close
close

Ourladyoftheassumptionparish

Part – Newstatenabenn

    • Richard Allen’s prison psychologist says he confessed to Delphi murders
    patheur

    Richard Allen’s prison psychologist says he confessed to Delphi murders

    Sakege Posted on

    The trial against Richard Allen continues October 30 in Delphi, Indiana.

    Allen, 52, is accused of killing two teenagers who went missing on Feb. 13, 2017, and were found dead the next day. He was arrested in 2022 and faces two counts of murder and two counts of murder during the kidnapping for the death of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.

    journalists of the Indianapolis Star and the Lafayette’s Diary and Courier will cover the case as it moves through the court system. Here’s what will happen in court during Allen’s trial on Wednesday.

    This story will be updated throughout the day.

    Researcher Steve Mullin testified that only one car was registered in Carroll County that appears to match the one seen on surveillance footage captured near the trails where Abby and Libby were murdered: suspect Richard Allen’s vehicle.

    Mullin said a search of Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles records for Ford Focus cars registered in Carroll and surrounding counties in 2016-2017 turned up 31 entries. He then said that without duplicates, the search is narrowed to 18.

    Mullin said the list of cars in the region was narrowed further, to eight, when he looked up the number of Ford Focus ‘SE’ models, which is the type of car police say Allen was driving.

    When asked how many Ford Focus SE cars were specifically registered in Carroll County during that time, Mullin responded “one.”

    Jennifer Auger, one of Allen’s attorneys, argued that the car captured on Hoosier Harvestore surveillance footage shows no license plate or model. He also noted that the trails are frequented by out-of-town visitors.

    The state concluded the day by hearing from Brad Weber, a Carroll County resident, who testified that he was returning to his home, located near the trail, after leaving work at 2:01 p.m. on February 13, 2017, the day in which the girls were murdered.

    Weber estimated his trip takes 20 to 25 minutes to get home. They showed him a photograph of a truck, which he confirmed was his.

    When asked by the defense during cross-examination if he had stopped anywhere, as he had previously told police, Weber angrily shouted “no.”

    No further questions were asked before he was released from the witness stand.

    Dr. Monica Wala, Allen prison psychologist when he was in Westville Correctional Facilitytestified that Allen insisted he was innocent during his first months in the northwest Indiana state prison. Allen arrived in Westville in November 2022, about a month after his arrest.

    During those first months, Allen insisted he was innocent, according to reports Wala wrote about his sessions with Allen. Wala wrote in his Nov. 21, 2022, and Dec. 6, 2022, reports that Allen felt he was already being treated as if he were guilty and that he did not want to be in prison for something he did not do.

    In a November 25, 2022 report, Wala described Allen as “selfless” when it comes to his wife, Kathy.

    Wala also said Allen was a “frail” man when he arrived at the facility. Allen has a history of major depressive disorder and anxiety and showed signs of dependent personality syndromea mental health condition that involves an excessive need to be cared for by others.

    Allen’s conditions worsened and he began having suicidal thoughts around the spring of 2023, Wala testified.

    On April 4, 2023, Wala wrote that Allen believed death would bring relief.

    On July 26, 2023, Wala reported that Allen’s eyes were bulging, although he said he did not know why.

    Under cross-examination by defense attorney Bradley Rozzi, Wala acknowledged that inmates must be held in solitary confinement for up to 30 days. Allen was held in solitary confinement for 13 months, a situation Wala acknowledged could affect his mental health.

    Dr. Monica Wala, who was Allen’s prison psychologist when he was in Westville Correctional FacilityHe said he believes Allen faked many of the strange behaviors he displayed while at the facility.

    On April 10, 2023, he saw Allen sitting in his cell with his back against the wall, naked and raising his arms while talking to himself, Wala testified. All over his cell were papers, probably pages of court documents.

    The strange behavior, which coincided with Allen’s confessions, continued to escalate. On April 12, 2023, Wala wrote in his report that Allen was clapping and hitting something in his cell. The next day, he wrote that he defecated and consumed his own feces.

    Tuesday at the trial for the Delphi murders: Delphi jurors saw dueling images of Richard Allen: one who claimed his innocence, another who confessed

    At the time, Wala said prison officials ordered Allen to be constantly monitored. Wala also said that the strange behavior and confessions began shortly after Allen received the discovery materials, and it is possible that his behavior was in response to what he had read in those documents. Allen also had little or no sleep since early April, Wala said.

    Allen seemed better in mid-April after being medicated, Wala said.

    On April 17, Wala found Allen in his cell with his hand raised and his eyes closed. When asked if he was suffering from psychosis, Wala said “possibly,” but added that he needed more information to be sure. Wala, however, said he believes Allen was faking much of his strange behavior to receive a visit from his wife and be transferred to another facility.

