The man prosecuting Richard Allen for the murders of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017 is now investigating a former police chief who investigated alternate suspects for the crime.
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland filed a motion on Tuesday indicating he believes that former Rushville Police Chief Todd Click’s personnel files will present credibility questions and discredit his theory of the murders of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, the Journal &amp; Courier <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2024/04/23/delphi-prosecutor-targets-ex-rushville-chief-todd-glick-investigation-odinist-richard-allen/73424767007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Click’s investigation forms the basis of Allen’s defense, pointing to alternate suspects the defense team believes actually committed the crime.
McLeland is looking to obtain Click’s employee records, implying they will show Click has a history of credibility issues. His motion includes a subpoena for Rushville’s current police chief to hand over the records, but so far, Special Judge Fran Gull has not signed the subpoena.
Click’s investigation focused on three individuals who may have been involved in the teens’ murders, including one man who allegedly told his sister that he was at the crime scene and described details not released to the public.
Click’s investigation was summarized in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-for-delphi-murder-suspect-claim-young-teens-were-killed-by-white-nationalist-pagan-group-in-ritual-sacrifice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">136-page memorandum</a> filed by Allen’s attorneys in September, which argues the three men were Odinists, a pagan Norse religion taken over by white nationalists.
While such a claim sounds outrageous, Click was so concerned about the information used to arrest Allen that he obtained an attorney to help him draft a letter to McLeland. This letter was only shared with defense attorneys after it became clear they would most likely talk to Click – more than four months after the letter was sent to the prosecutor.
In addition to not turning over the letter, law enforcement also allegedly withheld an 85-page compilation of reports from Click and the other officers who investigated the white supremacist angle and several videotaped statements that all supported Allen’s innocence.
Through Click’s investigation, names of alternate suspects were given to Delphi law enforcement no later than February 2018, the attorneys wrote in September.
The defense attorneys pointed to members of the cult as alleged suspects, whom The Daily Wire will not be naming since they have not been charged with any crimes. One of these named individuals’ social media posts contained images that mimicked the runes found at the crime scene, even though such images have never been released to the public, according to the defense. The individual allegedly also posted numerous “easter eggs” on social media that pointed to his involvement in the crime, including a recreation of the crime scene involving two women posing as dead with sticks over their bodies, just like the actual crime scene. This same individual also seemingly taunted police on social media, the defense claims.
One further tie to the victims is that this man’s son was allegedly “dating” the young victim, Abby.
Police cleared this individual as a suspect within 30 days of the murders, even with this evidence, the defense argues.
This individual’s ex-wife also allegedly told police that he and another man in the Odinists had a falling out in February 2017 after conducting a ritual in the woods, near a river. The main alternate suspect lived very near to where the girls’ bodies were found, according to the defense’s filing. This ex-wife also allegedly told police that her ex-husband and “his people” killed the girls because one of their mothers was “mixing” with people who weren’t of the same race.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
This individual was also tied to others who allegedly confessed to the crime. One of these individuals allegedly told his sister that he was involved in the crime and included details of the crime scene that were never released to the public. According to the court documents, this man was also questioned but denied involvement. According to a state trooper who dropped him off at his home, this individual allegedly returned to the trooper’s vehicle and asked if he would still be in trouble if his spit was found on one of the victims, saying he could explain it away. This individual also told another one of his sisters that he spit on one of the victims, according to the defense.
This individual and a fourth man provided shaky alibis to police for their whereabouts at the time of the murder, with contradictory stories, Allen’s defense attorneys contend.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland

Delphi Prosecutor Now Investigating Former Police Chief Who Investigated Alternate Suspects In Murder Of Teen Girls

Crime

Indiana

Murder

Teenagers

U.S.

Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing two Delphi, Indiana, teens in 2017 don’t want jurors to hear his recorded police interrogation, saying he was never read his Miranda Rights.
In a motion <a href="https://fox59.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2024/04/Motionpdf.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> on Monday, defense attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi argued that their client, Richard Allen, had his civil rights violated during that interrogation, Fox 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/indiana-news/richard-allens-attorneys-claim-delphi-murders-suspect-was-lied-to-by-police-never-read-miranda-rights-during-interrogation/amp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. In addition to not reading him his Miranda Rights, the attorneys argue that Indiana State Police officials lied to Allen during that interrogation.
Allen, 50, has been charged with kidnapping and killing 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, whose bodies were found off a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017.
The latest filing claims that on October 13, 2022, Allen and his wife drove to the police station to pick up a car that had been seized nearly two weeks earlier as part of the investigation into Allen’s involvement in the teens’ deaths. When they arrived, the defense attorneys say, Allen was separated from his wife and questioned without being read his Miranda Rights or told he was free to leave at any time or that the interview was being recorded, Fox reported.
Baldwin and Rozzi also argue that the beginning of the recorded interview either never existed or has disappeared in the years since.
“In this case, either (a) the camera was only turned on after they were already minutes into the interview,” the latest filing says. “Or (b) the camera was recording the entire time, but the beginning of the interview was later edited out before being turned over to defense.”
Due to these issues, the defense attorneys say they don’t want jurors at Allen’s upcoming trial to hear the interview. Included in the interview are statements from police claiming to have expert testimony linking Allen to evidence found at the crime scene and a trooper telling him, “You’re guilty, and I know it, and I’m gonna f***ing prove it.”
The filing comes just days after Baldwin and Rozzi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delphi-murder-suspects-attorneys-dont-want-jailhouse-confessions-heard-at-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested</a> to have Allen’s prison confessions suppressed from the jury as well.
The attorneys alleged that Allen did not make the comments voluntarily and was mentally ill at the time. Rozzi said in a motion to suppress statements filed Thursday that prison officials put inmates at Allen’s cell door and had them keep logs of everything Allen said and did. Rozzi said that some of those inmates actively questioned Allen, which Rozzi said amounts to a “sustained form of interrogation; one that lasted more than five months before he was finally broken.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712932862202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Rozzi argued in another filing that allowing those statements to be used in Allen’s trial would violate his constitutional rights, since he didn’t have an attorney present when he made the comments.
Further, Rozzi said Allen “slipped into a state of psychosis plagued with grossly disorganized, delusional, paranoid and highly dysfunctional behavior” while he was in prison. This behavior included “periods of not sleeping for days, paranoia, stripping off his clothes, drinking toilet water, covering himself with and eating his own feces, and many other socially unacceptable behaviors.”
The defense attorneys also argued that Allen’s alleged confessions don’t even align with the evidence from the crime scene, meaning they can’t be accurate.

