Maleigha Allen, 20, is in custody facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of her father, Michael Allen, 44, in their Lexington, North Carolina home on April 17. Allen claims she acted in self-defense, alleging her father had sexually abused her.
This is not the first time allegations of abuse have surfaced. In 2019, Michael Allen was indicted on incest and child rape charges involving his daughter. Those charges were later dropped when Maleigha, then 13, recanted her statements. Despite the initial accusations, Michael Allen was granted legal custody of his daughter a year later. The father and daughter lived together in what sources described as a volatile relationship, reportedly fueled by mutual drug and alcohol addiction and a background of generational trauma.
In the hours before her father's death, Maleigha Allen posted on Facebook, "THIS WILL BE A MURDER SCENE STOP MY DADDY'S VOIECES (sic)." The following morning, on April 17, she appeared at the nearby home of a family friend, Jennifer Lanning, with multiple stab wounds. Lanning called 911, reporting that Allen said her father had stabbed her. Authorities discovered Michael Allen dead in the home.
Maleigha Allen was initially arrested and charged with first-degree murder. However, a grand jury declined to indict her, leading to the dismissal of the charges and her release. Subsequently, sheriff's detectives presented the case to a second grand jury, which returned a true bill of indictment. Allen was re-arrested on July 7 and remains in custody without bond.
Maleigha Allen's attorney, Karen Gerber, stated that the re-presentation of the case to a grand jury is unusual but not illegal. She could not confirm if new evidence had emerged.
Family members have offered conflicting accounts. Maleigha's mother, Amy Simerson, and half-sister, Sierra Williams, have expressed support for Maleigha, with Simerson alleging that Michael Allen was a violent drunk and that she always feared for Maleigha's safety in his care. Simerson also claimed that Michael Allen's brother and sister-in-law persuaded Maleigha to retract her abuse allegations in 2019. The brother and sister-in-law denied this claim to the Daily Mail.
Jennifer Lanning, the family friend who called 911, told the Daily Mail that she and others had long suspected Michael Allen's relationship with his daughter was inappropriate. Lanning also reported that Michael Allen had shown off three new knives, including a switchblade, the night before the incident. She stated that Michael Allen was heavily intoxicated when he and Maleigha left her home around 2 a.m., and that Maleigha had been using meth and appeared mentally unwell.
Despite the charges and the alleged history of abuse, Maleigha Allen told the Daily Mail from jail, "I still miss him."