13 Things To Know From The #Delphi Murders Trial Today - Oct 29
1. Day 10 of testimony was the first time jurors got to hear directly from Richard Allen. The longest day of testimony yet focused on 2 videotaped interrogations of Allen and his confessions from prison.
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2. Jurors listened to nearly 3 hrs of his Oct 2022 meetings w police prior to his arrest. In the 1st video, Allen described where he was & what he saw on the day of the murders. He seemed relaxed, offering info freely. That changed when police asked to inspect his phone & home.
3. When investigator Steve Mullin asked Allen if he was Bridge Guy, Allen calmly told them, “Your attitude towards me has definitely changed… it’s not me. You’re not going to convince me it’s me. I had nothing to do with those murders.” Said he wasn’t going to be their fall guy.
4. After 90 min of questioning in which Allen remained calm, he told investigators they were “pissing him off,” called one an & the room. Later that day, police served a search warrant on his home, where they recovered a gun later linked to a cartridge at the crime scene.
5. Video of the 2nd interrogation shown to jurors was more intense. ISP Lt Jerry Holeman told Allen about the gun lab results. Allen again remained calm, saying the testing was not correct & he had no explanation. Holeman said “The science doesn’t lie…I’m trying to help you.”
6. Holeman told Allen the media would portray him as a monster if he didn’t confess. Over & over, Allen said “I’m not going to admit to something I didn’t do.” Late in the interview, Allen’s wife was brought into the room. They hugged. She cried. He again denied any involvement.
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7. Holeman: “Now you’re going to drag your wife & daughter thru this because you’re too bullheaded to get out ahead of this.”Allen: “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done to my wife. You want to with me, with me. But you leave my wife out of this.”
8. Holeman screamed at Allen, cussing him out. Allen said “if you’re going to arrest me, arrest me. Holeman replied “happy to.” The video was then stopped & the judge told jurors what happened next: Holeman placed Allen in handcuffs & arrested him for the murders of Abby & Libby.
9. Next the jury heard from 9 prison employees who said they heard Allen confess to the murders. Former Westville Prison warden John Galipeau said Allen’s confessed in a note: “I am ready to officially confess to killing Abby and Libby.” He also said Allen’s confessed verbally.
10. 7 corrections officers stationed outside Allen’s cell while he was suicide watch testified about what they heard & documented in their logs. Examples:“Offender says God I’m so glad no one gave up on me after I killed Abby & Libby.”“Can you listen? I killed Abby & Libby.”
11. The defense questioned the prison staff about their lack of mental health training and inability to recognize when an inmate is suffering from a severe mental health crisis. The atts also highlighted the extreme harsh conditions Allen was subjected to at Westville.
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12. Still ahead: Allen’s confessions to his wife and mother during prison phone calls. Those are expected today and will allow the jury to hear incriminating statements made in Allen’s own voice.
13. SO much more to discuss from yesterday’s testimony. @EmilyWTHR and I go much deeper on the day’s evidence and how the jury and families reacted in our Delphi Debrief.
October 29, 2024Thread by
@MaxLewisTV
Delphi Murders Trial Day 10 Afternoon Wrap Up:
It was the longest day we've had since this trial began. In the afternoon, we heard the confessions Richard Allen made to prison guards at the Westville Correctional Facility where he was held for more than a year. <i></i>
-We heard first from John Galipeau who was the former warden at Westville
-He went through what Allen's was life was like there
-Allen was on suicide watch for most of his time there
-He would have "suicide companions" watching him and monitoring what he did and said <i></i>
-Galipeau said initially other inmates were monitoring Allen but that changed after he started acting "erratic"
-Prison guards took over as his suicide companions
-Galipeau said Allen started washing his face in the toilet and pooping in his cell <i></i>
-Then Allen wrote a "request for interview" form which said "I'm ready to officially confess to Killing Abby and Libby"
-Here's a recreation we did during a viewing of exhibits last week:
-During cross examination, defense attorney Brad Rozzi pointed out that the area Allen was in was maximum security and house inmates who had conduct violations
-Rozzi reminded everyone that Allen was a pre-trial inmate and not convicted of a crime <i></i>
-Galipeau told Rozzi he had never heard of a "safekeeper" (aka pre-trial inmate) being held in a pod like that in his 28 years with IDOC
-Galipeau said that because Allen was on suicide watch, he had more limitations than other inmates and was watched at all times <i></i>
-Rozzi tried to ask about Galipeau being fired from the Department of Corrections but McLeland objected and Judge Gull agreed because it was outside the scope of what McLeland had asked about
-We then heard from 8 prison guards who were Allen's suicide companions <i></i>
-All of them heard Allen confess to the murders in some sort of fashion
-Officer Michael Clemons heard Allen say "I'm glad nobody gave up on me after I killed Abby and Libby"
-Also heard Allen say "I'm not crazy, I'm only acting like I'm crazy" <i></i>
-During cross, Rozzi asked if he heard Allen mention specific details? The answer was no.
