DELPHI, Ind. — It's been more than seven years since the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German were found near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. Richard Allen, the man accused of killing the two teenagers, is about to stand trial.
The trial begins Friday, Oct. 18. Opening statements from the prosecution and defense are expected on the first day.
Sixteen Allen County residents were selected earlier this week to serve on the jury. Twelve of those people will begin the trial as jurors and four will serve as alternates.
The jury is made up of eight women and four men. The four alternate jurors are two men and two women.
From opening statements to verdict, 13News will be at the Carroll County courthouse every day of the trial to explain what happened inside the courtroom.
Follow along with the latest updates below:
Defense's opening statement
9:53 a.m.: Attorney Andrew Baldwin delivered the defense's opening statement, starting with the statement, "Richard Allen is truly innocent" and "there is reasonable doubt."
Baldwin went on to say, "We want the truth to come out in this courtroom for the families."
Baldwin said the state's investigation was "messed up from the beginning."
Baldwin accused the state of losing "interview after interview we will never see."
Baldwin said hair found in Abby's hand had a root with DNA. The DNA seemed to possibly match a female relative of Libby, and not Allen.
"In seven years, they never turned over the mother or sister's hair to be tested for DNA," Baldwin said.
Baldwin also attacked the cellphone evidence in the state's case.
Baldwin held up a phone and said, "forensic data on these phones don't lie."
Baldwin told juror's the prosecution's case "is going to fall apart before your very eyes" when they see the phone data evidence.
Baldwin also reiterated the prosecution's theory that Abby and Libby were dead by 4 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017, that their bodies were never moved until they were recovered and that Libby's phone was under Abby's body the entire time. Baldwin said the prosecution's timeline puts Allen in the CPS parking lot at 1:30 p.m. The prosecution says Allen abducted and killed the girls, left Libby's phone at the scene and never returned.
But the defense says Allen and the girls were never on the trail at the same time. They say Allen left by 1:30 p.m. that day.
"His car is gone by 2:15," Baldwin said. "And if his car is gone, Richard is gone."
Baldwin says witness Betsy Blair will testify that when she drove by the lot, she saw a car. But Baldwin says the vehicle looks nothing like Allen's.
"There is reasonable doubt in this case," Baldwin said.
The defense says the man in the video taken by Libby doesn't show his lips moving, so it's unclear he is the one who said "down the hill."
The defense says there's no proof the girls were actually taken down the hill. They believe they may have been taken to a car on a nearby access road.
"There's not going to be strong evidence about what happened from that point in time," Baldwin said.
Baldwin said Libby's phone received signal until 5:44 p.m. on Feb. 13. Then, it was no longer connected until 4:33 a.m. on Feb. 14. Baldwin said evidence will show that someone else handled Libby's phone after the murders.
"Richard Allen was at home and never came back," Baldwin said.
The defense believes the girls were killed somewhere else and their bodies were returned to the crime scene. They said that searchers saw no bodies or girls clothing in the creek on the night of Feb. 13. Witnesses near the crime scene also reported hearing no screams.
The defense also worked to undermine the confessions Allen reportedly made while being held in prison.
"They are going to put up video after video after video, and audio after audio after audio, of confessions of an innocent man," Baldwin said. "He went in there (prison) fragile to begin with."
Baldwin said Allen told his family, "maybe I just confess to all this so you guys don't have to suffer."
The defense also tried to discredit the prosecution's claim that the bullet found near the girls' bodies belonged to Allen. Baldwin said that law enforcement commonly uses the type of bullet found at the crime scene, but police never investigated if an officer was missing a .40 bullet. He also said that the owner of the property where the girls were found owns a .40 weapon, but his gun was never tested to see if it matched the bullet found.
Baldwin said an expert will testify the "markings were insufficient" on the lab's test bullet to match Allen's gun to the bullet at the crime scene.
Baldwin told the jury "you'll see with your own eyes" that the markings on bullets do not match.
Baldwin also said the state's timeline doesn't match when Allen was on the trails. He called out two witnesses who described seeing a man who looks nothing like Allen in the area. Baldwin says that if the timeline and witness accounts don't match the prosecution's, then the case is "blown apart."
