Inset: Alan Michael Mellow (Barry County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Missouri apartment complex where Alan Michael Mellow allegedly murdered the mother of his 3-month-old child (KYTV).
A tragic incident unfolded in Missouri when a man shot the mother of his child multiple times in the head while she sat in a car with their 3-month-old baby, following an argument about “stolen coins,” authorities report.
Alan Michael Mellow, aged 33, confessed to law enforcement that he fired at 30-year-old Hannah Lee Blizard “a couple of times” on Saturday afternoon. The altercation erupted as she attempted to leave their Barry County residence with their infant amid a disagreement over coins, as detailed in a probable cause statement.
According to the police account, Mellow claimed that Blizard battled a severe alcohol addiction, which he was trying to address. They argued about her drinking and alleged theft of coins from his collection, supposedly used to buy alcohol. When Blizard decided to call her mother and depart with the baby, Mellow stated he would not allow it and opted to leave with the child instead.
Police reported that Mellow seized the 3-month-old and took the baby to his Nissan, placing them in the backseat. As he settled into the driver’s seat, Blizard hurried to the passenger side, attempting to stop him from leaving, according to the probable cause document.
The statement reveals that Mellow had a handgun in the car, and upon Blizard’s entry, he shot her “a couple of times” in the head. He then moved to the passenger side intending to remove her body from the vehicle but instead took the child back into his apartment, where police later contacted him.
A neighbor reportedly witnessed the shooting and alerted authorities. When officers arrived, they discovered Blizard “bloody” and “lifeless” beside the vehicle. The neighbor informed police that Mellow fired at Blizard at least three times before retreating into the apartment with their child.
“My son will grow up without a dad,” officers heard Mellow saying inside the apartment after arriving on scene, according to the probable cause statement. A sergeant contacted Mellow by telephone and was able to convince him to surrender and turn the infant over to police, per the statement.
Mellow came outside and was taken into custody without incident. A search of his apartment uncovered the alleged murder weapon, described by cops as a Taurus PT809c semi-automatic handgun. The firearm contained a partially expended 13-round magazine containing Winchester hollow point ammunition and a spare magazine was found loaded with “full metal jacketed rounds,” according to police.
The couple’s child was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, where doctors discovered that they had a skull fracture. The cause has yet to be determined.
Mellow has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of first-degree child endangerment. He was being held on Monday without bond with no court date set yet.