Richard Allen

Delphi Defense Attorneys Claim Murder Suspect Was Never Read Miranda Rights

Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing two Delphi, Indiana, teens in 2017 don’t want the suspect&#8217;s jailhouse confessions to be heard at trial.
Richard Allen, 50, has been charged with kidnapping and killing 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, whose bodies were found off a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017. His attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, asked Special Judge Fran Gull on Thursday to suppress statements Allen made in prison allegedly confessing to the crimes, WTHR <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/richard-allen-attorneys-say-jury-should-not-hear-his-alleged-confessions-during-delphi-murders-trial/531-686dd233-2c17-4458-a4c0-371392963bc6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The attorneys alleged that Allen did not make the comments voluntarily and was mentally ill at the time. Rozzi said in a motion to suppress statements filed Thursday that prison officials put inmates at Allen’s cell door and had them keep logs of everything Allen said and did. Rozzi said that some of those inmates actively questioned Allen, which Rozzi said amounts to a “sustained form of interrogation; one that lasted more than five months before he was finally broken.”
Rozzi argued in another filing that allowing those statements to be used in Allen’s trial would violate his constitutional rights, since he didn’t have an attorney present when he made the comments.
Further, Rozzi said Allen “slipped into a state of psychosis plagued with grossly disorganized, delusional, paranoid and highly dysfunctional behavior,” while he was in prison. This behavior included “periods of not sleeping for days, paranoia, stripping off his clothes, drinking toilet water, covering himself with and eating his own feces, and many other socially unacceptable behaviors.”
The defense attorneys also argued that Allen’s alleged confessions don’t even align with the evidence from the crime scene, meaning they can’t be accurate.
The prosecution in the case first mentioned the alleged confessions in June 2023, saying that Allen “confessed five or six times” while in prison.
Prosecutor Nick McLeland stated in court at the time that Allen “made multiple confessions to multiple people,” Fox 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-murder-suspect-richard-allen-due-in-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712932862202000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Rozzi acknowledged that Allen had made “incriminating statements,” but said those statements couldn’t be trusted due to his client’s deteriorating mental health.
Allen’s trial is set to begin on May 13, following Judge Gull’s refusal to dismiss the charges based on allegations from the defense team that police recorded over interviews with key witnesses.
McLeland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delphi-prosecutor-says-deleted-interviews-with-witnesses-were-not-useful-evidence-in-murders-of-teenage-girls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed back</a> against the defense’s claims, arguing that the interviews were “not evidence at all related to this case.”
He acknowledged that the interviews, which were conducted just days after the bodies of Williams and German were found, had been inadvertently recorded over, but “were not destroyed by the state purposefully or in bad faith.” Prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the interviews had been “recorded over” because of “a DVR program error.”
Judge Fran Gull agreed with McLeland that charges against Allen shouldn’t be dismissed based on the missing interviews, saying Baldwin and Rozzi didn’t prove that the recordings were destroyed “negligently, intentionally, or in bad faith,” according to Fox 59.
“The recordings of interviews between February 14 -17, 2017, were lost due to human error or were spontaneously lost due to equipment resetting,” Gull wrote in her ruling, <a href="https://fox59.com/news/judge-wont-throw-out-delphi-murder-charges-over-deleted-interviews/">according</a> to the outlet.

Delphi Murder Suspect’s Attorneys Don’t Want Jailhouse Confessions Heard At Trial

Delphi Murder Suspect's Attorneys Don't Want Jailhouse Confessions Heard At Trial

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/instagram">Instagram</a> will start automatically blurring nude photos sent via private messaging for account holders younger than 18, per an<a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2024/04/new-tools-to-help-protect-against-sextortion-and-intimate-image-abuse/"> announcement</a> from its parent company, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meta">Meta</a>.
In addition to blurring images containing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nudity">nudity</a>, the popular social media platform will prompt users “to think twice before sending nude images.” The app will also show a notification to adult users, encouraging them to turn the feature on for their accounts.
The new feature is likely a response to increased public pressure from critics who say social media companies should be doing more to protect children from online harm. Meta also said the feature would help protect minors from “sextortion,” or the practice of scammers sending nude images to children in an effort to get them to send photos back.
“While people overwhelmingly use DMs to share what they love with their friends, family or favorite creators, sextortion scammers may also use private messages to share or ask for intimate images,” Meta shared Thursday in a blog post.
The new feature will make it so any images containing nudity will be automatically blurred, and a prompt will ask the user if they’d like to view it. 
“We’ll also show them a message encouraging them not to feel pressure to respond, with an option to block the sender and report the chat,” Meta said.
The company also said “severe action” is taken against any platform users who are determined to be engaging in sextortion. The users have their accounts removed and steps are taken to prevent them from making new profiles, Meta said. If warranted, the user may also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and local authorities.
Meta also said it has increased the data it shares with Lantern, an online child safety program. 
“Meta’s proposed device-side safety measures within its encrypted environment is encouraging,” John Shehan, SVP at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said in a statement provided by Meta. “We are hopeful these new measures will increase reporting by minors and curb the circulation of online child exploitation.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712242396228000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3WzjrNXCr1KblP2z8dS_jB">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The move comes after Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg attended Senate hearings in January, which included testimonies from families of victims who experienced abuse online. 
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve all gone through. Nobody should have to go through what your families have suffered,” Zuckerberg said at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-sorry-for-everything-mark-zuckerberg-faces-families-harmed-by-social-media">reported</a>. “This is why we have invested so much and are going to continue industry-leading efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things your families have suffered.”

