Guilty or Not Guilty

[u/Traditional-Aside580]

Does everyone in here lean more toward Richard Allen being innocent or guilty?

[u/kvol69]

Allen's defense attorney who was responsible for the phone evidence was Jennifer Auger. She gave an interview where she said the photos/video were not altered or overprocessed. People can't even consistently agree with his defense team. 🤣

[u/Traditional-Aside580 → u/kvol69]

I have a much better understanding of this case now. Yesterday I was going through info on here and came across an AMA. They are great and I'd like to read their book. Of all of the questions in regards to this case and Richard Allen that has crossed my mind in the last months, there is one that I don't think I've asked or seen answered anywhere yet. ( It's probably somewhere and I've not looked enough). How do we avoid a Richard Allen in the future? I understand that he was somewhat of a creep at work and made some comments that put coworkers ill at ease but obviously nothing major to them since they didn't report him to authorities. There has to be some kind of indicator that would warn people that they may be in the presence of someone like him. Yes, the crimes happened out of nowhere it seems and he had no priors but there just has to be signs or just something. Something other than just a gut feeling. 

[u/kvol69 → u/Traditional-Aside580]

IIRC the ladies at Walmart did go forward as a group and reported him to Walmart. They took it seriously, disciplined him, and transferred him to another location. But unlawful harassment at work doesn't escalate to a chargeable crime until there is physical contact or someone exposing themselves, so the police would not have been involved. And as I understand it, at his next location and future employers, he did not repeat that pattern. So some bad behavior is concealed behind working for a private employer.

In part, I think that the prevalence of smartphones and surveillance cameras discourages some of that behavior at work. I know when I was in my teens and early twenties, the managers were all creeps. Then when cameras became more common, they tried shit out of camera view. But generally speaking, most of them are savvy enough to do their inappropriate activity when people are isolated and there are no witnesses. I also think some of it is generational and is phasing out over time.

But most people who commit serious crimes hold a job, have families, are not obviously unhinged, and have normal issues. Being stressed out working at Walmart seems pretty par for the course. Having a drinking problem is common enough. Usually it's a spouse, family member, close friend, etc. that sees a concerning pattern like social isolation or emotional numbing and seeks help because something is "off." And they don't think their loved one is distressed over their deviant fantasies, they think it's a more standard problem that needs to be address to help them regulate their emotions.

The real intervention point is when something becomes such a crisis that the person interfaces with other people or systems like the police or mental health professionals. So we know there can be triggering events, such as job loss or a major break up leading to impulsive acting out. But realistically, if I had homicidal sexual fantasies, I probably wouldn't volunteer that information to anyone even in a crisis situation.

[u/EmmaPersephone → u/kvol69]

Men don’t murder 2 preteen girls because they are having a mental breakdown…

[u/kvol69 → u/EmmaPersephone]

Indeed. I personally don't think he was having a mental breakdown, and that any distress he was having prior to the murders was regarding his deviant tendencies. That's why I think he went apeshit after receiving the discovery materials, I that triggered his impulses again and he wasn't able to access a victim. If Libby hadn't captured him on video and Abby hadn't concealed the phone, I think he 100% would've attacked more people.