The Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the grounds of the Carroll County Courthouse is shown in Delphi on Oct. 1.
The Associated Press File Photo
By Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee | The Murder Sheet
For the Daily Journal
DELPHI, Ind. — Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland presented a parade of witnesses who heard a handful of accused Delphi killer Richard Allen’s 61 alleged confessions over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
In one instance, a witness to one of Allen’s confessions heard specific information that may prove to be a detail that only the killer would know.
Allen stands accused of abducting and murdering 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams on Feb. 13, 2017 from the wooded trails of Delphi. Footage from German’s phone shows the two teenagers interacting with a man on the Monon High Bridge. German mentions a “gun,” and the man then orders them, “Down the hill.”
The case remained unsolved until volunteer Kathy Shank uncovered a tip in which Allen claimed to be at the trails that day. Ballistics evidence matched Allen’s Sig Sauer to an unspent round found between the girls, and he was arrested and charged in 2022. Before Allen was transferred to the Cass County Jail, he was incarcerated in Westville Correctional Facility and later Wabash Valley Correctional Facility after Carroll County authorities argued that their jail was small and ill-equipped to keep a high-profile inmate safe.
On Tuesday, the majority of the witnesses were current and former correctional officers at Westville, while one was a correctional officer at Wabash Valley. Dr. Monica Wala, who took the stand for hours on Wednesday, was a clinical psychologist who treated Allen at Westville.
Speaking to Wala, Allen claimed that he was a “coward” who suffered from alcoholism and a sexual addiction. He said that on the day of the murders, he visited his mother’s home in Miami County. Afterwards, he obtained a six-pack of beers and drank three of them, before “bundling up” and heading to the trails. In his confession, he said he followed German and Williams across the Monon High Bridge and then abducted them at gunpoint, intending to rape them. He indicated that he did something to his gun, which may have resulted in an unspent cartridge being ejected from the firearm at the crime scene. Wala said that Allen told her that he forced the girls onto an access road, but became frightened when a white van drove by. He subsequently ordered the girls to cross Deer Creek, and then slit their throats before covering their bodies with a few branches.
“’I killed Abby and Libby,’” Wala testified that Allen told her. “’I’m sorry.’”
Delphi resident Brad Weber confirmed that he had driven his white van down an access road beneath the bridge around the time of the abduction. His account provided the state with a key detail that only the killer would know.
Wala and the correctional officers each testified that Allen repeatedly expressed remorse for the murders.
“He wished that he could go back and change his actions,” Wala said.
The outright confessions began on March 21, 2023, which Allen told others was the day he “took God into his heart.” The number of incriminating statements waned as Allen’s family began to lessen their contact with him. But one occurred as recently as Feb. 4 of this year. Wabash Valley correctional officer Jason Bedwell described making his rounds and coming upon Allen’s cell. He overheard the inmate crying and saying, “I am sorry for killing those girls.”
The prison eyewitnesses indicated that Allen’s behavior seemed to worsen when he first received legal documents pertaining to his case, and subsequently around visits with his attorneys. The majority of the witnesses expressed their belief that Allen was feigning mental illness when he engaged in behaviors like smearing and eating his feces, lightly banging his forehead against the wall, and engaging in bizarre behavior like gratifying himself while singing the tune “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
During direct examination with deputy prosecutor Stacey Diener, Wala testified that she at the time believed that Allen was “consciously allowing himself to deteriorate” possibly due to feelings of “guilt and loss.” During cross examination by lead defense attorney Brad Rozzi, she acknowledged that she was now uncertain of whether or not Allen’s behavior was genuine. According to Wala, prison officials intervened to forcibly inject Allen with medication after his behavior devolved to a certain point.
“It’s getting to the point where it almost doesn’t matter if he’s faking or not faking because he’s deteriorating,” she said.
Allen’s team countered that Allen made all sorts of unprovable claims, also saying that he was sexually abused by a babysitter and his grandfather, that he possibly molested his daughter and that he killed his entire family. Wala indicated that she believed the familicide comment to be a metaphor highlighting the negative impact of the case on Allen’s relatives.
The defense, which also includes Franklin attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Jennifer Auger, will have a chance to present their own case once the prosecution rests.
The Murder Sheet is a podcast that takes a journalistic and analytical approach to true crime coverage. They are partnering with the Daily Journal to provide coverage of the Delphi double-murder trial. Check out their podcast at murdersheetpodcast.com.
