Oh my - I think you will like reading this Cuz. A lot of detail about the confessions. I have been trying to find stuff on yesterday's hearing and it seems maybe this reporter is the dedicated one.
CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. — Today was the day Richard Allen’s attorneys took their best shot at dismissing perhaps some of the most damning evidence arrayed against their client in the Delphi double murder case: his own words.
During day two of pre-trial preliminary hearings before Judge Fran Gull in Carroll Circuit Court, Allen’s defense team brought forth a prison psychologist who examined the man accused of killing Abby Williams and Libby German in 2017.
Judge considers motion to dismiss charges and sanction prosecutor in Delphi case
Dr. Monica Walla testified that shortly after Allen’s arrest in October of 2022, he was whisked away to Westville Correctional Facility to an isolated cell for his own protection where, within six months, he started exhibiting signs of “grave mental illness” due to the conditions of his pre-trial detention.
While other inmates in the Westville Corrections Unit, described as a “prison within a prison”, shouted “Baby Killer!” and “Kill yourself!” at Allen, Walla said she recognized the defendant’s deteriorating mental state as he banged his head against the concrete walls of his cell and ingested his own feces.
In May of 2023, Walla testified that Allen told her he wanted to confess to the killings of the girls near the Monon High Bridge outside of Delphi more than six years earlier and described some details of the crime.
Walla said her conversations with Allen were limited to speaking to him, “through the crack in the door” to his cell and, later, as he was locked inside what she called, “a cage”, in an interview room.
The psychologist testified that Allen told her he “found God” on March 21, 2023, and shared with her details of his activities on Feb. 13, 2017, the day of the murders, and made a confession to his wife Kathy during a phone call.
Walla shared that after the call Allen said his wife didn’t believe him.
Indiana State Police Detective Brian Harshman testified that he has reviewed 650-670 of Allen’s phone calls during his incarceration covering more than 150 hours.
Harshman said Allen has confessed more than 60 times, most often to his wife and mother, who expressed disbelief, concerns about his mental state or changed the subject.
It was in late March, after his “Come to Jesus” moment, when the confession phone calls began, said the detective.
“He talked about these crimes very specifically,” Harshman said.
Prosecutor Stacy Diener asked Harshman if Allen’s confessions contained details of the crime.
“That’s correct,” answered Harshman, adding that Allen also discussed his motivation in allegedly committing the killings.
Allen’s confession season covered the months of April through July of last year, which coincided with his mental illness crisis which was partially abated by injections of Haldol to curb his depression, anxiety and disorganized thinking.
Allen was later transferred to the Indiana Department of Correction’s Wabash Valley Correctional Facility south of Terre Haute where Harshman said a corrections officer overheard the defendant “apologize for killing Abby,” and that Allen wanted to, “tell the truth and be honest.”
Harshman said one of the telephone confessions he had transcribed recorded Allen’s concern over what evidence would be revealed at his trial, specifically crime scene photographs, and the impact that would have on his family.
On cross-examination by Defense Attorney Bradley Rozzi, Harshman said in all the monitored phone calls, Allen did not ever say he shot or molested the girls and would occasionally pronounce his innocence.
During earlier testimony, John Galipeau, former warden at Westville, said that one day while standing outside of Allen’s cell door he heard the accused man admit to the killings and refer to the victims by name.
What to expect from this week’s hearings in the Delphi murders
Reportedly guards and other inmates have also said they heard Allen confess unprompted.
ISP Lt. Jerry Holeman testified that an inmate claimed Allen admitted he threw away a boxcutter in a dumpster behind the CVS store where he worked in Delphi.
Prosecutors are expected to introduce bullet evidence linking Allen to a gun displayed at the murder scene and that Libby and Abby died of cutting wounds.
Allen’s defense team said its client has been under incredible stress and locked up in a bare-bones 8×12 foot state prison cell for 21 months while technically an innocent man awaiting trial.
Judge Gull will hear final summations on whether to suppress the confessions Thursday morning before likely taking the arguments under advisement, as she has motioned to move Allen to the Cass County Jail from now until his October trial date and to dismiss murder charges based on an alternate theory investigated by ISP that Odinists practicing a pagan Nordic ceremony may have killed the girls.
You can tell I never saw this as I never hit a "like". Wow.
It is GOOD the one reviewing the phone calls is not an investigator we've heard of before, at least I have not and so they can't try to say it was Holeman or some such they accuse of things.
Majority were to wife and mom. He really wants them to know and is really concerned as to what his family will hear. And was reading the Bible, etc. BOTH wife and mom disbelieved, thought he had mental issues or changed the subject. Well of course they did. They knew it would all be heard and he was wanting to confess and did not care if his confessions would be heard. He wanted to plead so details would NOT be heard imo.
Tom points out all of the time that the defense said in some hearing back in I believe April that their client was doing okay and fine basically. And it wasn't until I believe, I'd have to listen again or thereabouts or AFTER the confessions came to light, the claim was otherwise.
All of such is going to matter or should. And again timing is everything. Interesting he confessed again at Wabash so there go the claims of coercion at Westville.
None of this will get sorted or anything proven without doing it in a trial setting imo.
I don't know what's about with the psychologist or whatever she is. She seems to have played both sides of the fence in what I can determine in the little we have. I mean in ONE sense she is helping him confess and making calls to confess and talking to him about the case and his guilt but then claims things that sort of support the defense as far as mental health, etc. And she has that bad rap for sharing sh*t online which is a big NO NO. HUGE NO NO for such a person. So my trust there is limited BUT since there were calls and they likely were recorded, those can be trusted.
You know, I have to wonder what the family dynamic was here. Mom and wife. Where was religion stance, not sure that matters but wonder. His guilt, his confessions, etc. and yet they did not want to to hear them or believe them. It sounds very much in denial and like dysfunction and enabling and not seeing what he was really like. Sorry to say that but things hint of it. May be wrong.
And he's VERY worried about his family, makes sense, and them seeing crime scene photos and knowing what? What sick fantasy he had, what sick thing he did? I can't help, and don't like saying this again, but look back at that pic of his daughter in a shirt like Libby's on the bridge and because of all we know, it has a very sick taint to it. A taunting almost. Or a sick fantasy.
And there's plenty of rumors that the daughter and son-in-law are not on the same page with mom and gave LE info or suspicions.
I will leave that there... Changing the girls clothing, including that similar shirt to his daughters or I guess having Abby put it on. Now I will leave that there.
HOW could he possibly have NOT known what crime scene photos would show? Well for one he never expected to be caught and there they were staring him in the face dumped on him by the defense I guess...
I need to add one more thing--and I think this is huge. So there is RA worried about his family mainly and probably his reputation and anyone who knew him, but mostly his family seeing these photos right? Wanted to deal so evidence would never be seen was likely his hope. I think VERY likely was his thinking. BUT THEN his OWN attorneys release the pictures for nationwide or further DISTRIBUTION!!! WTF is wrong with these attorneys. Oh of course along with a thing of making it Os but the never not once managed to take RA out of the crime.
Said it before and will over and over, I actually feel sorry for him for the defense team he stuck himself with.
This case just never quits and is a HUGE thing and mess. That has certainly been accomplished and the case is just being used by for sure all the defense and their helpers imo.
NO ONE would LET HIM CONFESS. Not his wife, not his mom, not his attorneys, OR DEAL. Disgusting. Again jmo.