FORT WAYNE, Ind. — 13News reporter Emily Longnecker has been looking over hundreds of pages of exhibits in the Delphi murders trial from both the defense and the state from the pretrial hearings in late July/early August.
No recording or photos of the exhibits were allowed, just a pen and paper for reporters to copy what they saw.
One of the most notable exhibits is a letter to Indiana Department of Correction Warden John Galipeau from Richard Allen, dated March 5, 2023, requesting an interview for the warden.
"I am ready to officially confess for killing Abby and Libby. I hope I get the opportunities to tell the families I'm sorry," according to a letter allegedly signed by Allen.
The trial is being held in Delphi, but the exhibits are at the Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne.
Allen's alleged confessions have been a key point of debate between prosecutors and his defense team. Allen's attorneys argue that he was coerced into making the confessions and that his mental health was poor when he made them.
On Aug. 29, special judge Frances Gull ruled the jury could hear his alleged confessions.
Allen allegedly made more than 60 confessions while he was being held in state prisons. He allegedly confessed to his family members, prison guards, other inmates, the warden of Westville Correctional Facility and a prison psychologist.
In her ruling, Gull wrote "…statements given to the defendant's family members were voluntary, not coerced by any State action, and were not made under threats of violence, or improper influence."
Referring to some of Allen’s other alleged confessions, Gull also said, "The Court finds statements given by the defendant to Dr. Wala, the Warden, inmates, guards, medical personnel, mental health professionals, and law enforcement personnel were not coerced, were voluntary, were not the result of interrogation by the State or its actors, nor the product of his confinement and, therefore, denied the defendant's Motion to Suppress Statements…"
13News legal expert Katie Jackson-Lindsay said the judge’s ruling is a significant win for Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland.
“That's an advantage for the state. There's no question about it,” Jackson-Lindsay told 13News. “Any prosecutor would love to have a confession on a case, and so while it puts the defense in a position to defend something more, it gives the state an extreme advantage in showing, ‘We know we have the right guy because even the guy told you he's the right guy.’”
Other exhibits discuss Odinism theory
In addition to the letter from Allen, exhibits shown Tuesday included items dealing with Odinism, a Norse pagan religion.
Allen's defense team believes Abby and Libby were killed as part of an Odinistic ritual and they deposed several people they believe could have been involved. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of depositions were presented to reporters Tuesday.
But keep in mind, Gull has ruled the jury will not hear about the ritual killing theory or the other alleged suspects, a ruling that came out of pretrial hearings.
What wasn't included
Though there were literally thousands of pages of pretrial exhibits to view Tuesday, there were a few notable items that were not included, which 13News expected to see.
The autopsy reports of Abby and Libby were not available, along with emails from Indiana State Police Supt. Doug Carter that included updates to the FBI in the early days of the investigation.
Also not included was a report from Steve Mullins, an investigator for the state who was the chief of the Delphi Police Department at the time of the murders. We learned in pretrial hearings that the report detailed interactions Mullins had with a possible suspect.
The state objected to the defense entering that report, claiming it was hearsay.