Gary Thibodeau, a man convicted in the 1994 disappearance of 18-year-old college student Heidi Allen, died in prison at the age of 64. Gary maintained his innocence for many years but was never retried after his defense discovered that he had been wrongfully convicted.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered will re-air The Informant on Tuesday, retracing the events that led to Allen's disappearance nearly three decades ago from a convenience store she worked at in New Haven, New York, and the grounds on which Thibodeau was subsequently convicted. The episode will air on Oxygen on November 16, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The episode's synopsis reads:
"An old case is blown wide open by a confession years after a man is convicted of murdering Heidi Allen, last seen working at a store to earn cash for college."
Gary and his brother Richard Thibodeau, who were allegedly the last customers to visit Heidi Allen's store before her mysterious disappearance, were accused of kidnapping and murdering the 18-year-old college student. Gary was convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence, while Richard was acquitted. He died in prison in August 2018 as a result of COPD lung disease complications.
This article will further discuss the strange case of Heidi Allen and the conviction of Gary Thibodeau.
Authorities believed Gary Thibodeau was involved in the 1994 kidnapping of Heidi Allen
Gary Thibodeau and his brother Richard were the last two people known to have seen Heidi Allen alive, and their arrests followed her disappearance on April 3, 1994. Allen was to graduate from Onondaga Community College with a degree in human services at the time of her disappearance. Her disappearance is believed to have been premeditated, and her case remains open to date.
The following year, Oswego County prosecutors brought the Thibodeau brothers to trial, claiming that the two of them had collectively abducted Allen in Richard's van, which matched the description of a vehicle spotted near the store at the time of Allen's disappearance. Because there was no direct evidence linking the brothers to the kidnapping, the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence.
Two different juries found Gary guilty, sentencing him to 25 years to life in prison while acquitting his brother Richard of all charges, in one of the most contentious verdicts in local history. Gary's defense alleged that he was wrongfully convicted and requested a retrial. Years later, specific evidence concerning the victim surfaced, which was withheld from the defense during the trial.
Garry Thibodeau died, maintaining his innocence while serving his lengthy sentence in prison
Following years of arguing his innocence, Gary Thibodeau died in prison after state appellate courts and a federal review denied his request for a new trial. Gary, 64, died in August 2018 while receiving hospice care at the Coxsackie Correctional Facility south of Albany from COPD lung disease complications.
Thibodeau maintained his innocence until his death, and since his hopes for a federal appeal died with him, he will be remembered as the kidnapper of the 18-year-old college student. According to reports, he died just two years before his first potential parole hearing in January 2020.
Learn more about Gary Thibodeau's conviction on Dateline: Secret Uncovered's episode, this Wednesday.