Abby & Libby - The Delphi Murders - Richard Allen Arrested - #208

[Rosegold68]

Warden Galipeua has been kind of vague until now as to exactly how much time RA spent on suicide watch. He didn't even get regular clothes during those times. Nothing to sit on except the floor, toilet and a bed that's barely off the floor.

Anti ligature clothing…normal. Low bed…normal,can’t throw yourself off it. Nailed to the floor so it can’t be upended to hang himself off. Lack of furniture…can’t barricade to slow down staff entering….all standard when a prisoner has stated intent

 

[Deleted member 296739]

But it is misleading to call it 'solitary confinement' if the inmate has a personal tablet in their cell which can call out to family, friends and attorneys whenever they want. IMO

Solitary implies the inmate is cut off from any contact and kept isolated. That is not how RA was treated. He could reach out to family whenever he desired. He had his therapist visit every single day. He had trustees sitting at his cell door 24/7 to watch over him.

While there is no universally agreed definition of solitary confinement – often also called ‘segregation’, ‘isolation’, ‘lockdown’ or ‘super-max’ – it is commonly understood to be the physical isolation of individuals who are confined to their cells for 22 to 24 hours a day, and allowed only minimal meaningful interaction with others.

Contact with family or visitors is often restricted or denied altogether, despite the fact that contact with family in particular, has been shown to be an important factor in successful rehabilitation.

Solitary confinement - Penal Reform International

Excessive use of solitary confinement in prisons around the world is becoming an increasing concern.

www.penalreform.org

I don’t know what his restrictions were or were not- he was not allowed frequent normative human interactions from my understanding- he was under increased supervision and physically isolated and confined to his cell- I don’t know how long his rec time was but it sounds like he would have been in his cell 22 to 24 hrs a day- so from what I know of the circumstances he meets the definition of solitary

Additionally who he can call and who can put money on his account (to pay for calls for example) can be limited to who is on an approved list- which dramatically affects how an inmate can contact the outside world and have meaningful human interaction- in my experience-

So I don’t think it’s a misrepresentation to say that he was in “solitary” when he was held under the max level that IN offers at the state level- moo and in my experience-

 

[zh0r4]

(RA) Dependent Personality Disorder testified by Dr. Wala on 10/30/2024

Info from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. p. 721-725



“301.6 Dependent Personality Disorder

Diagnostic Features

The essential feature of Dependent Personality Disorder is a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of that leads to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation. This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. The dependent and submissive behaviors are designed to elicit caregiving and arise from a self-perception of being unable to function adequately without the help of others.

Individuals with Dependent Personality Disorder have great difficulty making everyday decisions (e.g., what color shirt to wear to work or whether to carry an um-brella) without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others (Criterion 1). These individuals tend to be passive and to allow other people (often a single other person) to take the initiative and assume responsibility for most major areas of their lives (Criterion 2). Adults with this disorder typically depend on a parent or spouse to decide where they should live, what kind of job they should have, and which neighbors to befriend. Adolescents with this disorder may allow their parents) to decide what they should wear, with whom they should associate, how they should spend their free time, and what school or college they should attend. This need for others to assume responsibility goes beyond age-appropriate and situation-appropriate requests for assistance from others (e.g., the specific needs of children, elderly persons, and handicapped persons). Dependent Personality Disorder may occur in an individual who has a serious general medical condition or disability, but in such cases the difficulty in taking responsibility must go beyond what would normally be associated with that condition or disability.

Because they fear losing support or approval, individuals with Dependent Personality Disorder often have difficulty expressing disagreement with other people, especially those on whom they are dependent (Criterion 3). These individuals feel so unable to function alone that they will agree with things that they feel are wrong rather than risk losing the help of those to whom they look for guidance. They do not get appropriately angry at others whose support and nurturance they need for fear of alienating them. If the individual's concerns regarding the consequences of expressing disagreement are realistic (e.g., realistic fears of retribution from an abusive spouse), the behavior should not be considered to be evidence of Dependent Personality Disorder.

Individuals with this disorder have difficulty initiating projects or doing things independently (Criterion 4). They lack self-confidence and believe that they need help to begin and carry through tasks. They will wait for others to start things because they believe that as a rule others can do them better. These individuals are convinced that they are incapable of functioning independently and present themselves as inept and requiring constant assistance. They are, however, likely to function adequately if given the assurance that someone else is supervising and approving. There may be a fear of becoming or appearing to be more competent, because they may believe that this will lead to abandonment. Because they rely on others to handle their problems, they often do not learn the skills of independent living, thus perpetuating dependency.

