Midwest
Delphi murders suspect's confessions to wife, mother sounded 'calm,' expert says: 'Not what I expected'
An Indiana-based journalist and podcaster, who has been covering the 2017 murders of two girls, known as the Delphi murders, said suspect Richard Allen’s various confessions to his wife played aloud in court were not what she “expected.”
Allen, 52, who is charged with murdering 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams while they were walking on a hiking trail in Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017, apparently made more than 60 incriminating statements to a prison psychologist and made more confessions to his wife and mother in recorded jailhouse calls.
“Richard Allen’s recorded confessions to his wife and mother were not what I expected. He did not sound hysterical or agitated as he confessed repeatedly. He sounded calm, conversational, and determined to convince his family that he had murdered two children,” journalist Áine Cain, who co-hosts “The Murder Sheet” podcast with Indiana-based attorney Kevin Greenlee, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He seemed particularly interested in receiving assurance from family members that they would love him no matter what.”
Among Allen’s confessions made between 2022 and 2023, Allen said the following to his wife, Kathy, according to FOX 59 Indianapolis.
DELPHI MURDERS SUSPECT CONFESSED TO KILLING 2 GIRLS ON HIKING TRAIL IN SMALL TOWN, PRISON DOC SAYS
Richard Allen was arrested in October 2022 for the 2017 murders of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams. (Indiana State Police)
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s just one more thing I f—– up for you.”
“I killed Abby and Libby.”
“I think I did it.
“I think I did. I don’t know. I wish they would kill me and let me apologize to the families.”
“I need to tell you something anyway. I need you to know that I did this.”
“I did it. Kathy, I did it. Do you still love me?”
Officers transport murder suspect Richard Allen, Nov. 22, 2022, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Indiana. (Alex Martin/Journal and Courier/USA Today Network)
Kathy often responded by telling her husband that he “didn’t” kill the two girls, telling Allen in one conversation, “They are messing with your mind.”
“You can’t call me and talk like this,” she told Allen in another call.
DELPHI MURDERS TRIAL: ‘BRIDGE GUY’ EMERGES AS NEW CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE PRESENTED
Former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers Neama Rahmani said Allen’s confessions were “the most damning” evidence in his case.
“I think that’s the most difficult evidence in the case for the defense is Richard Allen’s own words.”
“There wasn’t just one. We’re talking about 60 confessions over a period of time. And although Allen may have confessed to things that he didn’t do, such as molesting his daughter, he did tell his wife at some point that even though he made some false confessions, that the killings of Libby and Abby were real,” Rahmani said.
Delphi police recovered Libby’s cellphone beneath her body on Feb. 14, 2017. The phone had a 43-second video showing Abigail walking on the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi toward Libby while a man wearing a dark jacket and jeans walks behind her. (FOX Nation)
The recorded confessions were played in a Carroll County courtroom on Oct. 31, after the court heard testimony about his other confessions to Dr. Monica Wala on Oct. 30.
“I killed Abby and Libby. I’m sorry,” Allen allegedly told Wala – the lead psychologist for the Indiana Department of Correction – in prison, according to her testimony on Wednesday during Allen’s double murder trial, as FOX 59 Indianapolis reported.
The prison psychologist testified that Allen’s intentions in targeting Abby and Libby were “sexual” in nature, and he admitted to being a sex addict. Allen also told Wala that he was an alcoholic, as well as both a victim and perpetrator of sexual assault, according to FOX 59.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS
In a May phone call with his wife, Allen apparently told her, “I didn’t do everything I said I did, but I killed Abby and Libby,” at which point his wife hung up on him, according to Wala’s testimony.
Superintendent Doug Carter of the Indiana State Police speaks during a press conference on the Delphi murders investigation, April 22, 2019, at the Canal Center in Delphi. (© Nikos Frazier/Journal & Courier/USA Today Network)
Wala told the court on Wednesday that Allen had followed Abby and Libby on the Monon High Bridge Trail on Feb. 13, 2017, and ordered them “down the hill,” where he intended to rape them.
