Robbery reveals sinister plot to kill a man with a root beer float

When Harold Allen died suddenly in his home in Freetown, Indiana, just a few days before Christmas 2022, Lieutenant Adam Nicholson, an investigator with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, says no one suspected anything out of the ordinary.

Lt. Adam Nicholson: Twenty years on the job, I never thought I would see a case like this.

Harold’s younger brother Matthew Allen and his wife Samantha knew he had been dealing with some serious health issues —

Matthew Allen : He was bigger. … He was diabetic.

— including painful gastrointestinal problems which had sent him to the emergency room on multiple occasions late that year…

Matthew Allen: I think one time they thought it was — what — what was it like?

Samantha Allen: Diverticulitis, they said.

Matthew Allen: Yeah, diverticulitis.

On Thanksgiving 2022, as the family was enjoying their holiday feast, Matthew noticed that Harold all of a sudden looked distressed.

Matthew Allen: We were eating dessert. And, uh, he looked up at me. … like, his — his eyes got wide. Like he was kind of scared. And I was like, “What’s wrong?” … Well, he goes, “The left side of my face just went numb.”

Matthew Allen: I said … “I’m either calling an ambulance, or I’m taking you to the hospital right now.” And he’s like, “Well, just give me a second.”

Despite his family’s urging to get medical help, Harold refused.

Matthew Allen: Marsha was just like standing there. And I was like, “Well, he needs to go to the hospital.” And she was like, “Oh, I’ve been telling him that he needs to get there.”

Harold’s mystifying health condition worsened in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Doctors struggled to diagnose exactly what was ailing him. Then came Dec. 20, 2022 — when Marsha made a disturbing discovery and placed a 911 call.

Harold, 52, the oldest of three brothers, had spent his life in this quiet, rural part of southern Indiana, where everyone knew this imposing man as “Peanut”.

Matthew Allen: I thought his name was Peanut until I was about 6 or 7 years old. That’s — that’s a true story.

Matthew Allen: (chuckles) My brother was born premature … and my grandma … said, “He’s no bigger than a peanut.”

Samantha Allen: I had a close family, but it was nothing like the Allens. … When they were together, all the pieces of the puzzle were there.

Matthew Allen: He self-taught himself, like the guitar and mandolin. And he played harmonicas.

Matthew Allen: We were eating dessert. And, uh, he looked up at me. … like, his — his eyes got wide. Like he was kind of scared. And I was like, “What’s wrong?” … Well, he goes, “The left side of my face just went numb.”

Peter Van Sant: You really looked up to your brother, right?

Matthew Allen: Oh, yeah. Like, uh, he became a controls engineer. Um, super smart. I wish I was as smart as him.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Detective Clint Burcham says Harold worked for a global automotive supply company.

Det. Clint Burcham: A local factory in Seymour, Indiana, Aisin Manufacturing.

Matthew Allen: He liked riding his motorcycles. … He had a Harley motorcycle that he rode for years. … He went deer hunting and … fishing. … We did fish a lot.

Enjoying a full life, Harold became nostalgic about his high school days. In 2019, he decided to attend his 30th reunion.