DELPHI, Ind. – The state called three witnesses to the stand Wednesday in the Delphi murders trial.
These were rebuttal witnesses called after the defense rested its case. They included two witnesses who had taken the stand earlier in the trial.
Richard Allen is charged with four counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German. Indiana State Police announced his October more than five years later in October 2022. His trial is in its 17th day.
Bridge witness returns
Breann Wilber took the stand first. She had earlier delivered testimony about her time on the Delphi trails on Feb. 13, 2017.
She had a Snapchat photo of the Freedom Bridge from Feb. 13 that was admitted into evidence over the objections of the defense. She told the court she arrived at the bridge at 12:25 p.m. and walked to the Monon High Bridge.
She said she didn’t see any girls or anyone resembling “Bridge Guy.”
On cross-examination, defense attorney Andrew Baldwin told Wilber she had “pretty good memory for seven-and-a-half years later.” She said she didn’t recall seeing any other kids on the bridge that day.
During a redirect, Diener asked Wilber if the day stood out in her mind and if she talked with police soon after. Wilber answered “yes” to both questions.
She later testified during re-cross that police were focused more on what she saw toward the end of her time on the bridge.
Harshman returns to the stand
The state also called Indiana State Police Master Trooper Brian Harshman back to the stand. Like Wilber, Harshman testified earlier in the trial.
Harshman listened to Allen’s phone calls and watched videos of him. Harshman testified earlier that he believed the voice on the “Bridge Guy” recording at the center of the case belonged to Allen.
Harshman said Allen was also in solitary confinement at Wabash Correctional Facility and the Cass County Jail. He doesn’t currently have much recreational time or human contact, although he had some at Westville.
Harshman said Allen has not exhibited the same psychotic behavior he displayed at Westville during his time at the Cass County Jail. He mentioned that Allen had made threats to staff, although that testimony led to an objection from the defense that Special Judge Fran Gull sustained.
Allen’s attorneys opted not to ask Harshman any questions.
Westville psychiatrist testifies
The third and final witness was Dr. John Martin, a psychiatrist who treated Allen at Westville Correctional Facility, where Allen was housed from November 2022 through November 2023.
Martin provided psychiatric services. He’s licensed in Florida and Indiana, and began working with the Indiana Department of Correction in 2020. He told the court he has 40 to 45 years of experience working in prisons and jail.
In February 2022, Westville’s psychiatrist retired. Martin was asked to help out and began working there one day a week. He said he first met Allen in November 2022 and testified he’d been taken to Westville because officials didn’t think he’d be safe in a county jail.
Martin wasn’t directly employed by IDOC and was instead a contractor. He saw Allen and other patients as needed. He prescribed medication for Allen and said he was already on Prozac when he arrived.
Notes on Allen and a consent form for Prozac were admitted into evidence, as were medication administration records. Gull admitted the medication administration records over the objection of defense attorney Bradley Rozzi.
Martin said he’s treated patients under a safekeeping order in the general population but not in solitary confinement—he often referred to it as a “one-man cell” because solitary has a “punitive connotation.”
Martin drew a reaction from the defense when he told the court that Allen had done nothing wrong but felt like he was being treated as if he had. Martin also acknowledged the “mental harm” of putting Allen in solitary but said the overriding concern was keeping him safe.
Allen met with multiple people to see how life could improve. Martin said Allen expressed suicidal ideation at times, adding that the staff did what it could to keep him safe. Martin said Allen was let out for recreational time.
Over a period of 13 months, Martin met with Allen 18 times. During their initial meeting on Nov. 8, 2022, Martin regarded Allen as stable. He next saw him on Nov. 29 and observed no problems.
On Jan. 24, Allen signed a consent form for Prozac. Martin believed he was doing well, so he saw him every few months. He was next scheduled to see him in April but received a phone call requiring his urgent attention.
Allen’s psychotic stage
He saw Allen on April 13, 2023, and found him lying naked on a mattress in his cell. He had smeared feces on himself, and Martin had been told he had also been eating his own feces.
Corrections officers carried Allen to a shower and “hosed him down,” Martin said. He concluded that Allen was psychotic at that time. During interviews, he found Allen’s insight and judgment “deficient” and “impaired.”
He decided to treat him with Haldol, an antipsychotic medication. After an emergency meeting with a regional director, Martin and the staff decided the Haldol should be administered involuntarily. The psychiatrist described it as a group decision.
It started off with daily doses to make sure Allen didn’t experience any side effects or an allergic reaction. Once Martin determined it was safe, Allen was given a long-acting dose that lasted four weeks.
He received his first long-acting dose on April 18, 2023, but still “presented as psychotic.” Martin saw Allen on April 25. While he noticed improvement, he still regarded Allen as psychotic.
Martin described April 13 as the “height” of Allen’s psychotic period. By the 25th, he was able to recognize Martin and while he wasn’t talking much, he recognized he was in prison.
He did ask for “his wife, the warden, chocolate and Taco Bell,” according to Martin’s recollection. It appeared Allen was eating meals and getting enough sleep.
Allen’s condition improves
Martin next saw Allen on May 2. He observed him to be “coherent” and said he denied having hallucinations. The psychiatrist saw no evidence of psychosis. The date is significant; Allen delivered his detailed confession, a vital part of the state’s case, to prison psychologist Dr. Monica Wala on May 3, 2023.
Martin saw Allen again on May 18. He seemed reasonable, was getting an adequate amount of sleep and eating meals. Martin decided to give him a slight increase in his Haldol dose and said he showed no evidence of psychosis.
In additional visits—May 30 and June 20—Martin said Allen was coherent and showed no signs of psychosis. Martin decided on June 20 to end the Haldol treatments.
During their meeting in June, Allen told Martin he would “like to apologize to the families of his victims” but gave no specifics on the Delphi case. Martin testified that from May 2 on, Allen didn’t display psychotic behavior.
After the state finished questioning Martin, the court took a break. The defense was set to cross-examine him in the afternoon.
