Richard Allen’s confessions ruled admissible in Delphi murders trial
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CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) — Several reported confessions to family members, jail staff and doctors made by Delphi, Indiana, double murder suspect Richard Allen have been ruled admissible in court.
Special Judge Fran Gull — assigned to the Carroll County case from Allen County — signed a ruling Thursday that states all statements made by Allen to psychologists, inmates, guards, police and family members while in jail can be used as evidence in the trial.
Allen is charged with four counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. His trial is scheduled for October.
Allen’s defense team — composed of attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi — previously argued to Gull that the statements should be thrown out. In their requests filed in April, the lawyers claimed Allen’s mental health had deteriorated due to poor prison conditions.
In Thursday’s order, Gull ruled that the statements made by Allen were all given voluntarily. Further, the judge said Allen has not proven he suffered any psychological coercion when making the alleged confessions.
“The defendant has failed to comply with the Criminal Rules of Procedure by neglecting to clearly state which specific statements he is seeking to suppress, nor the legal basis for the suppression,” Gull wrote.
“Despite these deficiencies, the Court has been able to determine that the statements given to the defendant’s family members were voluntary, not coerced by any State action, and were not made under threats of violence, or improper influence,” she said.
The judge went on to say that all statements Allen reportedly made to fellow inmates and correctional officers were unsolicited and not part of any interrogation. Rather, evidence reportedly shows that Allen sought out people to make these statements to.
“The Court is not persuaded that the detention caused the defendant to make incriminating statements,” Gull wrote. “While the defendant does suffer from major depressive disorder and anxiety, those are not serious mental illnesses that prevent the defendant from making voluntary statements.”
Online court records show Allen’s jury trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14. To read the full copy of Gull’s ruling, click here.
