Woman convicted of killing, dismembering her husband; asking children to help dispose of his body

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. — A woman on Friday in La Porte County, Indiana, was found guilty of killing her husband and dismembering his body.

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A jury on Thursday found Thessalonica Allen guilty of eight counts that included murder, abuse of a corpse, neglect of a dependent, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, WXIN reported.

Thessalonica Allen was arrested in July 2021 after she shot her husband, Randy Allen, to death, according to the news outlet.

The shooting happened during an argument inside a bedroom of their home at the Maple Tree Apartments in the 1400 block of 18th Street, according to WSBT.

In an autopsy, it was learned that the bullet entered Randy Allen’s arm and went through the right side of his body, WXIN reported. The bullet then was believed to have hit his spinal cord, which left him unable to move and bleed out.

Thessalonica Allen’s son, Deshawn, 16, testified that his mother and stepfather had gotten into an argument, WSBT reported. He said the argument was over a social media post that Randy Allen discovered on her computer. It led him to accuse her of cheating and an argument ensued.

Teenagers told police at the time that their mother, Thessalonica Allen, had told them to ignore Randy Allen asking for help. After he died, according to WXIN, Allen stuffed him in her daughter’s closet.

Thessalonica Allen’s defense attorney said that Randy Allen reportedly lunged at Thessalonica Allen, which is when the shooting happened, according to WSBT. She claimed it was self-defense.

LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Julianne Havens said that Thessalonica Allen got a protective order against Randy Allen prior to the shooting but reportedly lied to get it since she had retracted her story. According to the news outlet, Havens reportedly obtained notes that showed Thessalonica Allen had planned to kill him.

In previous reports obtained by WXIN, Thessalonica Allen reportedly used an ax to cut Randy Allen’s legs the day after. She also reportedly “recruited her children” to help her move Randy Allen’s body and place his body parts into bags.

Thessalonica Allen’s ex-partner called police after Thessalonica Allen had him come over to the apartment and she showed him the body, the news outlet reported. During the search, investigators say they found a note that “a list of tasks to dispose of the body.”

Thessalonica Allen is expected to be sentenced on Sept. 9. She is facing 45 to 65 years in prison, WXIN reported.