Allen allegedly told Wala he was spooked by something – either a man or a van – at which point he decided to brutally murder the two girls, slashing their necks and covering their bodies with tree branches in a wooded area just a short distance from the popular hiking trail, the psychologist said in court.
DELPHI MURDERS TRIAL: SUSPECT RICHARD ALLEN’S ATTORNEYS MAKE STUNNING REVELATION ABOUT HAIR AT CRIME SCENE
“The confession to Dr. Monica Wala is of particular interest because of its level of detail and the fact that Allen claims he was interrupted by a van,” Cain told Fox News Digital of Wala’s testimony. “Resident Brad Weber, who lives by the bridge, testified that he would have driven a van home that day around the time of the kidnapping.”
Snow covers the water of Deer Creek as the Monon High Bridge towers above, Feb. 9, 2022, in Delphi. (© Nikos Frazier/Journal & Courier/USA Today Network)
Cain said she was also “struck by how similar” Allen’s voice is to the voice that ordered Abby and Libby “down the hill” on the High Monon Bridge Trail, otherwise known as “Bridge Guy.”
“That being said, that is not admissible evidence. Experts require more than four words to do any sort of analysis. And Bridge Guy was only recorded saying ‘Guys, down the hill,’” Cain added.
DELPHI MURDERS: MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING 2 GIRLS IS ‘HIS OWN WORST ENEMY,’ EXPERT SAYS
On cross-examination, Wala admitted to being a fan of true crime content, including podcasts and online discussions about the Delphi case, which she said she followed closely prior to working at the prison where Allen was being held. Wala even traveled to the scene of the crime near the High Monon Bridge at one point, she testified.
“When Allen confessed to killing the two girls, he confessed to being the person on the Snapchat video saying, ‘Down the hill,’” Rahmani said. “In addition, he also said that he intended to rape the girls but was spooked out by the white van. That was not public information and information that may have only been known to the killer.”
Sketches and video footage showing the Delphi murders suspect over the years. (Indiana State Police)
Wala also said Allen’s behavior in prison was consistent with someone who had a serious mental illness, describing him as having “fatalistic delusions,” “hopelessness,” “insomnia” and “suicidal ideations.”
“Probably the best evidence the defense has to argue is that Allen’s confessions were either coerced or false, or really Allen’s own actions — eating feces, taking off his clothes, being naked, washing his face in the toilet, eating paper and all the other strange behavior,” Rahmani explained. “It’s also clear that he’s lost significant weight during the time that he’s been in prison. So maybe the jurors believe that this was all either due to mental health or some other psychiatric issue. They may set those confessions aside, but it’s going to be very tough because there’s so many different confessions over such a long period of time.”
This week, jurors heard more from experts about Allen’s declining mental health in prison since his arrest in 2022, including video evidence showing Allen completely nude in prison or wearing a cloth or hood over his face, according to FOX 59.
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Midwest
Breaking: Arkansas Announces Significant Partnership With Tyson Foods, Including New Uniform Patch Logos
As the college athletics landscape continues to change, schools are continuing to find new sources of income, which include sponsorship deals that are now shown on football jerseys.
After the NCAA passed a rule allowing schools to promote their new sponsors on the field and on athletic jerseys, there have been plenty of athletic departments looking for ways to raise additional revenue.
Now, schools are starting to sell major advertising deals to the most suitable, but also the biggest companies that will help increase that revenue flow.
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According to multiple sources, Arkansas has signed an exclusive deal with Tyson Foods, with Razorbacks donor John Tyson part of the monumental deal for the athletic department.
Breaking: Arkansas Announces Significant Partnership With Tyson Foods, Including New Patch Sponsorship
As part of the most comprehensive partnership in college sports history, Tyson Foods will be integrated across Razorbacks Athletics through a comprehensive set of brand assets, including:
- Official Protein of the Arkansas Razorbacks
- Logo placement on fields and courts across sports venues
- Media backdrops at press conferences and broadcast facilities
- Brand Ambassador programs engaging Arkansas student-athletes
“This historic sponsorship is transformative for Razorback Athletics. For decades, Tyson Foods has been more than a corporate partner—they are an integral part of the Arkansas story, Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said about the deal. “Having Tyson Foods incorporated across our varsity teams and venues sends a powerful message about the caliber of our programs and the type of talent we can bring to the University. We are grateful for our continued partnership and thrilled to showcase this collaboration to the nation every time our teams compete.”
