Abby & Libby - The Delphi Murders - Richard Allen Arrested - #204

[justtrish]

If he did feel like that and allegedly made “60+ confessions”, (talk about overkill, no pun intended) then why didn’t he just plead guilty?

IMO - his wife, his mother, his lawyers

 

[tlcya]

Hmm okay I mostly get it, and yes as I predicted I am an idiot and this clarified what I was missing.

I still don’t get why firing the gun is preferable for testing purposes vs. racking it, because I’m sure firing it creates way more force than anyone could possibly create by racking the gun, but whatever, that’s off to the side of where I was confused initially. Thank you!

no worries, this kind of stuff leaves me lost in the weeds at times so you aren't alone

 

[Ravenmoon]

It was 5 years later. How is this supposed to be some indication of guilt? Do you still have your old phone from 5 years ago?

I don't believe that the OP was saying that a missing phone is an indication of guilt in and of itself.

But the odds that he still has so many old phones lying around with the exception of the one that he used the day of the murders is curious for sure.

No single thing so far proves guilt, but brick by brick, the facts are closing in on RA.

 

[Boxer]

They tried both fingerprints and DNA. It's a small surface area, and likely to get smudged regardless during the loading process. Touch DNA is possible and I'd imagine more common than obtaining a fingerprint, but even that is rare (they do have newer processes that have increased the ability to obtain that though). Don't forget too, this cartridge was exposed to the elements, and somewhat buried. That's not a good environment for either of those things.

Ammunition typically comes in a cardboard box. When you remove it, this is what it looks like. Then you slide that ammunition into a magazine (2 of them on the left), and slide a magazine into the handle of a gun.

That’s probably the only time that ammunition is touched by human hands (machines do all of the assembly at the factory).


View attachment 540540

MOO the DNA or prints that ever were on the bullet were wiped off when it was stepped into the ground.

 

[TristanP]

they 100% could. I suspect that a suspect or POI might worry that would give the LEO a certain negative impression which in turn could cause LEOs to look even harder at the person IMO.

Not to mention if it was done at the police station there is a greater chance that that initial interaction between RA and LE back in 2017 would have been at least audio taped as most people believe through watching TV and trials that interview rooms at police stations are equipped with recording capability.

Not like that would matter - LE “loses” their recordings…

 

[Deleted member 229974]

IMO - his wife, his mother, his lawyers

I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. His wife, mother and lawyers told him to plead not guilty?

 

[Ravenmoon]

If he did feel like that and allegedly made “60+ confessions”, (talk about overkill, no pun intended) then why didn’t he just plead guilty?

He wanted his family to support him, but they rejected him instead IMO .

 

[gremlin444]

Point down, and into the ground. How deep was it in there again?

Testimony from a few days ago said that enough of the end of it was visible to have glinted under a special blue light the CSI were using and that glint was seen by one of the CSI.

 

[TristanP]

I don't believe that the OP was saying that a missing phone is an indication of guilt in and of itself.

But the odds that he still has so many old phones lying around with the exception of the one that he used the day of the murders is curious for sure.

No single thing so far proves guilt, but brick by brick, the facts are closing in on RA.

It would be nice if it was clarified if the phones found were actually used by RA and when. My daughter collected old cell phones for a while and we easily had 20 of them at any time in our house. But none of them were our old phones, just ones we found at garage sales and flea markets.

 

[FrostedGlass]

People attempting to cash in on the reward? It may’ve been determined all the other blue jackets were manufactured after 2017. LE never said.

I understood that to mean there is a specific jacket they are looking for = the blue jacket.
IMO it may have been torn.

 

[Cedars]

It was 5 years later. How is this supposed to be some indication of guilt? Do you still have your old phone from 5 years ago?

Hidden True Crime reported that a photo of all the phones collected ftom the office (ETA, it appears there may have been other phones in the house) was shown, and she and another person each separately counted 15 phones. Including flip phones. She also states the officer's testimony as "there was only one phone we did not recover, and it was the phone from 2017".
Hidden True Crime on YT, 1 hr, 43 mins.

ETA Suggests they explicitly investigated each phone and when it had been in use/by whom.

JMO

 

[Boxer]

I don't believe that the OP was saying that a missing phone is an indication of guilt in and of itself.

But the odds that he still has so many old phones lying around with the exception of the one that he used the day of the murders is curious for sure.

No single thing so far proves guilt, but brick by brick, the facts are closing in on RA.

Any reasonable person walking the trail on 2/13/17 would keep that phone to show their whereabouts.

