brought back to Maryland to stand trial due to significant health conditions.