Breaking: Arkansas Announces Significant Partnership With Tyson Foods, Including New Uniform Patch Logos [Photo by Noah Southard/University of Arkansas Athletics Department]
The terms of the agreement have yet to be announced, but the Tyson logo will appear on all 19 men’s and women’s varsity Razorback teams starting in the 2026-27 athletic season.
Now, we wait to see which other schools will look towards outside investors to help fund this new era of college athletics.
Read the full article from Here
What questions have Pistons answered this season?
Friend of the pod Laz Jackson walks through what the Detroit Pistons have proved of themselves this year.
CLEVELAND – In just five days, the Detroit Pistons faced the Cleveland Cavaliers twice.
They split the games to finish their season series against the Central Division rivals, but with a potential reunion looming in the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Pistons came away from both games unsatisfied.
On Friday, it was the Pistons needing overtime to overcome a Cavaliers team missing James Harden and Donovan Mitchell at Little Caesars Arena. On Tuesday, March 3, in Cleveland, however – with Harden back in the lineup – the Pistons struggled in the areas they usually thrive, for a 113-109 loss.
The Pistons’ first loss on the road since Jan. 29 didn’t feature their usual fire for much of the night.
“I’m frustrated with the effort level, the attention to detail that we played on that end of the floor,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “The times and opportunities where we did do the right thing, did get stops, we let people outwork us to come up with offensive rebounds. We can’t afford to not play at maximum effort. That’s been our superpower all year long and, tonight, I felt like there were times where we were outworked. If we’re outworked, this isn’t going to be the results that we want.”
The Pistons work at being the league’s most disruptive team via turnovers has given them a top-three defensive rating. They force turnovers on 17.2% of possessions – best in the NBA –and only trail the Houston Rockets in offensive rebounding percentage. They also lead the league in steals and blocks per game. Getting out in transition and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities has created an above-average offense despite struggles on 3-point shooting.
For three quarters against the Cavaliers, little of that materialized – as least until the Pistons grabbed seven steals in the final period (after just two in the first three). Overall, the Pistons were beat on the offensive glass (11-10), mustered just 10 fastbreak points (their lowest total since Jan. 27) and picked up 11 second-chance points (their least since Feb. 6).
It was, in all, a lackadaisical defensive performance, with the Pistons repeatedly losing shooters behind the arc as the Cavs knocked down 17 3-pointers – eight more than the Pistons.
“Obviously they’re a good team, but we haven’t been playing to our standard on that side of the ball,” Pistons wing Javonte Green said. “Coach talked about the effort we need to bring every game. We just need to play harder. We can’t get outworked on offensive rebounds and 50-50 balls, that’s our identity. I feel like we needed to pick up that slack.”
The Pistons also were hurt by a poor shooting performance by Cade Cunningham; he finished with 10 points and 14 assists but shot 4-for-16. Cleveland threw multiple defenders at him all night, and he obliged by passing the ball and setting up his teammates. It led to a big second half for Tobias Harris, who scored all 19 of his points in the last two quarters.
But it wasn’t enough.
“On the defensive end we just couldn’t put up a wall, couldn’t get a stand going,” Cunningham said. “Personally, I had a lot of bad closeouts; just off the ball, I didn’t feel sharp. Just gotta clean all that stuff up.”
With 22 games remaining, the Pistons are focused on cleaning up the margins so they’ll be ready for postseason play. These two games against the Cavaliers have given them a list of areas to clean up.
Friday, they needed an extra period to win after rallying from a late nine-point deficit despite losing Cunningham late after he fouled out with just under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jalen Duren and Daniss Jenkins stepped up in overtime after Duncan Robinson also fouled out.
