CHILD murderer Richard Allen could be thrown back into isolation where he was driven to madness as he faces a life sentence, a legal expert says.
Allen, aged 52, lost weight quickly and began displaying concerning behaviors after being incarcerated for the tragic murders of 14-year-old Libby German and 13-year-old Abby Williams on February 13, 2017.
At one point, the deranged killer was caught eating his own feces while awaiting trial after his October 2022 arrest.
His deteriorating condition became a significant issue during the trial, which faced repeated delays due to legal complications, such as a mole leaking crime scene images to the media.
The defense team for the perpetrator contended that his circumstances required adjustments, but prison authorities maintained that he posed a threat to himself and those around him, thus he was kept in isolation.
On November 11, a jury decided that Allen wouldn’t see daylight anytime soon in a unanimous verdict after 17 hours of deliberation.
He was found guilty of stalking little Libby and Abby at a park in Delphi, Indiana, with the intention of raping them and abruptly slashing their throats when he thought someone was coming.
On Friday, Allen will be sentenced and he faces up to 130 years in prison after prosecutors chose not to pursue the death penalty.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, former prosecutor Neama Rahmani previously insisted Allen would be found guilty.
“This is a high-profile trial in a very small town, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure on those jurors to return a guilty verdict,” he said before the jury’s decision was read in court.
“It’s not going to be easy for a juror to hold out and potentially hand this panel, especially when we’re talking about such a gruesome murder.”
When asked about sentencing, Rahmani predicted jail staff would ignore Allen’s defense’s desperate pleas and lock him back into solitary.
“Allen clearly has mental health issues,” he said.
“According to even the prosecution witnesses, he had depression. He maybe had psychosis.
“So he’s probably someone that’s not going to be kept in the general population.”
When deciding where to house a prisoner, jail officials consider the severity of their crimes and assess whether they’re violent.
“If they are dangerous, they’re going to be isolated,” Rahmani said.
The attorney noted that Allen murdered the girls for “no apparent reason” other than wanting to rape them.
“He is someone that’s shown that he potentially has significant mental health issues because of his behavior in prison in terms of his appearance, eating feces and paper,” he said.
SICK CLAIMS
Rahmani also mentioned how Allen allegedly admitted to molesting his daughter while he was in prison – before his daughter shot down the claims in her court testimony.
“I think those are all factors that the prison will consider in deciding whether to place him in the general population or continue to keep him in isolation,” Rahmani said.
“Someone who’s not in the general population is isolated, and often they have to spend upwards of 23 hours a day by themselves.
“This way, they can’t harm other inmates or be harmed by them or potentially harm themselves.
“They’re placed on additional supervision and are watched by the guards.”
Defense’s timeline of Richard Allen’s ‘mental decline’
March 23, 2023: Allen was depressed and withdrawn and said he “was not straight in the head.”
April 4, 2023: Allen suffered from insomnia and hopelessness, was suicidal, and stated, “Death would bring relief to him.”
April 13, 2023: Allen was exhibiting “bizarre” behavior, including consuming his feces, and was suffering from a “grave disability.” The prison psychologist ordered Allen to receive an involuntary injection of psychotropic medication.
April 21, 2023: Allen’s thoughts were disjointed and he was saying “strange things.” Wala discussed that he might be considered incompetent to stand trial.
May 3, 2023: Allen said he wanted to confess details of the crime.
May 18, 2023: Allen receives another dose of psychotropic medication.
May 23, 2023: Allen was diagnosed as suffering from stress-induced psychosis.
June 8, 2023: Allen’s depression was reported to be “at its peak,” with trembling and knees buckling noted by a psychologist.
June 16, 2023: Allen receives another dose of psychotropic medication.
End of June 2023: Allen’s mental health improving.
October 2023: Allen begins proclaiming his innocence.
BOMBSHELL WITNESS
One of the most shocking testimonies at the lengthy trial came from Deanna Dwenger, a clinical psychologist who worked for the Indiana Department of Corrections Behavioral Health.
She told the court she had diagnosed Allen with a “grave disability” after noticing his disturbing behaviors behind bars.
Allen spiraled out of control in solitary as he refused to wear clothes and was caught banging his head against the wall, his defense said.
Dwenger revealed that the day after Allen was given discovery documents with pictures of the crime scene, he was caught eating his own feces.
She claims this was done out of extreme guilt he felt over his actions.
The signs of decline were noticed by the public, too.
He is someone that’s shown that he potentially has significant mental health issues because of his behavior in prison in terms of his appearance, eating feces and paper.”