Instagram

Instagram Will Blur Nude Images Sent To Teens To Curb Sextortion

Instagram Will Blur Nude Images Sent To Teens In Effort To Curb Sextortion

Business

Nudity

Social Media

Technology

The special judge overseeing the case against Richard Allen won’t dismiss the charges despite police recording over interviews defense attorneys said were with “key suspects,” FOX 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/news/judge-wont-throw-out-delphi-murder-charges-over-deleted-interviews/">reported</a>.
Allen has been charged with kidnapping and killing 3-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, whose bodies were found off a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017. His attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, argued that the charges should be dismissed because police recorded over interviews with two men the attorneys described as “key suspects.”
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delphi-prosecutor-says-deleted-interviews-with-witnesses-were-not-useful-evidence-in-murders-of-teenage-girls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed back</a> against the defense’s claims, arguing that the interviews were “not evidence at all related to this case.”
He acknowledged that the interviews, which were conducted just days after the bodies of Williams and German were found, had been inadvertently recorded over, but “were not destroyed by the state purposefully or in bad faith.” Prosecutors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say">said</a> the interviews had been &#8220;recorded over&#8221; because of &#8220;a DVR program error.&#8221;
Judge Fran Gull agreed with McLeland that charges against Allen shouldn’t be dismissed based on the missing interviews, saying Baldwin and Rozzi didn’t prove that the recordings were destroyed “negligently, intentionally, or in bad faith,” according to Fox 59.
“The recordings of interviews between February 14 -17, 2017, were lost due to human error or were spontaneously lost due to equipment resetting,” Gull wrote in her ruling, according to the outlet.
Even though the recordings don’t exist, there are memorialized summaries of the interviews, but defense attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi wanted the recordings so they could “listen to the exact spoken words” of the two men who were interviewed, “particularly the statements that the author of the document admits were not memorialized in the document,” the attorneys wrote in a filing in late February.
McLeland, in his response, argued that the interviews “are not evidence related to this case.”
“The evidence in question is not exculpatory evidence nor is it potentially useful evidence,” McLeland wrote, according to Fox 59.
Baldwin and Rozzi have claimed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a past filing</a> that the teenage girls were killed by “[m]embers of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists.”
The attorneys said in the filing that two groups of Odinists, one from Delphi and the other from Rushville, Indiana, were investigated for their possible involvement in the murders. As evidence the girls were murdered as part of a ritual sacrifice, the attorneys point to ritualistic symbols allegedly found at the crime scene, which include the strange way young Libby’s body was positioned.
A March 2017 search warrant request from the FBI <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that the girls’ bodies looked as though they had been “moved and staged.”
The filing also notes that investigators didn’t further investigate the alleged ritualistic symbols left at the crime scene, which included sticks and tree branches placed on the girls’ bodies that mimicked certain Norse runes. At least one branch appeared to have been cut with an electronic device, suggesting premeditation, the defense argues. Libby’s blood was also used to paint a rune on a tree that was identified as a calling card of the pagan religious cult, they added.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712245447014000&amp;usg=AOvVaw259gdy9LGyeAJghxwMwQqU">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Without the recordings, it may be more difficult for Allen’s attorneys to point out “inconsistencies or raise questions about other witnesses or other information relevant to an unbiased investigation.”
The defense attorneys have argued that the two men interviewed by police in the days after the girls’ bodies were found are tied to their theory about a ritualistic killing.
Allen’s trial is set to begin on May 13.

Delphi Judge Won’t Dismiss Charges Against Richard Allen After Police ‘Recorded Over’ Interviews

Delphi Judge Won't Dismiss Charges Against Richard Allen After Police 'Recorded Over' Interviews