Individuals with Dependent Personality Disorder may go to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others, even to the point of volunteering for unpleasant tasks if such behavior will bring the care they need (Criterion 5). They are willing to submit to what others want, even if the demands are unreasonable. Their need to maintain an important bond will often result in imbalanced or distorted rela-tionships. They may make extraordinary self-sacrifices or tolerate verbal, physical, or sexual abuse. (It should be noted that this behavior should be considered evidence of Dependent Personality Disorder only when it can clearly be established that other options are available to the individual.) Individuals with this disorder feel uncomfortable or helpless when alone, because of their exaggerated fears of being unable to care for themselves (Criterion 6).

They will "tag along" with important others just to avoid being alone, even if they are not interested or involved in what is happening. When a close relationship ends (e.g., a breakup with a lover; the death of a caregiv-er), individuals with Dependent Personality Disorder may urgently seek another relationship to provide the care and support they need (Criterion 7). Their belief that they are unable to function in the absence of a close relationship motivates these individuals to become quickly and indiscriminately attached to another person. Individuals with this disorder are often preoccupied with fears of being left to care for themselves (Criterion 8). They see themselves as so totally dependent on the advice and help of an important other person that they worry about being abandoned by that person when there are no grounds to justify such fears. To be considered as evidence of this criterion, the fears must be excessive and unrealistic. For example, an elderly man with cancer who moves into his son's household for care is exhibiting dependent behavior that is appropriate given this person's life circumstances.

Associated Features and Disorders

Individuals with Dependent Personality Disorder are often characterized by pessimism and self-doubt, tend to belittle their abilities and assets, and may constantly refer to themselves as "stupid." They take criticism and disapproval as proof of their worthlessness and lose faith in themselves. They may seek overprotection and dominance from others. Occupational functioning may be impaired if independent initiative is required. They may avoid positions of responsibility and become anxious when faced with decisions. Social relations tend to be limited to those few people on whom the individual is dependent.

Chronic physical illness or Separation Anxiety Disorder in childhood or adolescence may predispose the individual to the development of this disorder.

Specific Culture, Age, and Gender Features

The degree to which dependent behaviors are considered to be appropriate varies substantially across different age and sociocultural groups. Age and cultural factors need to be considered in evaluating the diagnostic threshold of each criterion. Dependent behavior should be considered characteristic of the disorder only when it is clearly in excess of the individual's cultural norms or reflects unrealistic concerns. An emphasis on passivity, politeness, and deferential treatment is characteristic of some societies and may be misinterpreted as traits of Dependent Personality Disorder. Sim-ilarly, societies may differentially foster and discourage dependent behavior in males and females. This diagnosis should be used with great caution, if at all, in children and adolescents, for whom dependent behavior may be developmentally appropriate. In clinical settings, this disorder has been diagnosed more frequently in females, although some studies report similar prevalence rates among males and females.”


Sources:

p. 721-725 DSM-4 Dependent Personality Disorder
https://archive.org/details/diagnosticstatis00amer_0

DSM-IV-TR. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

my copy of the DSM-4 with timestamp


Andrea Burkhart, Day 14 coverage

 

[AugustWest]

Here is the confusing part for me--the defense is saying that he was woefully mistreated, kept isolated, neglected, abused by the guards, driven to psychosis...etc.

But then we find out he had these amenities, which seem to negate the accusations the defense is making, about him being isolated with no human contact, IMO

It isn't the defense that is testifying to that. It is the State's own witness:

Wala continued, confirming Allen had a mental illness and it’s “reasonable to believe solitary confinement contributed to that.”

Department of Corrections policy states that inmates should not be kept in solitary confinement for more than 30 days if they have a severe mental illness. Richard Allen was in solitary for 13 months.

Delphi Murders trial: Day 11 live blog

Richard Allen, accused of murdering two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, is on trial and Day 11 of the trial began with testimony from several witnesses including Steve Mullin, John Galipeau, Ethan Drang, and Michael Clemons.

www.wishtv.com

 

[SouthEnd]

Generally, character evidence is not admissible against a criminal defendant.

Surely that's unless it is to prove that the person was showing the same behaviour that led to the crimes? Eg, if a person is accused of murdering their spouse in a fit of rage, then character witnesses talking about their violent outbursts would be allowed?

Genuine question, thank you!

 

[TristanP]

Did you see the testimony where RA told a guard, "Well I won't be doing that again," with regards to smearing/eating feces?

No. Is it supposed to have more meaning than him being disgusted that it happened while he was severely mentally unwell?

 

[Rosegold68]

also, he needed to be kept away from other prisoners….if he had spoken about the crime or his trial and someone had said on the phone to their wife’RA said he’d done this that etc’ it would be leaked and trial jeopardised

 

[TristanP]

Based on RA testified to while at Westville and now even at Cass County, sounds like segregation is the best option for this Defendant. He sounds like he could harm himself or other for sure.