Attorney Neama Rahmani
Allen was seen drooling on himself in mugshots taken during his stay in jail and he developed a haunted look in his eyes.
Dwenger claimed in court that Allen desperately wanted to sign a confession and said, “I killed Abby and Libby.”
By the time his trial started, Allen seemed in better spirits. Dwenger said in their later sessions, he spoke about Christianity and said he slept with a Bible.
In court, Allen wore dress pants and a collared shirt and looked reassuringly at his wife as she supported from the benches.
When his guilty verdict was read out, he sat stone-faced as his wife broke out into sobs.
KILLER CAUGHT
The quiet town of Delphi, which is over an hour northwest of Indianapolis, erupted into fear and infamy after Libby and Abby’s bodies were found.
Prosecutors painted a disturbing portrait of their murder, asserting that Allen was caught on now-horrifying Snapchat taken by Libby and recovered from her phone.
In the video, a shadowy figure that roughly matched Allen’s could be seen walking toward the girls.
The man could be heard saying “down the hill,” which prosecutors argued were Allen’s final instructions before attempting to rape the girls.
Cops initially refused to give details on how the girls were killed because the scene was incredibly grim.
Prosecutors eventually revealed that Abby was wearing Libby’s clothes while Libby was found completely naked.
Libby’s blood-covered face was streaked with moisture, which prosecutors said came from desperate tears.
Allen was questioned soon after the killings after detectives learned he had been in the vicinity of the park around the time the girls disappeared.
He escaped their grasp for years until investigators found unfired rounds at the crime scene that could be traced back to a gun in his home.
When he was approached with the evidence, Allen was at a loss for words.
Allen’s defense lawyers have staunchly maintained his innocence and are planning to appeal the decision.
They filed a memorandum the day before the sentencing stating that they refused to play a major role in the proceedings.
“Richard Allen maintains his innocence and looks forward to the appellate process, which he anticipates will include adjudication by a neutral, detached, and unbiased tribunal,” the document reads.
“Richard Allen believes that he will be afforded due process under the law and will be permitted to present a full and complete defense at a future trial in this cause.”
Odinist denies involvement
Richard Allen’s attorneys first shared their Odinism defense in a bombshell 136-page filing in September last year.
In the document, Allen’s attorneys made a series of sensational claims and shared intimate alleged details about the crime scene for the first time – following years of silence from law enforcement.
In the filing, Allen’s team reaffirmed his claims of innocence and alleged that the girls were instead murdered by members of a pagan Norse religion called Odinism, which in recent years has been increasingly infiltrated by white supremacists.
The attorneys claimed that two groups of Odinists, one from the Delphi area and one from the Rushville area in southeastern Indiana, were investigated for their involvement in the crimes.
Those alleged Odinists were identified in the documents as Johnny Messer, Brad Holder, Elvis Fields, Patrick Westfall, and Rod Abrams – none of whom has been publicly named as a suspect or charged with any crimes related to the murders.
Allen’s attorneys claimed that various Odinist iconography was left at the crime scene, including runes made out of sticks and blood.
Across dozens of pages, the attorneys outlined Messer and co.’s alleged ties to Odinism and pointed to what they call glaring evidence linking the men to the murders, which they alleged was “recklessly ignored” by prosecutors during their pursuit of Allen.
When approached by The U.S. Sun to share his side of the story last year, Messer refused to comment on the specific allegations made by Allen’s defense team but said he is considering legal action against them and spoke of the emotional toll their claims have had on him and his family.
“As much as I would like to defend my name, I respectfully decline to [speak] at this time,” Messer said in a written statement.
“I am seeking legal action[.] This has turned my life upside down and has taken a huge toll on my family and mental health.”
He added: “I just don’t want to say anything to jeopardize my legal action that I’m going to take.”
Messer’s sister, when contacted by The U.S. Sun, said she would “love” to speak and help clear her brother’s name, but she has been advised by legal counsel not to do so at this time.
Attempts to reach the other four men named in Allen’s attorneys’ filing were unsuccessful.
In their memorandum, Allen’s legal team called the links between the Delphi murders and Odinism “confounding.”
They alleged that Holder’s son was dating Abby at the time of her death and that Holder posted a series of “Easter eggs” to Facebook in the aftermath – including apparent images of runes and other photos mirroring elements of the crime scene – which they claim were uploaded to taunt police about his alleged involvement.
Allen’s attorneys claim that investigators failed to vigorously pursue the “obvious links” between the crime scene and Odinism.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, say Allen’s team lacks concrete evidence linking any of the men to the crime scene.