Baldwin told the jury none of Allen's DNA was found at the scene, and no other forensic evidence placed him there.
The defense went on to say it was "highly unlikely" one person could commit the crime. Baldwin said even state and local law enforcement thought more than one person was required to commit the murders.
"Please wait," Baldwin said in closing. "Richard Allen is truly innocent."
The defense finished their opening statement at 10:54 a.m.
Prosecution's opening statement
9:37 a.m.: Prosecutor Nick McLeland, on behalf of the state of Indiana, presented their opening statement, which took approximately 15 minutes.
McLeland said the case is about three things: the "bridge guy," the unspent bullet found at the scene and the brutal murders of Libby and Abby.
McLeland then described what happened on the day of the murders.
On an unseasonably warm day on Feb. 13, 2017, Libby and Abby went to the Monon trails. Kelsey German, Libby's sister, gave the girls a ride.
"They were best friends, always together, really more like sisters," McLeland said of the girls.
According to McLeland, Libby posted a photo of Abby on Snapchat while they were crossing over the Monon High Bridge. After the girls crossed the bridge, McLeland said they saw a man behind them, so Libby started a recording on her phone at 2:13 p.m.
McLeland said the man pulled out a gun and ordered the girls "down the hill." The girls complied and then, the video on the cellphone stops recording.
"Imagine the fear you'd feel having a gun pulled on you," McLeland said.
According to McLeland, Derrick German, Libby's father, went to pick up the girls, but they were not there.
"You're going to see the crime scene. It was a gruesome scene. Libby was completely naked. Her throat was cut, blood all over," McLeland said. "Abby's throat was also cut."
McLeland said Libby's phone was found under her body. Also found at the crime scene was an unspent bullet.
McLeland said the jury will hear from three people who were on the trail that day who saw a man "walking on the trail with a purpose but not very friendly." McLeland said all three will testify that the man they saw was the "bridge guy."
According to McLeland, Allen testified that he was on the trail that day. Investigators also found a gun in his house, and testing showed a bullet found at the crime scene cycled through that gun.
McLeland said Allen also admitted he committed the crime to his wife and mother, giving those admissions freely, "admissions that only the killer would know," according to McLeland.
McLeland said for years, Allen "hid in plain sight."
McLeland concluded his opening statement with this: "The last face the girls saw before their throats were slit was Richard Allen's face."
Instructions for the jury
9:22 a.m.: When proceedings started for the day, Gull read the jury their instructions, which took approximately 15 minutes.
"If the state fails to prove each (element) beyond a reasonable doubt, you must find the defendant not guilty," Gull told the jury. "The state has the burden to prove the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
Gull reminded the jury that Allen is not required to prove his innocence.
Gull said jurors are allowed to take notes throughout the trial, but those notes cannot be taken out of the courtroom.
"You should keep an open mind," Gull told the jurors, reminding them to wait for all evidence before forming a verdict.
9:11 a.m.: The first day of the trial started approximately 10 minutes late because Special Judge Frances Gull said some media members – not WTHR – violated the decorum order of videotaping the arrival of the jurors at the courthouse. Those media members were banned, and their equipment was confiscated.
Allen, who is wearing a lavender dress shirt and khaki pants with reading glasses on top of his head, bowed his head in prayer before Gull and the jury entered the courtroom.
Gull ruled that composite sketches of the suspect released by Indiana State Police – prior to Allen's arrest – will not be permitted during the trial.
9 a.m.: The first day of the trial has started. There will not be any updates available until the lunch break because the people in the courtroom cannot have cameras, cellphones or any other electronic devices.
8 a.m.: Senior investigative reporter Bob Segall prepares to enter the Carroll County courthouse for the first day of Richard Allen's trial. 13News has one of 12 media seats inside the courtroom for Friday, Oct. 18.
There were more than 60 people in the public line to get inside the courtroom. Only 24 people were allowed in, in addition to the 12 media members, and families of the victims and Allen.
7:50 a.m.: Attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, Richard Allen's defense team, arrived to the Carroll County courthouse ahead of the first day of the trial. Opening statements will begin after Special Judge Frances Gull gives instructions to the jurors.
