Rebuttal witnesses called after defense rests in Delphi double murder trial

Nov. 7—DELPHI — The defense rested Wednesday morning in the trial of Richard Allen, a Delphi man accused of killing teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams in February 2017.

Allen is facing murder and kidnapping charges, and over 130 years in prison if convicted.

Over the past few days, Allen's legal team has brought forth several witnesses, psychologists, psychiatrists and forensic experts to dispute the prosecution's claims that Allen was connected to the girls' deaths.

So the defense's announcement to the court that it was resting its case Wednesday seemed to catch even Judge Frances Gull off guard.

"I wasn't anticipating having this conversation quite yet," Gull told the court.

And after the defense rested its case Wednesday, it was time for rebuttal, where the prosecution called three more witnesses to the stand.

Two of those witnesses had already testified earlier in the trial.

Up first was Breann Wilber.

Last month, Wilber told the court she was on the Monon High Bridge on Feb. 13, 2017, the day the girls went missing.

On Wednesday, Wilber again told the court about what she saw that day.

She was also asked about SnapChat photos she took while at the Freedom Bridge, located a short distance from the Monon High Bridge.

The timestamp on those photos put Wilber at Freedom Bridge around 12:25 p.m.

Wilber added she never saw anyone resembling a man police have since referred to as "Bridge Guy," nor did she recall seeing the girls at that time.

Then, after taking photos at Freedom Bridge, Wilber walked to the Monon High Bridge, according to her testimony.

But during cross-examination, Defense Attorney Andrew Baldwin told Wilber she had a pretty good memory for an incident that happened over seven years ago.

On redirect, Carroll County Deputy Prosecutor asked Wilber if that day stuck out in her mind.

"Yes," she told the court.

Indiana State Police Master Trooper Brian Harshman was next on the stand.

During his testimony earlier in the trial, Harshman told the court he has listened to hundreds of hours of phone calls and seen numerous videos of Allen, both inside and outside his prison cell.

This occurred during Allen's stay at Westville Correctional Facility, Wabash Valley Correctional Facility and the Cass County Jail, where Allen is currently housed.

Harshman also testified Wednesday that Allen is in solitary confinement at the Cass County Jail, like he was at the other two facilities, adding Allen still doesn't have much human contact or recreation time.

Prosecutor Nick McLeland then asked Harshman if Allen has had issues at the Cass County Jail during his stay there, and the officer told the court Allen has made threats to staff.

That led to an objection by Defense Attorney Bradley Rozzi, and Harshman's testimony was ultimately stricken from the record.

The last witness of the day was Dr. John Martin, a psychiatrist who treated Allen during his time at WCF.

Martin told the court Wednesday he began providing psychiatric services soon after Allen's November 2022 arrest, as a contracted employee and not an employee of the Indiana Department of Correction.

He added Allen came to WCF on Prozac, and he continued to keep Allen on that medication because he was "stable."

Martin noted he would also see Allen both inside and outside his cell on a weekly basis.

Martin then spoke in detail about Allen's behavior during the timeframe of April to June 2023.

That's when Allen made over 60 alleged incriminating confessions to prison staff, other inmates and family.

For example, Martin highlighted April 13, 2023, during his Wednesday afternoon testimony.

On that day, Martin said he met prison staff and went to Allen's cell, where Allen was lying naked on a mattress.

The doctor added Allen had feces smeared on his face, and it also appeared he had eaten it.

Officers then reportedly "dressed" Allen and took him to a shower stall, where they washed him down, Martin testified.

Allen was then given a new gown and taken to a room where Martin was able to assess him.

Martin told the court Wednesday his opinion formed from that meeting was that Allen was psychotic, so he gave Allen an anti-psychotic medicine to treat that alleged psychosis.

Martin added that Allen's thinking and insight was "insufficient," and his judgement was "impaired," which is why he decided to give Allen medication without his consent.

An emergency meeting was called the next day, and Martin told the court it was during that meeting that the agreement was made between himself and three psychologists that Allen was experiencing psychosis.

During what Martin testified was Allen's "height of psychosis," Allen received a low dose of a short-acting injectable called Haldol.

That was April 15, 2023.

On April 18, 2023, Allen got a long-acting dose of Haldol once every four weeks, Martin told the court Wednesday, due to his continued psychosis.

A week later — on April 25, 2023 — Martin testified, Allen still appeared psychotic, but he was showing improvements.

Then, on May 2, 2023, Martin told the court, Allen appeared even more "coherent."

"There was no evidence I could see of psychosis," Martin testified of the May 2 assessment.

By May 8, 2023, Martin testified, Allen no longer showed any signs or symptoms of psychosis, adding Allen was adequately sleeping, eating most of his meals and undergoing therapy.

Martin also noted "no evidence of psychosis" when he visited with Allen on May 23, 2023, and May 30, 2023, per the doctor's testimony.

By June 20, 2023, Martin said Allen no longer needed to receive any Haldol injections.

But Martin added it was also during that June 20, 2023, encounter with Allen that Allen told the doctor he wanted to "apologize to the families," alluding to those of German and Williams.

Martin also said Allen was under no pressure to state what he did and that it was said voluntarily.

On cross-examination, Rozzi asked Martin if mental illness could be made worse by conditions like solitary confinement.

"Yes, it could," he responded.

The prosecution and defense will now have an opportunity to deliver closing statements before the evidence in the case goes into the hands of the jury.

It was Feb. 14, 2017, when the bodies of German and Williams were found near the Monon High Bridge area in rural Carroll County.

In November 2022, Allen was arrested for his alleged connection to the case.