More information has been revealed on the death of Nex Benedict, the 16-year-old girl whose death was exploited by the media to pretend anti-trans bigotry led to her death.
Originally, the media suggested she was gender non-binary. They claimed she was abused by other students at her high school, beaten up in a bathroom, and then died due to injuries from the fight.
It turns out, not one element of that was true. It turns out, Benedict started the fight in the bathroom. It turns out, Benedict had returned to her normal state of health after that fight.
And it turns out, Benedict committed suicide. So every major element of the mainstream media’s report was false.
New details have now come to light about the life of Nex Benedict, which demonstrate as per usual, when young people commit suicide, it is not because society is mean to them due to their gender non-binary status; it is largely because there are extreme mental health co-morbidities with that identification.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1936-the-biggest-conspiracy-theory-of-all-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
That is particularly true in this case — a tragic, horrifying case. As RedState <a href="https://redstate.com/chad-felix-greene/2024/03/27/nex-benedict-n2172000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Now that we have the full autopsy report for Dagney (Nex) Benedict, many of the questions surrounding her overdose have been answered. The full report, released by the Chief Medical Officer and Board of Medicolegal Investigations on March 27th, 2024, confirms what the earlier Medical Examiner’s Office reported on March 13th, 2024. There were “massive” amounts of Diphenhydramine, more commonly known over the counter as Benadryl,” in Dagney’s blood.
Dr. Paul Wax, the Executive Director of the American College of Toxicology, reviewed the results and confirmed she could have consumed 50 to 100 pills to reach that toxicity level. Her routine medication, fluoxetine, for bipolar disorder was present and may have contributed, a second authority concluded. Her death was intentionally self-inflicted.
The report indicated, “The 11 pages released indicate handwritten notes ‘suggestive of self-harm’ were found in Nex&#8217;s room by family members, and that the teen has a history of ‘bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, self-harm (cutting).’
While advocacy groups remain insistent that her distress sourced from bullying at school, Dagney did not indicate this in her last notes. The Owasso Police Department released a statement saying, “Although the notes do not make any reference to the earlier fight or difficulties at school, the parents indicated that Benedict reported being picked upon for various reasons while at school.”
As is usual in these cases, there is much more to the story. A hint was provided by the Washington Post on February 21st, 2024, that never made it beyond that report. Describing Dagney’s funeral, the article states that Dagney&#8217;s cousin spoke “along with her mother and Benedict. Nex’s biological mother was among the mourners; their father, who is in prison for abuse, was not.” </blockquote>
So where was Dad? What happened to the father? RedState continues the story, saying:
<blockquote>On July 17th, 2019, when Dagney was 11 years old, an arrest warrant was issued for James Everette Hughes, Dagney’s father. He was arrested on July 31st, 2019, in Sebastian County, AR. The charge was for rape of a minor under the age of 14, during the time period between May 2017 and August 2017, when Dagney was nine years old. Among many witnesses was Sue Benedict, the grandmother who would adopt Dagney in 2019. 
Hughes would accept a plea deal to sexual assault in the second degree on November 27th, 2019. He was sentenced to five years in prison with ten years suspended. He would be placed on the sex offender list and have no contact with his daughter. He was arrested again on January 25th, 2024, by the Little Rock Police Department for failing to comply with reporting as a sex offender.</blockquote>
That was two weeks before Dagney took her own life. The details of the rest of this story are difficult to read.
<blockquote>Hughes’ new case, in Pulaski County, AR, 60CR-24-894: State v. James Everette Hughes, was filed on March 5th, 2024 for the offense of failing to register as a sex offender or report address change. … Case details are difficult to read, and the following information is graphic. In the report, Dagney, age 11, would tell investigators her father anally raped her when she was nine years old. She reported he had molested her for years prior.</blockquote>
This is obviously a story of horrific physical sexual abuse of a child by her own father that resulted in confusion, mental illness, and problems that deserve nothing but sympathy.
But the media treated this as a case of conservative anti-trans bigotry, which is insane, sick, and wrong. Will the media walk any of what they did back here?
Of course not because their original story backs their particular narrative. That particular narrative is that America is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad place.
And their proof of that is that Nex Benedict, a young girl, committed suicide and that she must have done so because society was too mean to her — as opposed to the very specific circumstances of what appears to be a deeply tragic life.

Vigil Held At Stonewall In New York City For Nex Benedict, Non-Binary Teen Who Died In Oklahoma

