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Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen treated as 'prisoner of war', lawyers demand move to new prison

Richard Allen has been held at the Westville Correctional Facility since November 2022

DELPHI, INDIANA: Attorneys for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls in Indiana in 2017, claim that he has been handled like a prisoner of war and has been housed in a cell no bigger than a dog kennel. The lawyers are demanding that he should be transferred to a different jail. Allen was charged with two charges of murder in October in the deaths of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.

The lawyers of the Delhi murder suspect filed an emergency petition Wednesday, April 5 to get him out of the Westville Correctional Facility, where he was put due to the high-profile aspect of his double killing case, claiming it would be beneficial to his health. They included a picture of him taken earlier this week, in which he appeared gaunt.

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Where is Richard Allen?

Since November 2022, Richard Allen has been confined at the Westville Correctional Facility. He is allegedly being treated more direly than prisoners while still being given the benefit of the doubt, according to his lawyers. The Delphi killer is detained in the segregation unit with the highest level of security, claims the petition, reports WTHR.

What is the condition of Richard Allen's prison cell?

In addition to the small dimensions of the cell, they claim he has been sleeping on a pad on the floor of his six by ten foot, "cold, concrete" room, has gone days without receiving a change of clothes, and is not allowed to see his wife or other family members, as per Daily Mail. They contend that this treatment, which includes "little, if any, time outside" the cell, has jeopardized their defense of Allen by deteriorating his physical and mental health. "It is difficult, if not impossible, for Mr. Allen's Attorneys to share confidential and sensitive information with Mr Allen due to the logistical challenges associated with Mr. Allen's segregation and isolation to the extent that Mr. Allen is being deprived of his constitutional right to assist in his defense," they noted in the document.

Why Allen's lawyers asking for jail change for suspect?

This request has been made by Allen's law team as a result of what they call Allen's behavior a "steep decline." They claim that he has changed from being courteous and amusing to being unable to interact with his attorneys. "Simply put, this version of Richard Allen was a very different version than counsel for Mr. Allen had interacted with over the past five months," his lawyers mentioned. "The conditions under which Mr. Allen has been forced to endure are akin to that of a prisoner of war."

Where do Allen's attorneys want him to go?

They want him transported to the Cass County Jail, which is 20 miles away from the courtroom where the trial is being held. They claim that because of Westville, getting to Allen now requires lengthy journeys. Prosecutor Nick McLeland has not opposed the relocation, according to Allen's legal team. "Mr. Allen asserts that said denial is a deliberate attempt to impose conditions upon him that are intended to frustrate his purpose in defending against the charged allegations and create hardship on him which would drive any human to mental breakdown," the motion stated. They assert that the Carroll County Sheriffs have refused to remove Allen from Westville, which they describe as an untenable scenario for both his safety and his defense, adding that if they do so, he may be "placed in further jeopardy." 

'He sure looks like hell'

Meanwhile, the suspect's picture has been circulating on the internet and many users observe him looking lean and haggard. A user Tweeted along with photos and wrote in the caption, "It is difficult to feel bad for Delphi suspect Richard Allen. He sure looks like hell. The conditions he is living in are pretty horrific. He has to make it to trial y’all." Many questioned the poor conditions. A user said, "Why are inmates not provided with clean clothing?" Another user wrote, "You know it is so hard sometimes wanting justice for people and at the same time wanting prison reform." One person remarked, "He really lost a lot of weight it looks like." "Death row prisoners receive better treatment than this. He hasn’t even been convicted," the same user who posted the tweet said. One person said, "This ethically and legally seems really wrong. Innocent until proven and convicted, correct ?" Another person said, "I’m disturbed. Eyes of the devil."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.