    On April 28, Wala again found Allen naked in his cell. When she asked him if he wanted to talk, he said he needed to shower first. When she asked him why he hadn’t showered, he said, “Because I’m selfish.”

    At one point, Allen flushed a Bible down the toilet, Wala said.

    Under cross-examination by defense attorney Bradley Rozzi, Wala acknowledged that he followed Allen’s case with interest during his personal time even while treating him, a fact he mentioned to his supervisors. But Wala, a true crime fanatic, also said she followed other cases and was able to separate her personal interest from her treatment of Allen.

    She also admitted to using her access to the prison database to satisfy her curiosity about the case and acknowledged that Indiana Department of Corrections officials conducted an investigation into her. Wala no longer works in Westville, but remains employed by the same government contractor that provides health care in Indiana prisons.

    Rozzi also highlighted the conditions of Allen’s incarceration in Westville. He was kept alone in a small cell, where the lights were never off and a video camera constantly monitored him.

    New IDOC inmates are typically brought first to the Diagnostic Reception Center in Plainfield, where they are evaluated for a few weeks to determine which facility best suits them. But Allen’s evaluation, Wala acknowledged, accelerated and he was quickly located in Westville.

    Fiscal: Delphi Murder Suspect Made 61 Incriminating Statements While Incarcerated

    Allen’s defense attorneys, again, ask Special Judge Frances Gull to allow them to present evidence related to Odinism and alleged Odinists, saying that recent testimonies have opened the door for such evidence to be admitted.

    The defense has argued that Abby and Libby They were murdered by Odinists (members of a Norse pagan religion kidnapped by white nationalists) during a sacrificial ritual in the forest. Seagull so far blocked the defense to present their theory to jurors, saying that they have not presented admissible evidence linking the alleged Odinists to the crimes.

    In a motion filed Wednesday, defense attorneys listed several testimonies and evidence admitted during the trial that they say support their theory that multiple people killed the girls. Therefore, they argue, they should be allowed to present that theory to jurors.

    They cited testimonies from Dr. Roland Kohra forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies, that multiple toothed and non-toothed instruments may have been used to kill the girls. Evidence showing sticks and branches on the teens also opens the door for the defense to ask questions about the “unusual way” they were placed on the bodies, lawyers argued. In previous filings they have alleged that the sticks were arranged to resemble runes and symbols linked to Odinism.

    The defense also focuses on recent testimony from Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holemanwho said he believes the sticks were meant to hide the girls’ bodies. Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland also asked Holeman if the sticks were placed on the bodies as part of a “destruction.” Holeman said, “Yes.”

    This, defense attorneys argued, opened the door for them to present evidence refuting Holeman’s testimony.

    “Undoing is typically an attempt by the killer or killers to give dignity to the victim,” they wrote, saying that the way the girls’ bodies were found was the exact opposite of giving them dignity.

    Holeman also gave the jury an explanation for his belief that there is a single murderer: Multiple murderers usually discuss or reveal the crime to other people. Defense attorneys argue that this testimony allows them to present evidence about alleged Odinists who made statements incriminating themselves and others.

    Expert testimony: Delphi Murders Are ‘Textbook’ Examples of Ritual Murder

    Dr. Monica Walawho was Allen’s psychologist while he was in Westville Correctional Facilitytestified Wednesday that Allen confessed during his many sessions with her that he killed Abby and Libby.

    In one of their sessions, Allen said, “I killed Abby and Libby. I will kill everyone. I will annihilate everyone,” Wala testified. Allen, Wala said, also talked about the start of World War III.

    Wala, who saw Allen daily while he was on suicide watch, said the confessions began in the spring of 2023. At one point, he told her that he “made sure they were dead because he didn’t want them to suffer” and that he acted alone, Wala testified. Allen told Wala his intentions were “sexual in nature” and claimed to be a sex addict and alcoholic, she told the jury.

    During some of his confessions, Wala said Allen gave specific details about the crime, telling him that he cut the teens’ throats and placed branches over their bodies. During a session on May 3, 2023, Allen told Wala what he did on February 13, 2017. He said he went to his parents’ house that morning, returned home to grab a jacket, and then went to Monon High . Bridge Trail, where he saw Abby and Libby, followed them and ordered them down the hill, Wala told jurors.

    Under questioning by Stacey Diener, Wala testified that Allen’s emotions were sometimes erratic. He often went off on tangents and sometimes expressed a desire to apologize to the girls’ families, Wala said. One confession, Wala told the jury, was expressed “almost naturally.”

    Coinciding with the confessions was a series of strange behaviors, such as drinking from the toilet and eating his feces. When asked why he ate his feces, Allen said, “Because I’m crazy,” Wala testified.

    Allen also seemed less suicidal at times, saying he “couldn’t kill himself because he was too much of a coward,” Wala told jurors.

    Sakege
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like