Mostly, the Cavaliers have proven they can pounce during soft stretches on defense. Thursday brings another rematch with a contender, as the Pistons wrap up a three-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs (another opponent from last week).
“We didn’t play our best basketball the other night,” Bickerstaff said of the Cavaliers’ game on Feb. 27. “Give our guys credit because we played 53 minutes and were able to pull it out in some adverse conditions. Cade fouls out, Duncan fouls out, our guys still figure out a way to get it done.
“We need to be better. We need to be better defensively, we need to impose ourselves on the game a little bit more than we did last game. I thought the last two quarters of the Orlando game [on Sunday] were the best quarters we’ve played defensively since New York [on Feb. 19]. I hope, and told our guys, that we can continue to build off that, because that’s where it always starts for us. You can tell the tone by how we are defensively and how we’re getting after it.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
[ MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
Next up: Spurs
Matchup: Pistons (45-15) at San Antonio (44-17).
Tipoff: 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5; Frost Bank Center, San Antonio.
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Ever since the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, there have been numerous student protests by high school students across the country – including several in Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area.
Students at Milwaukee Public Schools’ high schools including Milwaukee King, Ronald Reagan, and others; Wauwatosa East High School, Shorewood High School, Menomonee Falls High School, Nicolet High School, Whitefish Bay High School – even one student at Marquette University High School – have all walked out of school to protest Immigrations and Customs’ Enforcement actions in Minneapolis and nationwide.
What is it about ICE’s actions that have students walking out? How are school districts handling it, and what do students and parents think?
UW-Madison political science professor shares thoughts on what’s behind student walkouts
Political science professor emeritus Howard Schweber of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said several factors play into why students are protesting.
One of those factors is that ICE raids have taken place near schools. In some school districts, teachers have been arrested and students have disappeared. In some areas of Minneapolis, schools have had to switch to remote learning because students feared ICE raids, Schweber said.
Second, Schweber said the walkouts tie in to past student protests over guns in schools; high school students are feeling unsafe in their schools.
“They’re feeling threatened by forces, you know, far beyond their control, and feeling like first, it was their government wouldn’t protect them. This time it’s their government that’s doing it to them. Of course I’m only speaking from the perspective of the students who are protesting. I don’t mean to suggest that all students feel this way, but the ones who are protesting, this is, I think, what is driving them,” he said.
“Unlike some other issues, I think this one – like the guns in schools issues – hits very close to home, and makes them feel personally involved and threatened by the situation,” he said.
Schweber also talked about where the First Amendment applies during these situations.
He said students, particularly high school students, do have First Amendment rights. He said that schools may not punish students for expressing one viewpoint as opposed to another, and that any policy must be neutral. However, he said, students who walk out, and especially students who engage in conduct that disrupts school activities, can be disciplined.
“The legal background to this is students have a right to express themselves, but while they’re in school or while they’re supposed to be in school, that right is quite curtailed,” he said. “I noticed that in Madison, for example, there were some protests that were held after school ended in order to avoid this problem, which is certainly one way to avoid the issue, but then it’s not a walkout.”
How school districts deal with the walkouts
When it comes to walkouts, school districts typically approach them from several perspectives: attendance, neutrality, recognizing freedom of speech and safety.
In general, school districts will mark students who participate in walkouts as absent and unexcused unless their parents call in to excuse them. Most districts surveyed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also stressed that walkouts are student-sponsored and not organized or sanctioned by the districts.
For example, Pewaukee High School principal Brian Sniff said in a letter to parents that a Feb. 4 walkout at that school was student-initiated and student-led. He said that while students planning the walkout consulted with administration for clarity on the school’s expectations and potential consequences so they could make an informed decision about their plans, the district did not endorse or encourage the activity.
At the same time, some districts have acknowledged that students have free speech rights, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
While reiterating that students who walk out are unexcused unless a parent excuses them, the Wauwatosa School District said in a letter to parents in advance of a Jan. 12 walkout that it values and encourages student self-expression and recognizes the “importance of civic engagement as part of a well-rounded education.”
