The Girlfriend in the Cooler: The Wade Allen Case

The Girlfriend in the Cooler: The Wade Allen Case

Wade Allen strangled and dismembered his girlfriend Kelly Jean Warner in May 2019 in Sturgis, Michigan. Police discovered her mutilated remains stored in two coolers inside Allen's apartment after an anonymous tip. The 39-year-old pleaded no contest to second-degree homicide, attempted dismemberment, and attempted third-degree criminal sexual conduct. While incarcerated at St. Joseph County Jail, Allen sexually assaulted a cellmate who had reported his murder confession to authorities. A judge sentenced Allen to 39-60 years for murder with consecutive sentences for assault, effectively ensuring he'll likely die in prison.

This is the story of a woman whose transient lifestyle made her disappearance almost invisible, and a man whose brain might have been wired for violence. Kelly Jean Warner, 43, lived a life that didn't fit neatly into society's boxes. When she vanished in spring 2019, there were no immediate alarm bells because people like Kelly sometimes go weeks without contact. That silence became her killer's greatest advantage. But her sister Lisa refused to let Kelly disappear quietly, and that persistence helped crack open one of the most disturbing murder cases in Michigan's recent history. We're going to talk about what happens when someone's lifestyle makes them vulnerable, when a psychopath moves through a small town undetected, and how a catastrophic failure in the jail system allowed a murderer to victimize someone all over again.

#WadeAllen #KellyJeanWarner #KellyWarner #TrueCrime #Michigan #Sturgis #Murder

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