DELPHI, Ind. — Richard Allen’s defense began its first full day of calling witnesses Friday by bringing Officer Christopher Gootee to the stand.

As a teenager, Gootee served with the Hammond Police Department. Libby German and Abby Williams found murdered Near the Monon High Trail in Delphi, Indiana.

Gootee interviewed Brad Weber as part of the investigation. Weber lived near the trail, and according to Gootee, Weber said he went home after work on Feb. 13, 2013, the day the girls were killed. Even though Gootee looked at his own report, he couldn’t remember what else Weber said.

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The state did not cross-examine Gootee.

The defense then asked Dr. from the Indiana Department of Corrections. He called Deanna Dwenger to the stand. Dwenger, state witness Dr. He manages contract workers like Monica Wala.

Wala testified this week about when Allen confessed to killing Libby and Abby. The defense attacked Wala’s credibility because he admitted to being a true crime fan who listens to and participates in Delphi-related podcasts.

Dwenger was questioned further about Wala’s personal involvement in Allen’s case. Dwenger said he only learned of this after he was assigned to work with Allen.

Dwenger knew Wala had visited the Monon High Bridge before Allen arrived at Westville Correctional Facility. He told the jury he thought it was unusual for someone you worked with to visit the scene, but Wala spoke further about the matter with his direct superior.

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Dwenger said he did not specify which prison Allen was placed in and did not know who made the decision. He said Allen was classified as a security risk when he arrived in Westville. Dwenger said Allen has a Code D for mental health, which means Allen needs an individual therapist.

Dwenger said he heard Allen was regularly threatened by other inmates. He also stated that he was aware that Allen was always in front of the camera and that this worried him. Dwenger said Allen suggested removing the cameras to improve his mental health, but that never happened.

Dwenger also told jurors that solitary confinement is not good for mental health.

The Department of Corrections has a policy that someone with a “serious mental illness” should not be held in isolation for more than 30 days. Allen remained in solitary confinement for 13 months.

State’s Attorney Stacey Diener, Dr. He cross-examined Dwenger. He told the court that Allen had not been diagnosed with a serious mental illness when he first arrived in Westville in late 2022. His mental health did not undergo a visible transformation until April 2023, when he received this diagnosis. At the same time, Allen began confessing to the murders of Libby and Abby.

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The first document identifying Allen’s “severe injury” was dated April 13, 2023. This was also when a team of mental health professionals determined that Allen had deteriorated enough to require intervention. Dwenger testified that Allen was unintentionally given an anti-psychotic medication.

The jury also asked Dwenger several questions; the most notable ones focused on Allen’s mental health.

The juror asked whether a person faking a mental health crisis could use facts in a confession. Dwenger said he’s seen psychotic people confess sincerely, and he’s seen psychotic people make things up.

Another juror asked how a psychiatrist could tell if someone was faking psychosis. The clinician listens to body language and the thread of the story, Dwenger said. If the story is orderly, the person is likely faking psychosis, while if the story is disorganized and out of chronological order, the person is more likely to be psychotic or delusional, Dwenger said.

When court returned from mid-morning recess, the prosecution and defense argued over how much of the videos from Allen’s cell to show. Judge Frances Gull decided to allow the videos to be played without sound.