Richard Allen was seriously mentally ill while in Westville prison, says IDOC psychologist

Court continues the lawsuit against Richard Allen.

Allen, 52, is accused of killing two teenagers who went missing on February 13, 2017 and were found dead the next day. He was arrested in 2022 and faces two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping in the death of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.

Jurors have now heard recordings of Allen’s voice telling family members that he killed both teens. Prosecutors presented the audio along with testimony from an Indiana State Police master trooper, who identified Allen’s voice as belonging to the man in the infamous “Bridge Guy” video.

Journalists from the Indianapolis star and the Lafayette Journal & Courier will handle the case as it moves through the judicial system.

October 31, 2024: Richard Allen’s Prison Confessions Match ‘Bridge Guy’ Voice, Says Delphi Trial Testimony

This story will be updated throughout the day.

Richard Allen was seriously mentally ill while in Westville prison, says IDOC psychologist

Dr. Deanna Dwengerexecutive director of mental health services for the Indiana Department of Correction, testified Friday that Allen arrived at the Westville Correctional Facility with depression and anxiety. In April 2023, around the time Allen began confessing to killing Abby and Libby, he was seriously mentally ill, Dwenger told jurors.

Dwenger, testifying for the defense, also said prolonged isolation and segregation worsened his mental state. Allen was held in solitary confinement during his stay in Westville, where his attorneys said he was fed through a doorway. The lights in his small cell never went off and he was constantly monitored via a camera.

State rests: Prosecutors have rested their case in the Delphi murder case, but is that enough to convict Richard Allen?

Allen was brought to Westville in November 2022, about a month after he was arrested. In the spring of 2023, he told his relatives that he had found God and began confessing to the crimes through several phone calls to his wife and mother. Allen also confessed to prison guards who were assigned to monitor him while he was on suicide watch and keep a time stamp of his behavior. Simultaneous with his confessions, a series of bizarre behaviors occurred, such as flushing a Bible down the toilet and eating his own feces.

The The state rested its case on Thursdayafter nearly two weeks of testimony.

This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: Delphi kills jurors hear from psychologist about Richard Allen