#576 Jason Flom with Billie Allen - UPDATE

#576 Jason Flom with Billie Allen - UPDATE

From Wrongful Conviction by Lava for Good Podcasts

June 4, 2026 · 56 min · Episode 576

About this episode

The episode discusses the wrongful conviction of Billie Allen for an armed bank robbery and murder.

On March 18, 1997, two men exited a minivan and walked into the lobby of a bank in St. Louis, MO wearing ski masks and armed with semi-automatic rifles. Shots were fired and a security guard, Richard Heflin, was shot and fatally wounded. Billie Allen, aged 19, was arrested at about 2am the next morning and taken to police headquarters where he remained in an interrogation room, handcuffed to a table, for the next several  hours. Later that morning, he was positively identified in a line-up by two forestry workers who had come across an individual in the woods. According to the police, after being told of these identifications, Billie Allen said he wanted to discuss the robbery, recanted his request for a lawyer and made statements incriminating himself in the murder. Billie Allen was charged with committing an armed bank robbery and using a firearm to commit a crime of violence. He was convicted on both counts and sentenced to death. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://linktr.ee/freebillieallen Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​ We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in…

People in this episode

Host: Jason Flom

Guest: Billie Allen

Topics covered

  • wrongful conviction
  • armed robbery
  • death penalty
  • interrogation
  • legal system

Keywords

  • wrongful conviction
  • Billie Allen
  • armed robbery
  • death penalty
  • interrogation
  • legal system
  • St. Louis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lava for Good Podcasts

Places: St. Louis, MO

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