Counterclaim Richard Allen continues on Tuesday Election Dayin Delphi, Indiana.

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

journalists Indianapolis Star And Lafayette Magazine and Courier The case will be handled as it progresses through the judicial system.

4 November 2024: The minibus returns as an expression. The jury also heard from Richard Allen’s daughter and sister

This story will be updated throughout the day.

Defence’s digital forensics expert: Headset was plugged into Libby’s phone for nearly five hours after she went missing

A digital forensics expert hired by the defense testified that a headset or auxiliary cable was plugged into Libby German’s iPhone for about five hours after she disappeared with Abby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017.

Stacy Eldridge, who previously worked as a digital forensics investigator for the FBI and examined an Indiana State Police expert’s removal of the 14-year-old’s phone, said someone plugged the headphone jack into the phone at 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 17. 13, 2017.

“Someone removed the cable from the phone at 10 p.m.,” Eldridge told jurors, later adding: “I can’t think of any explanation that doesn’t involve people.”

Eldridge said plugging the phone in prevented sound from coming out of the device, and there was a missed incoming call milliseconds before the cable was plugged in.

During cross-examination by Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, Eldridge acknowledged that he had not previously performed extraction analysis of cell phones. McLeland also noted that Libby’s phone was probably going in and out of service without moving at all. He asked whether it was a realistic explanation that the phone returned to service at 4:33 a.m. when it received numerous text messages from friends and family members.

“That could be a possible explanation,” Eldridge said.

Defense calls firearms expert in attempt to discredit state investigator’s testimony

Eric Warren, a Tennessee-based forensic consultant and crime scene reconstruction expert, told jurors that the prosecution’s firearms investigator’s methods of testing a key piece of physical evidence recovered from the scene were unreliable.

Melissa ObergIndiana State Police firearms inspector, testified last month The unspent bullet found among the girls’ bodies was said to have been mistaken for Allen’s Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40-caliber pistol. His testimony was critical in connecting Allen to the crime scene. As part of his analysis, Oberg said Allen fired his gun from a bicycle and was able to compare the tool marks left after the shooting to the bullet marks at the scene. He explained that the marks would be more noticeable because shooting causes more pressure.

Allen’s defense attorneys immediately began to question Oberg’s methods; Bradley Rozzi stated that the conclusion of his analysis was based on examination and comparison of bullets that were fired – not those that were not fired. Warren’s testimony was intended to question this further.

“It’s not something I would trust,” Warren said of Oberg’s analysis, adding that she was “not comfortable” with the state expert’s process.

Worked at Warren Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Firearm and Tool Mark Identification UnitHe said comparisons should be “apples to apples, not apples to oranges” due to “pressure differences between fired and unfired bullets.”

During cross-examination, James Luttrull questioned Warren why he did not physically examine the evidence with a microscope and prepare a report. Luttrull also pointed out that Warren’s conclusions were based solely on examining photographs and reading another expert’s reports.

Warren also acknowledged that his laboratory is not accredited but said he believes it meets the accreditation standard.

State Police firearms expert testifies: Delphi trial jurors hear from expert who linked Allen’s gun to unspent cash at crime scene

The jury asked Warren 15 questions, many of which were highly technical. One juror asked why Warren didn’t do her own analysis instead of examining the photos. Warren said his job is to educate attorneys and see if the documents support the outcome.

While everyone waited for court staff to collect questions from jurors, defense attorney Andrew Baldwin put his left arm around Allen’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring pat.

Defense expert: Richard Allen’s behavior ‘entirely consistent’ with effects of solitary confinement

Stuart GrassianA Massachusetts-based psychiatrist and expert on solitary confinement told jurors that Allen’s behavior and mental state while in Westville Correctional Facility were “perfectly consistent” with the effects of long-term isolation.

Grassian’s statement, dozens of confessions Allen did this while in Westville, where he was held in solitary confinement for just over a year. Allen’s confessions to prison authorities, his therapist And made many appeals to his wife and motherwas among the prosecution’s strongest evidence against him. But defense attorneys argued that the confessions were coerced because Allen made them while in the midst of a mental health crisis.

Grassian, who watched videos of Allen, reviewed his therapist’s notes and read transcripts and listened to audio recordings of his calls from November 2022 to June 2023, told jurors that long-term solitary confinement can cause people “extreme delirium and confusion.” for their memories of the events to fade away. Grassian said taking off clothing and smearing it with feces is a “common side effect.”

‘I killed Abby and Libby’: Jurors heard Richard Allen’s confessions and strange behavior

“There’s a thick soup in your head and everything is flying by and nothing makes sense,” Grassian said.

Allen’s strange behavior began in the spring of 2023, a few months after his arrival in Westville. Over the course of several phone calls, he began telling his family that he had found God, and later began confessing to killing Abby and Libby. As he admitted, Allen also seemed to express confusion and believed he was losing his mind.

“I want to apologize to you,” Allen said to his wife, Kathy Allen, on April 3, 2023. “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

Kathy Allen appeared disturbed and unwilling to believe that her husband was capable of murder. I asked him, “They destroyed you. Why did you say that?”

“Because maybe I did it,” Richard Allen said.

“There’s something wrong,” Kathy Allen told her husband. “They’re making fun of you over there.”

People in long-term isolation tend to develop false memories that become beliefs, Grassian said. In the worst cases, they can become psychotic.

Defense attorney Bradley Rozzi asked Grassian if he saw “signs of delirium” in calls to Allen’s family.

“Absolutely,” said Grassian. “Don’t be too afraid of not being able to remember and then not being able to remember.”

“This was absolutely classic,” Grassian added. “I had no doubt.”

Grassian defined solitary confinement as “being confined to a small cell with minimal opportunity for stimulation and limited social interaction,” describing it as “an extremely lonely, desperate environment and very toxic to mental health.”

Grassian also stated that people in solitary confinement are seven to nine times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. He told jurors that the United Nations considers 15 days of solitary confinement “a form of torture.” Allen spent 13 months in solitary confinement in Westville.

One of the jurors asked Grassian whether “a perfectly normal person could go crazy after six to 12 months in solitary confinement.”

“Absolutely,” said Grassian. “I saw this happen.”

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

Allen’s defense team has spent the last few days trying to establish that, contrary to previous testimony, Allen was experiencing a genuine mental health crisis when he confessed to the murders.

A neuropsychologist on Monday I told the jurors Allen was not exhibiting pseudo-psychotic behavior, said Allen’s Westville therapist, Dr. It contradicts Monica Wala’s statement. Dr. Polly Westcott Allen stated. He entered Westville with a long history of depression and anxiety and was later diagnosed with dependent personality disorder. Allen’s mental health issues became more pronounced after months in solitary confinement, and he developed into psychosis.

What were jurors told to do about Election Day?

As the trial against Richard Allen continues on Election Day, other people across the country are lining up to vote.

So what does this mean for the panel of 12 jurors who are under strict seizure orders?

Jurors were told to vote before they were seated at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi on Oct. 18, according to court officials.

It’s unclear how many of the 16 people selected from Allen County — 12 jurors and 4 alternates — were able to vote before they were detained at a hotel about two hours away in Delphi.

The hearing may continue until November 15.

This article first appeared in the Indianapolis Star: Delphi murders updated as Richard Allen’s trial continues on Election Day