DELPHI, Ind. — Richard Allen’s defense began its first full day of calling witnesses by calling Agent Christopher Gootee to the stand Friday.

Gootee served in the Hammond Police Department as a teenager Libby German and Abby Williams found murdered near the Monon High Trail in Delphi, Indiana.

Gootee interviewed Brad Weber as part of the investigation. Weber lived near the trail and, according to Gootee, Weber said he went home after work on Feb. 13, 2013, the day the girls were murdered. Gootee couldn’t remember what else Weber said despite reading his own report.

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The State did not cross-examine Gootee.

The defense then called Dr. Deanna Dwenger of the Indiana Department of Corrections to the stand. Dwenger supervises contract employees, such as state witness Dr. Monica Wala.

Wala testified this week about the times Allen confessed to him that he killed Libby and Abby. The defense attacked her credibility because Wala admitted to being a true crime fan who listened to and participated in Delphi-related podcasts.

Dwenger was asked further about Wala’s personal interest in Allen’s case. Dwenger said she only found out after she was already assigned to work with Allen.

Dwenger knew Wala had visited the Monon High Bridge before Allen arrived at the Westville Correctional Center. She told the jury she thought it was unusual to visit the crime scene of someone you work with, but said Wala discussed the matter further with her direct supervisor.

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Dwenger said she has not determined which correctional facility Allen was placed in and does not know who made the decision. She said Allen was classified as a security risk when he arrived in Westville. Dwenger said Allen was code D for mental health, which meant Allen needed an individual therapist.

Dwenger said she regularly heard Allen threatened by other inmates. She also testified that she knew Allen was always being filmed, and that worried her. Dwenger said she recommended that the cameras be removed to improve Allen’s mental health, but that never happened.

Dwenger also told jurors that solitary confinement is not good for mental health.

The Department of Corrections has a policy that a person suffering from a “serious mental illness” should not be held in solitary confinement for more than 30 days. Allen was in solitary confinement for 13 months.

State’s Attorney Stacey Diener cross-examined Dr. Dwenger. She told the court that Allen was not diagnosed with a serious mental illness when he arrived in Westville in late 2022. It was not until April 2023 that this diagnosis was made, when his mental health took a turn for the worse. notable twist. This is also when Allen began confessing to the murders of Libby and Abby.

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The first document determining Allen’s “severe disability” was dated April 13, 2023. This was around the same time that a team of mental health professionals determined that Allen had deteriorated enough that a intervention is necessary. Dwenger testified that Allen was involuntarily given antipsychotic medication.

The jury also asked Dwenger several questions, the most notable of which focused on Allen’s mental health.

One juror asked whether someone faking a mental health crisis could slip truths into their confession. Dwenger said she has seen psychotic people truthfully confess and psychotic people make things up.

Another juror asked how a psychiatrist can determine if someone is faking psychosis. Dwenger said the clinician listens to body language and the string of the story. Dwenger said if the story is organized the person is likely faking psychosis, if it is disorganized and out of chronological order it is more likely the person is psychotic or delusional.

When court returned after a mid-morning recess, the prosecution and defense argued over the videos of Allen in his cell and how much of the video would be played. Judge Frances Gull decided to allow the videos to play without audio.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.