Anticipated commencement of arguments in trial for Richard Allen, allegedly responsible for slaying of two minor girls in Delphi, Indiana.
Richard, 52, is under accusation for murdering Liberty "Libby" German, 14, and Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, both residents of Delphi, a town with a population under 3,000 people, as per the US Census Bureau.
He is being charged with four offenses, including two counts of murder and two of felony murder, as indicated by court records. Upon his arrest in 2022, Richard pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder with the intention of committing or attempting kidnapping. However, prosecutors adjusted the additional charges earlier this year.
The case has garnered significant local and national attention, resulting in a series of guidelines issued by Special Judge Frances C. Gull to manage public access to the trial.
Gull imposed a gag order in December 2022, prohibiting lawyers, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner, and the girls' relatives from making public comments related to the case. Furthermore, no cameras, phones, laptops, or recording devices are permitted in the courtroom during jury selection and the trial.
The trial will take place in Carroll County, but Gull granted permission for the jury to be selected from residents in Allen County, around 100 miles northwest. The jurors were transported to a nearby hotel and will be isolated throughout the trial, as reported by CNN affiliate WTHR.
Teenagers found deceased after hiking
The teenagers, eighth-graders at Delphi Community Middle School, went hiking on their day off from school on February 13, 2017, near the Monon High Bridge, an abandoned rail bridge alongside the 10-mile Delphi Historic Trail, as per Indiana State Police. Despite their arrangement to meet Libby's dad at a specific time, they failed to do so hours later, as reported by the police.
The following day, their bodies were discovered in a forested area about half a mile from the Monon High Bridge, according to the police.
Libby and Abby were close friends with a shared passion for arts and sports. Libby spent a considerable amount of her time swimming and playing volleyball, softball, and soccer, as per her obituary. She was an accomplished photographer and a member of the Delphi Community Middle School band, where she played the saxophone, as per her online bio on the girls' memorial park website.
Similar to her friend, Abby played the saxophone in the school's band and was part of the volleyball team, as per her obituary. She was an avid reader who loved drawing and creating small masterpieces and appreciated being outdoors, particularly during family camping trips.
Since their tragic deaths, a softball park and amphitheater have been constructed and named after them.
Suspect's gun led to his arrest
Over the years, authorities released sketches and fragments of a video recorded on Libby's cell phone to identify a suspect.
The video depicts a man wearing a dark jacket and jeans strolling behind the girls and then instructing them, "Guys, down the hill," according to a probable cause affidavit in Allen's arrest.
Allen was apprehended after investigators discovered that an untouched .40 caliber round, located between the two victims and approximately two feet from one of the bodies, matched a pistol he owned, as per the affidavit.
When Allen initially interacted with police in 2017, he admitted spending roughly two hours on the trail on the day the girls were murdered, according to the affidavit. During a subsequent interview in October 2022, Allen told authorities he had gone to the area to observe fish, according to the affidavit.
Prior to his arrest, Allen was employed at the local CVS and assisted an aunt of one of the victims in printing funeral photos at the store.
Defense attorneys for Allen have claimed that authorities arrested the wrong individual and proposed Odinism, a pagan Norse religion connected to White supremacist groups, as a potential theory connected to the murders, as per court documents. On Wednesday, Gull granted permission to present evidence supporting this claim in court, following a previous ruling against it due to its potential to mislead the jury.
Meanwhile, prosecutors are anticipated to present evidence indicating that Allen confessed to the murders multiple times while imprisoned. Court documents unsealed last year detailed an alleged April 2023 phone conversation between Allen and his wife, Kathy Allen, in which he "confesses several times that he killed Abby and Libby."
The defense asserts that Allen's remarks while imprisoned were "involuntary" and attributes the confessions to prolonged solitary confinement.
The case has sparked widespread interest within Delphi and beyond, with local residents and media outlets following the developments closely. Despite the gag order, the public is eager to know the outcome of the trial involving us and Richard, the main suspect.
Given that Allen was employed at the local CVS and had interactions with one of the victims' families, it's crucial for the defense to establish his innocence effectively. Their strategy to present evidence supporting Odinism as a potential theory linked to the murders will be closely watched by the court.