The Death Of Nex Benedict: The Media Lies To Vilify America

Ben Shapiro

Legacy Media

Oklahoma

Opinion

Readers Pass

Suicide

Transgender

A bill that would effectively ban the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week in a 50-0 vote and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-bill-that-could-lead-to-u-s-ban-on-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was passed</a> by the entire House in a largely bipartisan 352-65 vote on Wednesday. According to the legislation, the app&#8217;s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, would have to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the United States.
While the bill does have its <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/potential-tiktok-ban-clears-congressional-hurdle-as-some-republicans-voice-opposition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detractors</a>, such as Tesla owner Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and the American people <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-biden-bytedance-china-2acbaeb71e8bb0c6341f2bc55ba33e80" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are split</a> on support for a ban, the bill is <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/11/congress-tiktok-ban-bill-donald-trump/72938017007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to pass with sizable bipartisan support.
Social media accounts like <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Libs of TikTok</a> have documented the proliferation of far-Left gender and racial ideology on the platform for years now, and even top government officials have warned of the danger the app poses to national security because of its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
A report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/director-of-national-intelligence-includes-chinas-tiktok-among-its-top-threats-to-national-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the CCP aims to “exploit perceived U.S. societal divisions” through social media. The report added that “China is demonstrating a higher degree of sophistication in its influence activity, including experimenting with generative AI. TikTok accounts run by a PRC propaganda arm reportedly targeted candidates from both political parties during the U.S. midterm election cycle in 2022.”
While the app is a useful vector for both American leftists and Chinese communists to spread corrosive propaganda, the platform itself is just as dangerous to the minds of American citizens as the content posted to it. Studies have consistently reported that TikTok use poses a potentially disastrous threat to users&#8217; memory, attention span, and mental health.
It should be emphasized how astronomically popular this social media platform is in the United States. By some <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299807/number-of-monthly-unique-tiktok-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimates</a>, TikTok boasts nearly 150 million monthly users in the U.S. — nearly half of the country&#8217;s population. American teenagers are especially hooked on the video-sharing app, with 67% of teens saying that they have used it and 16% reporting they use it &#8220;almost constantly,&#8221; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/30/tiktok-mental-health-social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Guardian. The average teen user spends an hour-and-a-half on it every single day, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/512576/teens-spend-average-hours-social-media-per-day.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a Gallup poll conducted in 2023.
TikTok&#8217;s algorithm meticulously tailors video recommendations to users&#8217; past viewing habits and preferences, causing some to remark that the app&#8217;s ability to cater to their own personal tastes borders on uncanny, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigation <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tiktok-algorithm-video-investigation-11626877477?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> in 2021.
This constant prolonged exposure to TikTok&#8217;s content strategy — barraging users with heavily curated short-form content — is having a detrimental impact on their cognitive abilities.
Specifically, the app&#8217;s algorithm preys on the human brain&#8217;s reward system, which releases the chemical dopamine whenever we experience something enjoyable in order to incentivize further consumption. Dopamine is released in a variety of situations in which humans feel pleasure or satisfaction, from petting a dog to taking drugs, but TikTok&#8217;s algorithm can create a &#8220;dopamine machine&#8221; that can cause people to become more easily addicted to it, pediatrician John Hutton told the WSJ in 2022.
It can also train a user&#8217;s brain to become accustomed to and seek out shorter content to get quicker hits of dopamine. A study from as early as 2019 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09311-w?utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_source=commission_junction&amp;utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&amp;utm_content=textlink&amp;utm_term=PID100096347&amp;CJEVENT=9a51d18de26c11ee81dd01990a82b824" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that attention spans are narrowing due in part to how quickly people consume information and content on social media. So, a user&#8217;s brain can become addicted to the format (the 15-second TikTok video) in which content is presented to you as well as the content itself (a video of a dog doing a backflip).
If someone&#8217;s brain become sufficiently addicted to the short-form content, then that can affect how well they can process information from a longer form source such as a news article, TV program, or a book. This can be especially disastrous for children, whose brains are still developing. The term &#8220;TikTok brain&#8221; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-antidote-for-tiktok-brain-is-also-a-problem-d20ce978" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was coined</a> to describe the phenomenon in which children consume so much short content on apps like TikTok that they struggle to engage with anything that requires a greater degree of focus or attention.
“It is hard to look at increasing trends in media consumption of all types, media multitasking and rates of ADHD in young people and not conclude that there is a decrease in their attention span,” psychiatrist Carl Marci <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-antidote-for-tiktok-brain-is-also-a-problem-d20ce978" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the WSJ.
“When kids spend a lot of time watching short videos, they expect to continually be stimulated by fast changes in content,” says Professor Gloria Mark also told the publication.
In addition to harming their cognitive development, apps like TikTok <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/30/tiktok-mental-health-social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wreak havoc</a> on young people&#8217;s mental health. Multiple studies have <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20research%20study,including%20depression%20and%20anxiety%20symptoms." target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that addictive social media use has contributed to the spike in mental health problems among younger Americans.
TikTok&#8217;s content strategy is so successful that other platforms, such as YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, have scrambled to adopt a similar format, exposing even more people to the potentially harmful &#8220;dopamine machine.&#8221;
An oft overlooked but critical detail to mention about the Chinese-controlled app is that the American version is already functionally banned — in China. Douyin, TikTok&#8217;s counterpart in China, is devoid of the Left-wing gender and race ideology that pervades TikTok, largely thanks to China&#8217;s strict censorship regime. The algorithm in China instead focuses on pushing educational content as well as product advertisements, while suppressing any potentially inconvenient political topics (the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre perpetrated by the CCP is nowhere to be found on the app).
What&#8217;s more, the Chinese version implements rigorous constraints on how young people can use it. Children younger than 14 can only have access to what the CCP deems child-friendly content and can only use it for 40 minutes every day. They are completely barred from the app from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/24/tech/tiktok-douyin-bytedance-china-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CNN.
A study on Douyin&#8217;s effect on users published in 2021 found that even that highly regulated and censored version of the app still activated areas of users&#8217; brains associated with addiction, the WSJ noted.
The content peddled by TikTok is certainly harmful. Millions of teens have been exposed to radical gender and race ideology through TikTok videos. But the medium itself is also damaging Americans&#8217; minds through its highly addictive and brain-altering algorithm, shortening their attention spans and disincentivizing complex thought. Unless there is a significant change to the format of TikTok and similar apps, its ownership by a hostile foreign government is only one part of the danger it poses to the American public.

