Delphi Murders Trial: Day 13

DELPHI — The first full day of hearing defense witnesses in the Richard Allen Delphi Murders Trial continues at the Carroll County Courthouse. Allen’s defense team called two witnesses who briefly took the stand Thursday afternoon after the prosecution rested.

The first witness was Hammond Police Department officer Christopher Gootee, who was also assigned to the FBI GRIT (Gang Intervention Investigative Task Force) Task Force. Gootee testified that he helped conduct canvassing interviews during the Delphi murders investigation.

Gootee said he helped interview Brad Weber, who lives near the Monon High Bridge trailhead. The private driveway runs under the bridge. According to Gootee, Weber said he went home after work on the afternoon of Feb. 13, 2017, the day Abby Williams and Libby German were last seen. Defense attorney Nicholas McLeland asked Gootee if he wrote the report of that interview. He said he didn’t. He stated that an FBI expert wrote the report.

The defense attorney asked what Weber told him during the interview, and Gootee said that although he had seen the report written by the FBI Special Agent, he could not remember.

Prosecuting counsel did not ask any questions during cross-examination, and there were no questions from the jury.

The second witness called is Dr. D., a clinical psychologist with the Indiana Department of Corrections’ Office of Behavioral Health. It was Deanna Dwenger. He has served as the Director of Behavioral Health at IDOC since 2021. Part of his responsibility to the state was to supervise contract workers like Centurion. Dr. Centurion testified on behalf of the prosecution regarding his treatment of Richard Allen while he was in Westville Correctional Facility. He hired Monica Wala. Dwenger said Wala worked closely with his superior at Centurion.

Dwenger testified that he did not determine which DOC facility Allen would be housed in and did not know who made that decision. He added that Allen was not being held in a mental health unit at Wabash or any other IDOC facility.

Intense lawyer Dr. He was asked about his interactions with Wala. He said Wala told him he was interested in the Richard Allen case after he was assigned to the case. Wala told him he was a fan of True Crime and listened to Delphi podcasts. He said he sought advice from a superior regarding this information. Dwenger also interviewed Dr. Allen before he arrived at the DOC facility in Westville. He testified that he knew Wala had visited the Monon High Bridge.

Dwenger was asked what he knew about Richard Allen’s abilities. He said he didn’t know why he was placed in Westville. He heard other inmates regularly threatening Allen. He also said Allen was always aware that he was on camera while in his cell. “This concerns him,” he said. He suggested that the cameras be removed from his cell to improve his mental health. Dr. Those cameras were never removed, Dwenger said.

Dr. Dwenger was asked what solitary confinement was and he told the defense attorney that it wasn’t good for his mental health. He also said the Department of Corrections has a mental health policy that says someone with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) should not be in solitary confinement for more than 30 days. In his statement, it was stated that Allen was diagnosed with SMI but remained in solitary confinement for 13 months. He also noted that it’s possible for someone who is isolated for long periods of time to experience additional mental health issues.

On cross-examination, Stacy Diener asked Dwenger when Richard Allen was diagnosed with SMI. Dwenger said he was not diagnosed when he first arrived at Westville Correctional Facility, but was diagnosed in April 2023 when his condition began to decline.

A team of three mental health experts debated in April 2023 whether Allen was faking mental illness or psychotic behavior. A psychiatrist met with Allen that month. The first report stating that Allen was suffering from a “severe injury” was on April 13, 2023, when it was determined that Allen was unable to care for himself. This team of mental health experts concluded that Allen had deteriorated enough to require intervention; whether fake or real.

Dr. Dwenger said Richard Allen was involuntarily given Haldol, a drug that was supposed to relieve symptoms of psychosis.

During redirection, the prosecution objected to every question asked by defense attorney Brad Rozzi. Judge Fran Gull accepted all objections.

Jury Dr. He asked Dwenger four questions. One focused on how medical professionals can tell whether a patient has a fake or real diagnosis. Dwenger said they listened closely to the patient’s story. If it was organized, he said, the patient was probably faking psychosis. If the story is disorganized, cannot be easily followed, and is not chronological, the patient is more likely to suffer from psychosis or be delusional.

Max Baker was the next witness to take the stand for the defense Friday morning. He works for the defense team. He curated the video taken by Richard Allen while the defendant was in prison. Among the videos the defense wanted to present were transport videos showing Richard Allen moving around Westville Correctional Facility. The other videos were of Allen in his prison cell. There was debate about the acceptability of the videos. Judge Gull ultimately decided to admit the video, but did not allow the audio from those videos to be heard by the jury. He ruled that the voice was hearsay because it was Richard Allen’s voice and that he would not take the stand in this case.

The defense hit roadblocks Friday morning as it tried to introduce the video into evidence. They eventually decided to remove Baker as a witness, hoping to call him later as they continued to present their case. This means the video of Richard Allen in prison will not be shown today, but may be considered when Baker returns to the stand.