Crime & Safety
Man Charged with Murder in 2011 Homicide
The victim, Ellie Lynn Mason, was found dead inside a vacant home in January 2011. The suspect, Terry Allen Jr., has been in jail since April 2011 on unrelated charges.
St. Petersburg Police have charged Terry Allen Jr. with first-degree murder for the 2011 death of 45-year-old Ellie Lynn Mason.
In January 2011, Mason's body was found in a vacant house at 2032 6th Avenue North.
According to the police report, Mason had been dead for several days and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma with a brick found at the scene.
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Police said Mason had several prior arrests for prostitution and was believed to be actively engaged in that practice at the time of her death.
Allen, police said, was identified by DNA found at the crime scene and later admitted to detectives that he had had sexual relations with Mason at the vacant house, but denied killing her.
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Allen, 31, has been at the Pinellas County Jail since April 8, 2011, when he was arrested on unrelated charges of kidnapping and attempt sexual battery involving an admitted prostitute.
According to police, Allen has been a suspect in other assaults on prostitutes in the past as well.
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