In this photo illustration, a woman’s silhouette holds a

TikTok Is Catastrophically Harmful To Young People, Regardless Of Who Owns It

Big Tech

Children

China

Congress

Gen Z

TikTok

A medical examiner has determined that the death of Oklahoma “nonbinary” teenager Nex Benedict, which became a national news story based on media suggestions that the teen died from a beating by bullies, actually died from an intentional drug overdose.
In a statement, the Owasso Police Department said it waited to release the cause of death until the toxicology report was completed, KJRH <a href="https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/me-report-reveals-nex-benedicts-cause-of-death" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. That toxicology report indicates that Benedict died by suicide, the result of an overdose of Diphenhydramine and Fluoxetine, or, Benadryl and Prozac.
&#8220;From the beginning of this investigation, Owasso Police observed many indications that this death was the result of suicide,&#8221; the police statement said. &#8220;However, investigators did not wish to confirm that information without the final results being presented by the Oklahoma Medical Examiners Office.&#8221;
The original narrative surrounding Benedict’s death was that the teen died as a result of a beating from three girls who had been bullying Benedict and Benedict’s friends. Teen Vogue <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nex-benedict-everything-we-know-about-16-year-old-oklahoma-students-death" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> when the story broke that “a source who claimed to be the mother of Benedict’s best friend told a local outlet the cause of death was ‘complications from brain trauma,’ and that ‘three older girls were beating the victim and her daughter in the girl’s bathroom.’”
This same anonymous source told the outlet that Benedict needed help walking to the nurses’ station after the fight and that Benedict texted a family member saying the teen “got jumped at school 3 on 1 had to go to the ER.” Benedict also claimed the girls “had been bullying me and my friends and I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me. School did not report to the police and is probably getting sued.”
Other media outlets followed that general narrative, while also blaming Oklahoma law that requires students to use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex.
The narrative of the tragedy was revealed to be completely different than what certain media outlets reported. Benedict told a police officer while in the hospital with no visible injuries that the three girls didn’t actually start the fight, <a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/02/23/oklahoma-teen-dies-nex-benedict-owasso-police-bodycam-footage-of-interview/72719139007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Oklahoman</a>.
&#8220;They said something like &#8216;why do they laugh like that,&#8217; and they were talking about us, in front of us,&#8221; Benedict told police officer Caleb Thompson, referring to the other girls involved in the fight. &#8220;So, I went up and poured water on them and all three of them came at me.&#8221;
Benedict’s mother told the officer that the three girls had bullied Benedict and the teen&#8217;s friends previously, even claiming the girls had thrown things at them. But the actual encounter that took place the day before Benedict died involved Benedict instigating the fight. Throughout the interview, Benedict’s mother refers to Benedict using female pronouns.
Thompson also informed Nex that because of this, Benedict could face assault charges.
&#8220;You got freedom of speech,&#8221; Thompson told Benedict and Benedict’s mother, referring to the other teen girls. &#8220;The minute you threw water on them you made the first jab. It may not go the direction you want it to go.&#8221;
&#8220;Running the mouth is freedom of speech, unfortunately,&#8221; the officer adds. &#8220;You can say mean, hurtful things all day long and you gotta let it roll off your shoulder.&#8221;
Benedict returned home from the hospital but the next day, Benedict’s mother called 911 to report the teen’s breathing was shallow. Benedict died shortly after – due to an overdose, not any physical trauma.
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oklahoma-schools-chief-says-radical-leftists-exploiting-death-of-nonbinary-student" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously called out</a> the media&#8217;s portrayal of Benedict&#8217;s tragic death.
“I think it’s terrible that we’ve had some radical leftists who decided to run with a political agenda and try to weave a narrative that hasn’t been true,” Walters <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/us/oklahoma-nonbinary-student-superintendent.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The New York Times in February. “You’ve taken a tragedy, and you’ve had some folks try to exploit it for political gain.”
“We’ve been told death wasn’t directly related to the fight at school,” he added.
The same New York Times article, several paragraphs above the claims by Walters, suggests that her death was related to the fight the day before, referring to &#8220;the death earlier this month of a 16-year-old nonbinary student a day after an altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom.&#8221;

Nex Benedict Candlelight Vigil

Media Ran With Claim That ‘Nonbinary’ Teen Died From ‘Brain Trauma’ Caused By Bullies. It Was Actually A Drug Overdose.

Medical Examiner Releases Actual Cause Of Death For Nex Benedict, Who Media Tried To Claim Was Beaten To Death

LGBTQ

nonbinary

Attorneys representing the 51-year-old man accused of killing two Delphi, Indiana, teenagers in 2017 have accused the prosecution and police of withholding evidence and lying about aspects of the case.
Richard Allen is accused of killing 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German on a hiking trail nearly six years ago. His attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, included their accusations in a motion responding to the prosecution’s attempts to hold the defense attorneys <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legal-drama-continues-ahead-of-delphi-murder-suspects-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in contempt</a>.
The latest filing from the defense, <a href="https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/delphi-defense-team-says-prosecutor-police-misled-and-withheld-evidence/">reviewed</a> by Fox 59, claims that the police and prosecutors are lying about an unnamed Purdue professor, who police initially said dismissed the theory that the killings could be related to occult activity. Allen’s defense attorneys have posited <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an alternate theory</a> of the crime that names other suspects who, they say, killed the teen girls as part of a ritual tied to Odinism. Part of the evidence for this, they say, are sticks and blood smears that supposedly match runes tied to ancient cultures.
Investigators originally told the defense attorneys that the name of the professor had been lost, but Baldwin and Rozzi claim that police rediscovered the name in August. In September, however, the prosecutor’s office told them the professor’s name was still unknown.
Baldwin and Rozzi claim in their latest filing that tapes exist of the police interviewing the professor after they rediscovered who he was. The defense attorneys say in their filing that this interview contradicts the police and prosecution’s claims that the professor dismissed the occult theory.
At one point in the interview, the defense attorneys say, the professor said in the taped interview that someone “could certainly imagine that this was somebody’s idea that when you do human sacrifices you carve runes … there are some poetic sources that would sort of support that idea that somebody might have come across … that scenario seems entirely plausible to me.”
Investigators, however, implied the professor disregarded the possibility of human sacrifice playing a role in the killings, the defense attorneys wrote.
Baldwin and Rozzi also accuse the prosecution of lying about cell phone data used to track the movements of people in and around the crime scene on the day of the murders. The defense attorneys said they found a map made by investigators showing cell phone data and tracking of those movements, but were told by the prosecutor’s office that no such information existed.
The defense attorneys also said they found no evidence in discovery information that police spoke to any of the people whose cell phones were tracked near the crime scene on the day of the murders.
In addition, Baldwin and Rozzi accuse the prosecutors of providing information too slowly, and not providing requested information such as interviews with people who might help prove the defense’s alternate theory of the crime.
On March 18, Special Judge Fran Gull will hear arguments regarding the prosecution’s contempt claims against the defense attorneys. The contempt claims came in a filing from Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland on January 29. Baldwin and Rozzi’s attorney, David Hennessy, filed a <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/13/delphi-murders-suspect-richard-allens-attorneys-ask-clarification-contempt-cout-charges/72584034007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">motion</a> in February asking for clarification on the allegations, saying the allegations suffered from “insufficiencies.”
In one example, Hennessy noted that McLeland accused his clients of violating the court’s order regarding statements about the case. He cited a news release from November 2022 – which was before the court issued a gag order. Hennessy said McLeland has not explained how this amounted to contempt of court.

