Did Richard Allen confess to killing two Delphi teens? Here’s what we learned
Carroll County Court was abuzz in the first week of August as Special Judge Frances Gull heard testimony ahead of Richard Allen’s murder trial.
Testimony revealed that Allen — who is accused in the 2017 killings of two eighth grade girls in Delphi, Indiana —made at least 61 incriminating statements in the first few months after his arrest in 2022, while he was being held in a state prison for safekeeping.
In the second part of our look at what happened in the recent hearings, we look into what came out about his comments and behavior. In part one, we recapped the testimony around whether evidence related to Odinism and ritualistic killings would be allowed in the trial.
Previously: Will Odinism be part of Delphi murder trial testimony? What we learned
What did Richard Allen say after his arrest?
Statements included things he said during phone conversations with his wife and mother, and to other inmates who were assigned as “companion inmates” while Allen was on suicide watch. He also made statements to prison guards and to the warden and chaplain at the prison, where he was kept in a segregation unit and under constant video surveillance.
Brian Harshman, a detective with the Indiana State Police who monitored calls Allen made from the prison, testified he noticed changes in Allen’s behavior in March 2023, when he began saying he’d found God. Allen began confessing to his family several days later, Harshman said, and kept confessing to them and others in the months that followed.
Allen, Harshman said, talked about why he killed the girls and why he delayed in confessing, although the detective did not elaborate on what those motivations were. Harshman also said Allen expressed fears that his family will no longer love him after the trial, during which they will see graphic photos of the girls’ bodies.
Harshman, though, acknowledged during questioning from the defense that Allen also proclaimed his innocence during other conversations.
How did Allen’s family respond to the alleged confessions?
Allen’s wife and mother became “extremely upset” during those calls, Harshman testified. “As the confessions went on,” he said, Allen’s mother would tell him that “they’re messing with you.”
Allen’s wife implored him to stop talking, Harshman said.
What did the prosecution and defense say about Allen’s statements?
Officers transport murder suspect Richard Allen during a hearing regarding sealed documents, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind.
Defense attorneys want the judge to bar any mention of the statements at Allen’s trial, but the prosecution says they should be allowed because there had been no attempts to force those confessions out of Allen.
Bradley Rozzi, one of Allen’s attorneys, said allowing those statements violates his due process rights. He also cited the conditions under which Allen was placed, saying it amounted to coercion by the state. “The actions of the state,” Rozzi said, drove Allen to make those statements.
Stacy Diener, one of the prosecutors, said they were not made during “custodial interrogations.” Allen “was fully aware that his statements were unsolicited,” Diener said.
What was Allen’s mental status at the time?
Richard Allen’s attorneys took this photo April 4, 2023, of the man accused of the Delphi killings of teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams. He appears to have lost a significant amount of weight in his five months in prison segregation. He appears to have spittle on his shirt under his chin. Allen exhibits what his attorneys describe as “schizophrenic and delusional.”
Prosecutors believed Allen was faking psychotic behavior when he confessed to the crimes.
Dr. Monica Wala, the lead psychologist at Westville who had therapy sessions with Allen, testified his mental health began to deteriorate in April 2023, around the time he began confessing. Allen started expressing suicidal thoughts and feelings of hopelessness. He was seen banging his head on the wall to the point that his face was severely bruised, Wala testified. He began eating his own feces. His thoughts were disjointed. During some sessions, Wala said Allen was trembling and his eyes were twitching.
She also said Allen met the criteria of having a serious mental illness, a designation that would’ve placed a 30-day limit to his solitary confinement. Wala, however, also expressed doubts about Allen’s honesty.
Diener, the prosecutor, referred to Wala’s notes in which she seemed to question whether Allen was purposefully behaving bizarrely. Wala acknowledged there were times she was not certain whether Allen was legitimately going through a mental health crisis or feigning psychotic behavior.
Harshman, the Indiana State Police detective, testified prison guards assigned to keep an eye on Allen when he was on suicide watch did not believe his symptoms were real.
“Yes, they believe he was faking,” Harshman said.
▶ Read the full story: Prosecutor says Delphi murder suspect made 61 incriminating statements while incarcerated
When is Richard Allen’s trial?
The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14 and could run for a month.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Delphi murder updates: Here’s what we know about Richard Allen’s statements
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