-Clemons told Rozzi that other inmates would call Allen a "baby killer" and would tell him to kill himself
-During re-direct, Clemons said he didn't think Allen was crazy <i></i>
-Next was Michael Robert who heard Allen say "I want to confess. I know a lot more"
-He also said "I killed Abby and Libby. My wife wasn't involved"
-He also heard Allen talking to himself saying "why are you doing this? Do you know god?" <i></i>
-Allen also said things like "I'll take some KFC", "Am I already dead?" and "Can I go home? Am I in jail"
-During cross examination, Robert said he witnessed Allen smear his poop on the walls of his cell
-Roberts also saw him bang his head on the wall until it was bruised <i></i>
-He also said Allen would stand in the corner and run naked
-Next was James Early
-He heard Allen say "I am ready to confess. I swear to god I killed Abby and Libby. me running"
-During cross, Early said he saw Allen penetrate himself with a spork <i></i>
-Early also witnessed Allen drink from his toilet
-When Rozzi asked Early if it would be detrimental to someone's mental health to be in those conditions? He said yes
-Officer John Miller heard Allen say "funniest joke is how I killed them" <i></i>
-Allen also told Miller he killed his family and grandchildren
-Miller said Allen told him a "bear claw" was hypnotizing him.
-Miller told the jury he didn't think Allen's mental health issues were genuine
-Then came Brandon Fisher who heard the most detailed confession <i></i>
-Fisher says Allen said "he killed two girls in Delphi with a box cutter and threw it in the CVS dumpster"
-Fisher says Allen also said "he was going to rape them but panicked and killed them instead"
-He was banging his head on the wall while making some of these statements <i></i>
-During cross, Rozzi began to ask about Fisher being fired from IDOC for providing false info but prosecutor objected and it was sustained
-Fisher told Rozzi he thought Allen was putting on an "act" <i></i>
-Fisher said Allen would bang his head on the door while asking people to read the bible to him
-Fisher said Allen would also pretend he was in medieval times
-Allen also rubbed his poop on his face and left it there for two hours while in Fisher's presence <i></i>
-Officer Raymond Smith said Allen told him "I killed those two girls so I have to kill myself"
-Smith also witnessed Allen standing in the corner of his cell naked and singing "God Bless America"
-Smith said Allen then began masturbating in front of the door <i></i>
-Last was Jason Bedwell who works at the Wabash Valley prison where Allen was moved
-Said he heard Allen say "I'm sorry for what I did. Sorry for killing the girls" while he was laying down and crying
-Rozzi pointed out that there is no recording of that statement like the others <i></i>
-For reference, here's the change Allen underwent while in prison
-In motions to get him moved, which were eventually granted, Allen's lawyers said Westville was like a prison of war camp
-They included these pictures as part of their evidence
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-Jury was sent out around 6:30
-Many of them were looking at the clock towards the end of day
-Confessions we didn't hear about today are the ones Allen supposedly made to his family members
-We'll see if that comes up tomorrow
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@MaxLewisTV: Delphi Murders Trial Day 10 Afternoon Wrap Up: It was the longest day we've had since this trial began. In the afternoon, we heard the confessions Richard Allen made to prison guards at the Westville...…threadreaderapp.com
More from Dr. Wala:
Wala told the jury on April 5, 2023 Allen discussed his case with her, unprompted.
Wala said Allen claimed he molested his sister and experimented sexually with male and female children his age when he was a kid. Wala said Allen told her this is where he thought his problem started.
Wala told the jury Allen said he had been an alcoholic twice since 2011. Allen told her he accepted God on March 21, 2023 and expressed remorse for the killings, according to Wala.
