Senior investigative reporter at WTHR-TV and @WTHRcom, trying to make Indiana a better place. Tweets & RTs are not endorsements.
2. A lot of folks I spoke to outside the courthouse expected a verdict today—especially since it’s Friday & the assumption is the sequestered jurors (understandably) want to reunite w their families in time for the weekend. It’s just not that simple. SO much evidence to review. 
2. Dr. Polly Westcott told jurors that she met with Allen in prison to conduct a series of psychological exams on him. She also reviewed prison videos, phone calls Allen made in prison, medical records & staff notes to write a 127-page report with a detailed set of conclusions. 
2. The defense contends those conditions caused Allen to be psychotic, prompting him to make 60+ false confessions to the murders. The jury spent about 2 hours watching these videos, but no one else in the gallery was allowed to see them. Theoretically. More on that in a moment…
2. They called Max Baker to testify. He’s a defense team intern who compiled months of prison video obtained through discovery, including video of Richard Allen in & out of his cell—highlighting his treatment & mental decline. Could have been powerful, but the jury never saw it.
2. To say these recorded confessions were damaging to Allen’s defense would be a gross understatement. Hearing a man saying over & over again that he killed two girls — making the incriminating statements to his wife & mother — is something the jury cannot un-hear. 
2. Today was all about trying to place Richard Allen at the murder scene. For that, the State called on firearm examiner Melissa Oberg, who tested the unspent bullet cartridge found by the girls’ bodies & later matched it to a gun found in Allen’s house. She testified all day. 
2. Jurors learned Allen “fell thru the cracks” of the state’s Delphi Murders investigation, resulting in a 5-yr delay in his arrest. Investigators literally forgot Allen called their tipline 3 days after the murders to report being on the Monon High Bridge the day of the murders. 
13 Thing To Know From The Delphi Mirders Trial Today - Oct 24 🧵
13 Things To Know From The Delphi Murders Trial Today - Oct 22 🧵
13 Things To Know From The Delphi Murders Trial Today - Oct 21 🧵
2. First witness was Steve Mullin, former Delphi PD chief & current investigator for the Carroll Co prosecutor. He showed the jury where Abby & Libby’s bodies were found on an aerial map shown to jurors. Also walked jury thru drone video of Monon paths used by the girls. #wthr
2. As Judge Gull delivered instructions to the jury, she reminded jurors the burden to prove Allen’s guilt “is a strict & heavy burden” which falls solely on the state. She instructed them to “keep an open mind” & wait to hear all evidence before formulating an opinion. 2/ #wthr 
An IMPD police report states Brandon Hole was arrested on March 3, 2020, when police were dispatched to a far Eastside house (the same house police and ATF searched this morning following the FedEx shooting). The report says police "seized shotgun from dangerous person." #wthr 2/