Episode 4: That's All We Can Do For Now

(Ryan Zalduondo / WRVO Public Media)

As the hearings that would determine whether or not Gary Thibodeau would receive a new trial or not got underway, there was plenty of new information pertaining to potential new developments regarding the Heidi Allen kidnapping case.

Leads about potential suspects were followed up on by Thibodeau’s legal team and the local Oswego County law enforcement as the two sides got to work in the courtroom.

The backgrounds of the newly accused men -- James Steen, Roger Breckenridge, and Michael Bohrer -- were analyzed. Multiple people testified with information that was damaging toward these men as well.

Throughout the years-long process of trying to get Gary Thibodeau a new trial, there were a few things that remained constant. First, Heidi Allen was still missing. Second, Gary Thibodeau remained in prison serving out his sentence. Next, Thibodeau remained very sick and there was a race against his health to get him released.

After years of deliberation, it was decided in the summer of 2018 that Gary Thibodeau was not going to receive a new trial. Thibodeau died in August 2018.

“I’m not sure what the result of a new trial would have been,” Oswego County District Attorney Greg Oakes said. “Certainly, potentially it could have ended in an acquittal. But, it also could have ended in a conviction. There was strong and compelling evidence against Gary Thibodeau, even though we didn’t have direct forensic evidence, there was compelling information.”

Following Gary’s death, reflection was the only option left for the other people who became a part of this story.

More on where the case left off and much more this week on the final episode of "The Heidi Allen Case: Central New York’s Most Enduring Mystery." You can listen here, via the player above, on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.