Wala said Allen expressed appreciation for being clothes and fed at Westville, he asked for bibles and slept with one. She said he asked to speak with a chaplain.
Wala told the jury she that Allen “had a bizarre smile” and claimed he had memory lapses. She said he “confessed in a very matter of fact manner.” Wala said she thought he could have been purposeful and instrumental with his confessions. She said she was aware he had written confessions in request and requested an interview.
Wala said Allen’s normal eye-contact was “sometimes intense,” and that she saw “intermittent gazing, but then would be normal.” “His emotions were kind of up and down,” she said.
In a report from April 7, 2023:
Wala told Allen that he had confessed and told him it was not in his best interest, that it could get to the media. Wala told the jury that she felt like he was being more blatant with his confusion. She said she felt he was purposeful being that way, faking it.
Wala told the jury that Allen said that he “didn’t sign anything, right?”
The next report is from April 10, 2023. Wala tells the jury that she noticed “faking” symptoms. She said Allen was naked during this meeting, that there were papers on the floor and was doing “unknown things” to his penis and talking about his wife. Wala tells the jury that the papers on the floor were the discovery paperwork for the case.
Source: Delphi Murders trial: Day 11 live blog
13 Things To Know From The #Delphi Murders Trial Today - Oct 30
1. Devastating testimony today against Richard Allen. Unlike the relatively generic confessions that corrections officers discussed Tues, today jurors heard about far more detailed statements made by Allen.
2. Dr. Monica Wala, the head psychologist at Westville Correctional Facility while Richard Allen was there for 13 months, read from her clinical notes that detailed her conversations while treating Allen. She told the jury about multiple confessions, but one clearly stood out.
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3. Wala said Allen described his actions on the day of the murders. Said he went to his parent’s home, then got a 6-pack of beer on his way back & drank 3 cans before he bundled up & went to the trails. That’s where he saw Abby & Libby and followed them to the Monon High bridge.
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4. She said Allen recalled “doing something” with his gun, which he thought might explain how a cartridge ended up at the crime scene. He said he then told the girls to go down the hill, where he planned to sexually assault them. But he said he saw a van pass nearby & got scared.
5. Wala said Allen told her he then instructed the girls to cross the creek & he “cut their necks,” making sure they were dead before covering their bodies w branches & returning to his car, staying off the trail to avoid people. Jurors got Wala’s notes so they could read along.
6. Wala said Allen also asked her to listen as RA called his wife to confess to her. She said Cathy Allen replied “stop saying that.” Then RA said “I didn’t do everything I said I did but I did kill Abby & Libby.” A day earlier, he told Wala “I just want to sign my confession.”
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7. Dpty prosecutor Stacy Diener asked Wala to read sections of her clinical notes showing Allen seemed to be in a sound mental state at the time of the confessions. The jury heard Wala’s notations that Allen confessed in a “concise” & “chronological” manner & seemed remorseful…
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8. Sections of Wala’s notes highlighted by the State also included the psychologist telling the jury that Allen did not seem to be psychotic, that his anxiety & depression appeared to be improved, and that he might be “faking” signs of mental health problems.
9. But other entries she read to jurors showed just the opposite: RA eating his own feces, rolling naked on the floor of his cell, banging his head on the wall hard enough to cause 2 black eyes. A day before his confession, she wrote he was suicidal w intense anguish & anxiety.
10. And on cross exam, the defense highlighted portions of her clinical notes showing she diagnosed Allen w “serious mental illness.” She acknowledged he was “a fragile man” who had an abrupt occurrence of psychotic behavior & said he might not have faked mental issues at all.
11. Feeling confused by all that? I was too. Was Allen crazy when he made his confessions or wasn’t he? The jury will have to sort that out.The defense also had Wala detail the extreme prison conditions Allen was held in, exacerbating his existing anxiety & depression.
12. And the defense attacked Wala’s credibility, pointing out her obsession with Delphi Murders podcasts & his case (which she discussed with Allen WHILE SHE WAS TREATING HIM ) and her inappropriate & unprofessional conduct that eventually got her removed from the the prison.
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To hear more about Dr. Wala’s unusual conduct, as well as a shocking courtroom outburst by the state’s final witness of the day, check out tonight’s in-depth Delphi Debrief with @EmilyWTHR, 13News Legal Analyst Katie Jackson-Lindsay & me. See you tomorrow. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uhGcyI_81CI
@BobSegallWTHR