Delphi murder suspect spent 13 months in solitary confinement, which damages mental health: Defense

Delphi, Indiana, double murder suspect Richard Allen spent 13 months in solitary confinement, which damages an inmate's mental health, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections' executive director of mental health services.

The Department of Corrections' policy is that someone with a "serious mental illness" shouldn't be held in solitary for more than 30 days, Dr. Deanna Dwenger, a defense witness, said Friday.

During cross-examination, Dwenger told the court that Allen was not diagnosed with serious mental illness when he first arrived at Westville Correctional Facility in late 2022.

It wasn’t until April 2023 when that diagnosis was made, when his mental health took a noticeable turn, she said. That's also around the same time Allen's behavior changed and he began confessing to the murders of Libby and Abby, according to testimony from multiple corrections officers and a psychologist.

One corrections officer, Michael Clemons, testified for the prosecution that Allen told him, "I, Richard Matthew Allen, killed Abby and Libby by myself. No one helped me."

Clemons said Allen would shout to other inmates, "I’m not crazy, I’m only acting like I’m crazy."

Another corrections officer, Michael Roberts, testified that on April 23, 2023, Allen said, "I killed Abby & Libby. My wife wasn't involved. I want to confess." Days later, according to Roberts, Allen said, "Can I talk? Can you listen I killed Abby & Libby? How do I prove I'm insane?"

A juror asked Friday how a psychiatrist can tell if someone is faking psychosis. Dwenger said the clinician listens to body language and the chain of the story. Dwenger said if the story is organized, the person is probably faking psychosis, if it is disorganized and out of chronological order, it is more likely the person is psychotic or delusional.

Another juror asked if a person faking a mental health crisis could slip truths into a confession. Dwenger said she has seen psychotic people confess sincerely and psychotic people make things up.

Dwenger said she was aware Allen was always on camera while in custody, which worried her. Dwenger said she recommended the cameras be removed to improve Allen's mental health, but that never happened.

Allen's strange behavior in custody included hitting his head on the wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, eating paper, smearing feces in his cell and putting feces on his face for two hours, according to testimony from corrections officers.

Dwenger oversees employees including psychologist Dr. Monica Wala, a state witness who testified this week about Allen's alleged confessions to her.

Wala wrote in her report that she believed Allen was suffering from "situational psychosis." She said Allen would have episodes of psychosis and then it would go into remission.

The defense has attacked Wala's credibility because she admitted to being a true crime fan who listened to and participated in Delphi-related podcasts.

Dwenger said she knew Wala visited the site of the Delphi murders before Allen arrived at Westville Correctional Facility. She told the jury she thought it was unusual to visit the crime scene of someone you work with, but said Wala talked to her direct supervisor more about the issue.

Allen is accused of killing Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams 13, on a Delphi hiking trail in February 2017. He's pleaded not guilty to murder.