“We view moments like this as opportunities for young people to explore their voices, deepen their understanding of social issues, and learn about the power of collective action in a safe and constructive way,” the letter said.
Safety is also another factor that districts consider.
South Milwaukee School District Superintendent Deidre Roemer, Shorewood High School principal Tim Kenney and Franklin High School principal Michael Vuolo said in their letters to parents before planned walkouts that staff would not supervise students who left school grounds.
Sniff said that if students walked out, administrators and security would monitor the situation, ensure they remained in designated safe areas on campus and prevent conflict. But he added that supervision means ensuring safety, and does not equal support.
Parent, student perspective
Jamie Esser, a parent of a child attending Pewaukee High School, said she supported the walkout there. She said teens getting involved with politics and social issues was “heartwarming” to her.
“I think our children, ever since lockdown, have been isolated and stuck in their cell phones and stuck on social media and not really interacting with each other or looking at the world at large. So I think – especially with all the controversy around ICE and around the treatment of their fellow Americans or even fellow human beings – I think it’s great that kids are taking up concerns, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s very promising for the future that today’s generation sees the injustice and just wants to be heard that they don’t agree with it,” Esser said.
Conversely, Joe Rivera, a parent and school board candidate for the Wisconsin Hudson School District in northwestern Wisconsin, said he was concerned about inconsistencies in how that district told parents it would handle a walkout v. what actually happened.
The walkout took place, even though the district told parents that students would not be allowed to leave campus and that classes would continue as scheduled, a Feb. 14 post on his campaign Facebook page said.
“Allowing a large, pre-planned demonstration during the school day – after communicating it would not be allowed – created confusion, undermined trust, and placed students in unnecessary danger, the post said. “We do not have to look far to see how similar situations, even nearby, have escalated quickly and turned tragic.”
“As a parent in this district, I find it unacceptable that families were told one thing and experienced another – especially when it involves student supervision and safety during the school day,” the post said.
Thomas Stilp, a Marquette University High School student, said he was among several students who were organizing a walkout at his school in February. Things looked ready to go until the night before the walkout. That’s when organizers heard concerns that the walkout might draw unwanted attention from ICE; those concerns led them to cancel the event.
Stilp said he thinks students fear that what’s happening in Minnesota will eventually happen in Milwaukee.
“What we really want is the whole country to be doing this, and if people are leaving schools and people are shutting down their offices and are not showing up to work, like businesses are closed; if you can’t get your coffee in the morning because of these ICE raids that are happening and businesses are calling for that to be stopped, that’s when you’re going to notice,” he said.
However, not all students support the walkouts.
One of those students is Turner Dittrich, a senior at Arrowhead High School and a founder, former president and current member of the school’s chapter of the conservative organization Turning Point. He is also the son of Terry Dittrich, the Waukesha County Republican Party chairman.
Turner Dittrich said that while people have the right to protest, they should not interfere with ICE, which is investigating criminal behavior.
“My whole take on it is, is why should undocumented illegal citizens get the same immunity as the ones who sacrifice to follow the law? We are America. We are a country of laws,” he said.
Dittrich said anti-ICE protests have been boosted by students who simply do not want to be in school. He also said he does not think it’s right for students to miss school for protests, out of respect for teachers.
“At Arrowhead especially, I’ve met some phenomenal teachers, some phenomenal individuals. They wake up tired and they’re really pouring out their energy into what they’re teaching students. For the ICE protests to not be done at 3:30 or 4 [after school] is just shocking to me because it’s like, what are these teachers possibly doing? Now, I understand freedom of speech. They can’t control kids necessarily, but at the end of the day, when teachers are getting paid to show up and work hard, it just unfortunately saddens me.
“It’s the same thing if there was a pro-ICE protest. I would think that during school hours, it’d be wrong, right? So I think on both sides of the aisle, the fact that we’re doing this during school hours, is wrong. It can’t be done that way,” Dittrich said.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.
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