DELPHI, Ind. — The defense for Richard Allen wants the jury for his murder trial to be taken to where the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German were found.
In a motion filed the morning of Monday, Sept. 23, Allen's attorneys ask for the jury to be taken to the Freedom Bridge, Monon High Bridge, and the scene where the bodies of the girls were found. They also want them taken to the old CPS building, where Allen's vehicle was allegedly parked between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. the day the girl's first went missing.
The specific requests are for the jurors:
- To walk the trail from the Freedom Bridge to the Monon High Bridge.
- To then view the opposite end of the bridge where the victims were allegedly abducted.
- Finally, to view the area where the victims were found and then the location where the prosecution claims Richard Allen parked his car.
According to the filing, the locations are less than two miles from the courthouse. The defense team argues the transportation and viewing "could easily be completed in under 90 minutes."
Allen and the defense attorneys have requested to be present, though if Special Judge Frances Gull doesn't want Allen to be transported to the scene "he waives any such right and asks that the Court order this jury view occur without him."
Crime scene visits by juries are relatively rare but have occurred in a number of other high-profile prosecutions, including the 1995 murder trial of O.J. Simpson and the 2022 trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz. Last year, the jury went to the scene for the trial of South Carolina murderer Alex Murdaugh.
Richard Allen's trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 14.