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter

Defense Attorneys For Delphi Murder Suspect Accuse Prosecution Of Lying And Withholding Evidence

A motion filed by prosecutors in the Delphi, Indiana, murder case makes clear the prosecution is aware of a motion filed by the defense that is supposed to be private.
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland last week filed a motion that quoted directly from a motion attorneys for Richard Allen filed previously that should not have been seen by prosecutors, WTHR <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/delphi-murders-case-richard-allen-nicholas-mcleland-bradley-rozzi-andrew-baldwin/531-c6154575-9bc5-4ef8-9121-c6bea80c7f3f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. It is unclear how the prosecution learned about the defense filing.
Allen is accused of killing two Delphi teenagers back in 2017.
His public defenders, Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin, are required to ask Special Judge Fran Gull to approve funding for expert consultations to help build Allen’s defense. These requests are only to be seen by the defense and the judge, yet somehow, the prosecution obtained at least one, even directly quoting in its own motion.
The state has since withdrawn its motion.
Baldwin and Rozzi maintain their client’s innocence and have claimed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a past filing</a> that 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German were killed by “[m]embers of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists.”
The attorneys said in the filing that two groups of Odinists, one from Delphi and the other from Rushville, Indiana, were investigated for their possible involvement in the murders. As evidence the girls were murdered as part of a ritual sacrifice, the attorneys point to ritualistic symbols allegedly found at the crime scene, which include the strange way young Libby’s body was positioned.
A March 2017 search warrant request from the FBI <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that the girls’ bodies looked as though they had been “moved and staged.”
The filing also notes that investigators didn’t further investigate the alleged ritualistic symbols left at the crime scene, which included sticks and tree branches placed on the girls’ bodies that mimicked certain Norse runes. At least one branch appeared to have been cut with an electronic device, suggesting premeditation, the defense argues. Libby’s blood was also used to paint a rune on a tree that was identified as a calling card of the pagan religious cult, they added.
The defense has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/delphi-prosecutor-says-deleted-interviews-with-witnesses-were-not-useful-evidence-in-murders-of-teenage-girls" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called out</a> the police for deleting interviews with two witnesses who the attorneys say are key to the case. Even though the recordings don’t exist, there are memorialized summaries of the interviews, but Baldwin and Rozzi wanted the recordings so they could “listen to the exact spoken words” of the two men who were interviewed, “particularly the statements that the author of the document admits were not memorialized in the document,” the attorneys wrote in a filing last week.
Without the recordings, it may be more difficult for Allen’s attorneys to point out “inconsistencies or raise questions about other witnesses or other information relevant to an unbiased investigation.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
In one example provided by the defense attorneys, one of the men interviewed in 2017 said he had “never met” Abby Williams, but six years later, he told investigators that he “barely even knew” her and had “met her once.”
“It is therefore plausible that many more contradictions would be available to the defense but for the State’s intentional or negligent failure to preserve all of the evidence,” the defense attorneys wrote. “Such negligent and intentional conduct on the part of the police has also resulted in the absence of material evidence which could be exculpatory in nature.”
In January, Allen was hit with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-recorded-over-interviews-with-key-witnesses-in-delphi-murders-defense-attorneys-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">additional charges</a> of murder and kidnapping.

Prosecutors In Delphi Murder Case Somehow Learned Information From Private Defense Filing

Attorneys for the man suspected of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017 are preparing to question investigators working for police and the prosecutor’s office.
Richard Allen, 50, is accused of murdering 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German on a hiking trail in 2017. His defense attorneys filed the subpoenas ahead of a hearing to determine whether the attorneys acted in contempt of court, WSBT <a href="https://wsbt.com/news/local/defense-team-for-delphi-murder-suspect-wants-to-question-investigators-indiana-state-police-carroll-county-prosecutors-court-teen-girls-killed-libby-german-abby-williams-trail-evidence-leak-gag-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Defense attorneys Brad Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin intend to depose investigators working with the Indiana State Police and the Carroll County Prosecutor’s office, though it is unclear what they intend to ask. The depositions are scheduled for March 1.
The depositions will take place ahead of a March 18 hearing on the defense attorney’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/legal-drama-continues-ahead-of-delphi-murder-suspects-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged contempt</a>. Last week, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland provided a list to Allen’s defense attorneys that detailed the names of witnesses he will call and the exhibits he will present during the hearing, the Journal &amp; Courier <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/15/witnesses-to-testify-in-case-against-lawyers-for-delphi-murder-suspect/72605090007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. A public filing does not list the witnesses or exhibits.
McLeland also asked that Special Judge Frances Gull – whom Allen’s defense attorneys tried to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-charges-filed-against-delphi-murder-suspect-original-attorneys-reinstated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get removed</a> from the case – order the defense attorneys to turn over their witness and exhibit list before March 7. It does not appear Gull has issued the order.
Rozzi and Baldwin have also requested more time to prepare for Allen’s trial, which is set to begin later this year, Fox 59 <a href="https://fox59.com/indiana-news/richard-allens-defense-team-requests-additional-time-to-produce-list-of-witnesses-review-massive-volume-of-evidence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. On January 27, prosecutors requested defense attorneys turn over discovery materials and provide a list of witnesses they plan to call at trial. The attorneys were ordered by the court to respond to the state’s motion by February 21, but on Monday, the attorneys requested more time.
In their response filing, the defense attorneys said they had received the majority of discovery materials from the state on January 30 – just 12 days before they were reinstated after having been removed by Judge Gull last fall. The discovery materials contain audio, video, reports, transcripts, and more, and the defense wrote that after reviewing just a fraction of the evidence, it “became apparent to the defense that the discovery received includes evidence the defense believes has never viewed or had a chance to view.”
Rozzi and Baldwin questioned how so much material had not been turned over prior to their removal, and wrote in their filing: “Perhaps between September 2023 and Jan. 18, 2024, the State of Indiana provided the evidence to counsel that replaced Attorneys Rozzi and Baldwin?”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1708541458747000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Dryj2-Bo5FtWa8d5pwR-2">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The attorneys have requested a new deadline of March 25 to respond to the state’s request, saying that by then, they “should have a much better grasp of the discovery it has received, and therefore a much better grasp of which fact witness and expert witnesses it expects to call and what exhibits it may introduce.”

