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Neighbor charged in woman's murder
By CHRIS TISCH CLEARWATER -- Johnnie Lee Allen insisted he had nothing to do with the stabbing death of his next-door neighbor, Angela Langley. He even voluntarily provided Clearwater detectives fingerprint and DNA samples. But some things were making Allen, 38, look bad. For one, he had cuts on his right hand. Then detectives learned Allen had sold Langley's microwave to another resident of their apartment complex on Oct. 12, the night before Langley was found dead in her apartment. Then the fingerprint and DNA samples came back from the lab. Not only did an analysis show that Allen's fingerprints were found on Langley's microwave, they also showed that Allen's blood had been spilled at the crime scene. On Wednesday, Clearwater detectives arrested Allen on a first-degree murder charge in connection with Langley's death. "He was adamant that he wasn't involved in her death," Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. "To date, he denies his involvement, despite compelling evidence otherwise." The investigation began Oct. 13 when family members fretted when Langley missed a family get-together. Two close family friends were dispatched to her apartment building, 1001 N. Greenwood Ave., to check on her. The friends found Langley's body inside, police said. Langley, 44, had been stabbed 55 times, mostly in the chest, neck and face. There was no sign of forced entry, police said. Detectives focused on four men who had relationships with Langley, including Allen, who investigators learned had a physical relationship with her, said Detective James Kleinsorge. Kleinsorge spoke to Allen shortly after Langley was found and noticed the wounds to his right hand. Then the detective learned of the microwave. "As the investigation went on, things began to point toward Mr. Allen," Kleinsorge said. "There was a lot of forensic evidence that had to be processed." Police, citing an FBI database, said there is only a 1 in 6,718,000 probability that the blood found at the scene came from someone other than Allen. "No motive has been established," Shelor said. Shelor said another small appliance may have been taken from the apartment. Langley's car also was missing when her body was found. It later was found in St. Petersburg, but the missing car has not been tied to Allen, Shelor said. Allen worked for the city of Clearwater in the solid waste department. He worked the loader that dumps commercial waste bins into garbage trucks, said Bob Brumback, the city's solid waste director. Brumback said Allen worked for the department since 1999. He had a few days of tardiness and absenteeism but was given satisfactory work reviews and was liked and respected. "He was never a problem for us. He was a nice guy," Brumback said. "No one ever saw in him that kind of thing. "There's a gang of us in shock right now," he added. "Having someone around us arrested for first-degree murder is shocking." Peggy Reeves, Allen's 69-year-old grandmother, said she doubts he could commit murder. She also lives at the apartment complex. "I really don't think Johnnie Lee has that much nerve to kill somebody," she said. "But if he did it, he has to pay for it." Records show Allen was married from 1990 until 1998. He has no children, his grandmother said. Allen has a lengthy criminal history in Florida that stretches back 15 years. He has been arrested 26 times, six times on domestic battery charges and several times on drug charges, records show. Langley's family has declined interview requests since her death. A message left at a family member's home Wednesday was not returned. Langley was a project specialist at Nielsen Media Research in Dunedin, where she had worked since 1983. Friends and co-workers described her as kind, bright and friendly.
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