(La Porte, IN) - A 63-year prison sentence was handed to a La Porte woman on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of her husband and dismemberment of his body.
Thessalonica Allen, 36, formerly of South Bend, was convicted by a jury on July 27th of Murder, Abuse of a Corpse and Altering a Crime Scene, (the latter two both Level 6 Felonies), along with two Level 5 Felony counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and two Level 6 Felony counts of Neglect of a Dependent.
57 years of the sentence accounts for the 2021 killing of Randy Allen inside of his and Thessalonica's home at Maple Tree Apartments at 1405 West 18th Street.
Prior to sentencing, relatives of the victim told the court that Allen loved his wife and four stepchildren, and, if there were problems, Mrs. Allen should have just left instead of destroying the family.
Their two teenagers heard the gunshot before watching their stepfather bleed to death after being told by their mother not to call for help.
The victim’s uncle, Larry Allen of South Bend told her “you are strictly the devil.”
“So was he,” Allen said.
LaPorte Circuit Court Judge Tom Alevizos, with his outstretched arm and index finger, pointed to Allen and warned her not to speak again until given permission or he would hold her in contempt.
Testimony presented at trial indicated the couple was arguing over a social media post seen by Mr. Allen that led him to believe she was interested in another man.
At one point, Mr. Allen told her he was leaving.
According to the testimony, she told him he wasn't, before pulling out a gun and shooting him in the arm. The bullet ricocheted toward his rib cage before ultimately coming to rest in his spinal cord.
According to prosecutors, Mrs. Allen manipulated her children into helping her clean up the bloody crime scene, as well as attempting to drag the body outside. Despite their efforts, it was too heavy for them to lift into her vehicle, and lead to it being dragged back inside their apartment. Mrs. Allen went out the next day and purchased an axe she used soon to dismember the late Mr. Allen's legs. Still, the body was still too heavy.
Her plan in response was to drive to South Bend and set the car on fire to destroy the body.
In a letter read out loud in the courtroom, the victim’s brother, Robert Allen, asked his sister in-law how she could do such a thing.
“It shows to me in this world monsters truly exist,” he said.
Mrs. Allen, claiming to be a battered wife, argued self-defense and that her husband lunged at her before she fired the gun.
After sentencing, LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Julianne Havens said there were no bruises or other injuries discovered on Mrs. Allen following her arrest, nor any other evidence of him striking her physically.
However, she said there were handwritten notes from Mrs. Allen recovered from the home that outlined different methods of murder, in addition to names of people she felt would help her carry out the plot.
“From the evidence that came out, there was no self-defense. I don’t think it held any water,” she said.
Alevizos said Mrs. Allen will be over 80-years-old before eligible for parole.