Indiana State Police

Defense Attorneys For Delphi Murder Suspect Want To Question Investigators, Ask For More Time To Prepare For Trial

The ongoing legal battle involving defense attorneys for the man suspected of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017 continues, with prosecutors planning to call witnesses for their allegations that the attorneys are in contempt of court.
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland provided a list on Wednesday to Richard Allen’s defense attorneys that detailed the names of witnesses he will call and the exhibits he will present during a March 18 hearing regarding the defense attorney’s alleged contempt, the Journal &amp; Courier <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/15/witnesses-to-testify-in-case-against-lawyers-for-delphi-murder-suspect/72605090007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. A public filing does not list the witnesses or exhibits.
McLeland also asked that Special Judge Frances Gull – whom Allen’s defense attorneys tried to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-charges-filed-against-delphi-murder-suspect-original-attorneys-reinstated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get removed</a> from the case – order the defense attorneys, Brad Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin, to turn over their witness and exhibit list before March 7. It does not appear Gull has issued the order.
Allen was charged in October 2022 with two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit the kidnapping of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German on a hiking trail in 2017. In late January, McLeland filed a request to amend the charges to include two additional counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping, WTHR <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/prosecutor-files-request-amend-charges-delphi-murders-suspect-richard-allen-libby-german-abby-williams-nicholas-mcleland/531-a882d745-542b-427e-8430-3a4beec9f9a4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The contempt claims came in a filing from McLeland on January 29. Baldwin and Rozzi’s attorney, David Hennessy, filed a <a href="https://www.jconline.com/story/news/crime/2024/02/13/delphi-murders-suspect-richard-allens-attorneys-ask-clarification-contempt-cout-charges/72584034007/">motion</a> this week asking for clarification on the allegations, saying the allegations suffered from “insufficiencies.”
In one example, Hennessy noted that McLeland accused his clients of violating the court’s order regarding statements about the case. He cited a news release from November 2022 – which was before the court issued a gag order. Hennessy said McLeland has not explained how this amounted to contempt of court.
McLeland has not specifically addressed Hennessy’s points. Hennessy also noted that McLeland has to file the contempt case separate from Allen’s criminal case. If they are found in contempt of court, Rozzi and Baldwin could face incarceration or fines, the Courier reported.
Judge Gull had previously forced the defense attorneys to withdraw from the case, and the circumstances surrounding that withdrawal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/indiana-supreme-court-to-hear-arguments-this-week-on-reinstating-delphi-murder-suspects-original-attorneys-removing-judge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were presented</a> to the Indiana Supreme Court last month.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1708102054781000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1-VXohtoGW642uHKulYmZY">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The attorneys alleged that during a closed-door meeting with Gull, the judge threatened to harm the attorney’s reputation by accusing them of “gross negligence” in open court unless they withdrew from the case. The attorneys withdrew but filed a petition to represent Allen pro bono. Judge Gull then barred them from representing Allen in any capacity.
The transcript, <a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/delphi-girls-murdered/delphi-murders-trial-transcript-released-conversation-richard-allen-attorneys-disqualification-judge-chambers-libby-german-abby-williams-indiana-case/531-2878bbc2-4e2d-429a-b13e-89a0aa72b467" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first obtained by WTHR</a>, shows the judge planned to remove the two attorneys prior to her public announcement they had withdrawn.
At the meeting, which included McLeland, the group discussed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/attorneys-for-man-suspected-of-killing-delphi-teens-withdraw-from-case-after-security-breach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a leak of documents</a> from Baldwin’s office, but Judge Gull stated that was not the only reason she wanted the attorneys removed from representing Allen. Gull said the attorneys “potentially” violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility. She told Baldwin he was “grossly negligent” for sending a sensitive email to a “Brad” who was not Rozzi, and questioned whether the two attorneys had fully cooperated with a gag order she had filed. She also said she had evidence the attorneys “left materials all over a conference-room table, accessible to anyone.”
“It pains me to say this, but the totality of these circumstances demonstrate gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the defense team,” Gull said. “I am unsatisfied with your representation of Mr. Allen. I am gravely concerned about his rights to have competent, non-negligent representation. He currently doesn’t have that right now.”
Gull then said she told them this information privately but would say it in open court if they didn’t withdraw. From the transcript:
<blockquote>Rozzi: “So basically, what you’re saying is ‘You guys either quit on your own accord or you make me fire you?’ That’s what-“
Gull: “No. I’m saying to you that this is my this is what [I] plan to say in court on the record when we convene at two o’clock.”
Rozzi: “Well, so are – is the culmination of that that you’re removing us from the case?”
Gull: “I will, based on what I’ve just shared with you.”</blockquote>
A little later in the conversation, Rozzi told Gull she had “ambushed” him and Baldwin into a “forced resignation” without giving them a real opportunity to prepare for the meeting.
“The options I’ve been given without any notice [from] the Court really are either I withdraw or I’m gonna be publicly shamed,” Rozzi said, “And that’s the way I see this. And I think that public shaming is not only – there’s not only a professional element to that, I think there’s a personal element too.”
While the defense attorneys attempted to get Judge Gull removed from the case, their request was denied, but they were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-charges-filed-against-delphi-murder-suspect-original-attorneys-reinstated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinstated</a> as Allen’s attorneys.

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks

Legal Drama Continues Ahead Of Delphi Murder Suspect’s Trial

Legal Drama Continues Ahead Of Delphi Murder Suspect's Trial

Menu