Delphi Murder Trial: Richard Allen’s Defense Team Drops Case in Libby German and Abbie Williams Murders

DELPHI, Indiana — After Richard Allen’s defense team announced in court Wednesday that they had dropped their case, Judge Frances Gall met with the prosecution and defense to discuss jury instructions and the order of arguments.

On Wednesday morning, after Allen’s defense presented its case, the state called rebuttal witnesses to the stand.

The judge said both sides will have two to two and a half hours to present their closing arguments.

Dr. John Martin began working in the Indiana prison system in 2020 and was asked to assist at the Westville Correctional Facility in February 2022.

Martin said he met Allen in November 2022, shortly after he was arrested in connection with the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams. They were found with their throats slit after hiking the Monon High Trail in February 2017.

Martin said Allen arrived in Westville with a prescription for Prozac due to a history of depression, but he considers his condition stable.

Martin said Allen was being held in a solidarity prison. He acknowledged that Allen was treated as if he had done something wrong while behind bars, but he did not.

He said it was wrong in some ways, but the prison system needed to keep him safe.

It wasn’t until April 2023 that Martin said Allen began showing signs of psychosis. He said he received a call on April 13 inviting him to visit Allen. He said that when he arrived and looked into Allen’s cell, he found him naked on a mattress, covered in feces, and was told he had eaten it.

Martin prescribed him an antipsychotic drug and it took them until April 25 to find the medication and show signs of improvement.

By May 18, 2023, Martin testified that Allen showed no signs of psychosis. He said Allen was conscious, denied hallucinations, slept and ate well, but was a little sad.

On June 20, 2023, Martin said that Allen, although he still showed no signs of psychosis, told him that he “wants to apologize to the families and to his victims.”

Martin said Allen had not shown any symptoms of psychosis for several weeks and was not pressured to say anything.

Brian Harshman was also called to the stand. He is a Westville correctional officer who wiretapped Allen’s phone calls from prison.

He confirmed to the court that Allen has been in solitary confinement since his arrest in November 2022. He was housed in three different facilities, including one in Cass County, Indiana.

Harshman said there is a chair in Allen’s cell in Cass County and it’s larger than the one in Westville.

He told the court that fewer people socialize in Cass County and Allen has no “neighbors.”

Harshman testified that Allen also made threats against Cass County employees.

Brynn Wilbur testified Wednesday morning about a photo she took of the Liberty Bridge on Feb. 13, 2017, on Snapchat. The State presented this as evidence.

The photo shows Wilbur arriving at the bridge at 12:25 on the day of the murder. She said she walked from the Liberty Bridge to the Monon High Bridge but didn’t see “Bridge Guy” or Abby and Libby on her walk.

Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin asked when Wilbur gave Diener a photograph of the bridge, Wilbur replied that she did not know the exact date.