 

[INfisherman]

TLDR

Design engineer here for ~25+ years.

To add/clarify/explain in detail, tool marks are usually metal on metal markings that range anywhere from the lightest scratch that can require any type of magnification to see at one end of the spectrum (lightest of marks) all the way to deep gouges that can be both seen & felt at the other end (severity). Tool marks can also be caused by other materials (plastics, nylons, etc.) - basically anything hard or abrasive or coming in contact with one another with enough force to leave some sort of mark that is often quite consistent throughout a mechanical motion (like a gun being cycled/racked, cocked, trigger pulled, etc.). I used metal on metal example first because the majority of guns are mostly metal, particularly where tool marks would be involved.

Regarding markings not being exact duplicates is because when components of most any product are manufactured, there are almost always variations between each part (piece). Once you have all the parts (pieces) manufactured, there will be slight differences as to where each part (piece) sits after they are assembled. It’s my understanding that some parts (pieces) of guns are "touched up" by hand (filed, use of grinder/abrasives) in order to improve how smoothly the gun operates/fires. This would not only add additional variation but also increase the likelihood of marks made by those touched up pieces unique in some ways while some other marks would repeat practically every single time. I would doubt that each time the gun is cycled/fired that all markings would be 100% consistent. All those variations & round slightly moving as it is chambered would vary the markings. A trained eye could spot the consistencies, hence why the expert has to prove her abilities every so often.

Corrections additions or oversights welcome. Source: my experience above should speak for itself, all in the automotive industry involving the design of components made from aluminum, stainless steels, plastics, mold/die & gage design.

Not bragging in any manner & I have NEVER considered myself the smartest person in the room unless it’s full of politicians or Purdue and/or Kentucky fans, in which case I would then be a certified genius.

JMO except for the last sentence above.

 

[KSwizzle]

I think he’s guilty but I also think everything they have is so poor, it was an awful bitched investigation. They haven’t convinced me he is bridge guy, you have no dna, I’m not convinced he was the guy the girl saw “muddy and bloody”, she said he had different colored pants, I believe some girls saw another, younger guy at the trails, that guy could literally be the murderer

Im not even sure the jury will convict him, who knows

 

[Boxer]

People attempting to cash in on the reward? It may’ve been determined all the other blue jackets were manufactured after 2017. LE never said.

It was a Carhartt, and Carhartts have conspicuous logos.
By keeping that info back with a smudge on the still of BG, other coats turned in could be eliminated.

 

[photographer4]

Wait did they fire the bullets to compare? How is that apples to apples they should be comparing a racked unshot bullet to racked unshot bullet they found at the crime scene

And... having the unspent test bullet land on a surface the same as where they found it - on dirt / forest floor that is perhaps soft / muddy / covered in leaves.... moooo

 

[Salah11]

I think he’s guilty but I also think everything they have is so poor, it was an awful bitched investigation. They haven’t convinced me he is bridge guy, you have no dna, I’m not convinced he was the guy the girl saw “muddy and bloody”, she said he had different colored pants, I believe some girls saw another, younger guy at the trails, that guy could literally be the murderer

Im not even sure the jury will convict him, who knows

Where is this younger guy as I have seen zero proof of his existence?

 

[photographer4]

Excuse the dumb question, as I know very little about guns, but why wouldn't there be at least a fingerprint on the bullet casing? Are bullets in a cartridge loaded as a group (in a cartridge) into a gun? So if the bullet was wiped clean of prints at the factory and loaded into a cartridge (with other bullets) for purchase, only the cartridge would be likely to have the handler's prints? Do bullets come preloaded into cartridges?

Not an opinion or fact, but genuine questions because I don't understand.

Also - given the crime scene was said to be quite bloody - was there no blood evidence on it from the kids or the killer? Nothing to connect that bullet to the crime itself? If not, theoretically, could it not have been there before the kids ever were? Even if it was not showing signs of having been out too long - how long would it take to show signs of being in the ground at all?

 

[steeltowngirl]

I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean. His wife, mother and lawyers told him to plead not guilty?

I’m not who you asked…. But you asked why he didn’t plead guilty. I share the poster’s opinion, his wife didn’t want him to, and it’s documented that she doesn’t believe his confessions. It’s merely my opinion that she would not want him to take a plea.

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.

https://fox59.com/news/detective-testifies-richard-allen-confessed-more-than-60-times-to-delphi-murders/

 

[INfisherman]

Where is this younger guy as I have seen zero proof of his existence?

I’m beginning to think he began aging rapidly the moment he saw the BG photo.