MOO

As the kids say "tell me you've never been inside a jail without telling me you've never been inside a jail".

RA is about as dangerous as a baby mouse in there.

 

[TristanP]

also, he needed to be kept away from other prisoners….if he had spoken about the crime or his trial and someone had said on the phone to their wife’RA said he’d done this that etc’ it would be leaked and trial jeopardised

That is NOT AT ALL justification for him being kept in solitary confinement for 13 months.

 

[technicallymissing]

He probably also has a feeling that they're going to paint him as the murderer. I'd be furious.

Judging by how the defense- very unsubtly- tried to implicate Kelsi in Libby and Abby’s deaths during jury selection, it’s perfectly reasonable for BW to be concerned about that imo.

 

[sunshineray]

I would, but absolutely not without my legal counsel present. mooo

Conspiracies are everywhere...people are just way too scared these days, like a big step back to Kitty Genovese. It's really unfortunate and disheartening...boogie men everywhere. AJMO

 

[Rosegold68]

That is NOT AT ALL justification for him being kept in solitary confinement for 13 months

I’m struggling to see where I said he was! I’ve said previously it shouldn’t have happened………

 

[MassGuy]

Remarkable that the geofence picked up her phone, but not Allen’s, who said he was using it at the same location. Sometimes the absence of evidence is evidence.

She said six months later the FBI contacted her and notified her that her phone was pinged as being at the high bridge on Feb. 13.

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-murders-defense-team-calls-first-witnesses-after-prosecution-rests/

 

[Deleted member 296739]

Remarkable that the geofence picked up her phone, but not Allen’s, who said he was using it at the same location. Sometimes the absence of evidence is evidence.

She said six months later the FBI contacted her and notified her that her phone was pinged as being at the high bridge on Feb. 13.

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-murders-defense-team-calls-first-witnesses-after-prosecution-rests/

I’m behind on this thread, do we know what timeframe of the geofence data is yet? TIA

 

[FrostedGlass]

Anti ligature clothing…normal. Low bed…normal,can’t throw yourself off it. Nailed to the floor so it can’t be upended to hang himself off. Lack of furniture…can’t barricade to slow down staff entering….all standard when a prisoner has stated intent

I understand that. RA was kept in that cell even when he wasn't on suicide watch.

 

[MassGuy]

I’m behind on this thread, do we know what timeframe of the geofence data is yet? TIA

She was there from 2:50 to about 4.

Presumably the geofence would be for some time period prior to the girl’s arrival, to a certain period of time after they were known to have disappeared.

We’ve heard no details, and I just don’t understand why it wasn’t presented.

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-murders-defense-team-calls-first-witnesses-after-prosecution-rests/

 

[Deleted member 296739]

She was there from 2:50 to about 4.

Presumably the geofence would be for some time period prior to the girl’s arrival, to a certain period of time after they were known to have disappeared.

We’ve heard no details, and I just don’t understand why it wasn’t presented.

https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-murders-defense-team-calls-first-witnesses-after-prosecution-rests/

Thanks- the lack of timeframe details is odd to me- moo

 

[Momofthreeboys]

Ok, I'm not a lawyer but surely there's a process for sharing the defense with evidence you want to present, even if it's after the trial has started where the jury doesn't hear about it and both sides can have a hearing with the judge on whether it is permissble MOO

yes it could have been handled differently and imo the prosecution action today felt a little desperate.

 

[Betty P]

I wonder if you are comparing some other country to the US. We don't just throw people into black holes and walk away.

We used to do that and some jails, unfortunately, still do. Birmingham Jail, Parchman, remember all those? There are many jails around the US that are today under investigation by DOJ for their terrible practices, inmates dying while incarcerated. It doesn't seem to be the case, though, with RA. I'm not sure what the situation was with regional county jails, but it would have been preferable to keep him in one of those instead of prison. That said, it doesn't change the fact that the evidence shows he is probably guilty.

 

[technicallymissing]

This is a smart, sophisticated jury.

The Delphi Murders: Richard Allen on Trial: Day Nine: Crime Scene Analysis

We discuss the ninth day of Richard Allen's trial. We had a half-day of testimony from Stacy Bozinovski of the Indianapolis Indiana State Police Laboratory and...

murdersheetpodcast.com

On Tuesday one of them asked the DNA analyst Stacy Bozinovski about human chimeras and how they might affect DNA evidence... they are really digging deep! TMS said Bozinovski said that was a great question and described her as being "impressed that someone knew what that was". 54:52 above episode