Delphi murder suspect’s alleged phone confessions to wife played in court

Delphi, Indiana, murder suspect Richard Allen allegedly confessed to the crime in several jailhouse phone calls to his wife that were played for the jury Thursday.

In a phone call, Allen told his wife, Kathy, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

“No, you didn’t,” she said. Allen replied, “Yes, I did.”

MORE: Delphi murder suspect’s alleged confessions revealed in court

“Why would you say that?” Kathy said. “I know you didn’t.” There’s something wrong.

In another call, Allen told his wife, “I think maybe I’ve lost my mind…I want you to know that I did this.”

She replied, “No, you didn’t. You are not well.”

MORE: Delphi murder trial: Libby’s blood was likely mixed with her tears, expert says

Allen is charged with murder Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, on a hiking trail in February 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to murder.

In a separate call, Allen told his wife: “If I get the electric chair or the death penalty, will you be there for me? I killed Abby and Libby.”

In another call, Allen said, “I did it, Kathy. I did it. Do you still love me?”

She replied, “Yes, yes. But you didn’t.”

“I don’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry,” Allen told his wife. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’ve lost my mind.”

MORE: Delphi suspect went to police 3 days after murders, but ‘fell through the cracks’ for years: Sheriff

“I feel like I’m already in hell,” he told her later in the call. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Allen too he allegedly confessed to corrections officers and a prison psychologist, according to their testimony. But Allen’s mental state while in custody came into question.

A psychologist testified this week that Allen could be classified as having a serious mental illness. Allen was in solitary confinement for 13 months, which he said can be harmful to a person’s mental health.

MORE: Girls on Delphi trail on day of murders speak out: ‘This was the man I waved at’

The psychologist said he believed Allen was suffering from “situational psychosis” in prison. She said Allen would have episodes of psychosis and then go into remission.

Allen’s strange behavior in custody included banging his head against a wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, eating paper, smearing feces in his cell and applying feces to his face for two hours, according to corrections officers’ testimony.

On the day of the murders, Libby and Abby saw a man behind them on the bridge, and Libby began recording on her phone, prosecutors said. The man — known as the “bridge guy” in the voiceover video released to the public — pulled out a gun and ordered the girls down the “hill,” prosecutors said.

Indiana State Trooper Brian Harshman, who said he listened to 700 of Allen’s calls and monitored his text messages and video chats, testified Thursday that after listening to the calls, he believes Allen is the voice in the video to Libby “the bridge guy”.

The psychologist testified that Allen told her he ordered the girls to “go down the hill” and intended to rape them, but then he saw something — either a person or a van — and started.

Harshman told jurors he believed Allen was startled by a van belonging to resident Brad Weber. Weber, who lives near the crime scene, owns a 2000 Ford Econoline van. Harshman said the time it would have taken Weber to drive home from work matches the time of the murders.

Defense attorney Brad Rozzi said police never investigated how many vans were registered in the county at the time of the murders. Rozzi also noted that numerous people were suspected of being the man in the “bridge guy” video, including Weber.

‘I did it’: Delphi murder suspect’s alleged phone confessions to wife played in court originally appeared on abcnews.go.com