ALLEN COUNTY, 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. The man accused of killing the two teenagers is about to stand trial.
Starting Monday, Oct. 14, the trial for Richard Allen will begin by selecting a jury in Fort Wayne. Judge Frances Gull has set aside three full days to select 16 members of the jury (12 jurors and four alternates).
13News crews will be in the courtroom for the duration of jury selection and the trial.
Thursday, Oct. 17
12:30 p.m. update
In a hearing Thursday morning, Allen's lawyers dropped their request to have jurors taken to the crime scene near the Monon High Bridge.
The jury for the trial, which will begin Friday. Oct. 17, is made up of eight women and four men. The four alternate jurors are two men and two women.
The sequestered jurors will be able to have visits from their families on Sundays, the only day of the week without court expected to be in session.
One of the other topics discussed at Thursday morning's hearing was whether the jury will be able to see or hear about two widely-circulated composite sketches investigators released in their search for a suspect.
The prosecution argued those sketches are not relevant because they were not used to identify Allen. The defense said the state didn't use the sketches to identify Allen because "it looks nothing like" him.
Gull said she would rule on use of the sketches Friday before opening statements in the trial. She also said she was struggling with how the sketches could be relevant since they were not used to identify Allen.
Also discussed was the testimony that guards and inmates at prisons Allen has been held could provide. Allen's legal team has argued that those people would not be qualified to testify on his mental state around the time he allegedly confessed to killing the girls, as they have no background in psychology.
The state said the guards would not testify on Allen's mental health, but rather his behavior that they observed.
Gull ruled that the guards can testify on Allen's behavior, what they observed, what he was doing and said, and they can testify about their perception. Gull said she had not yet made a decision on whether those witnesses would be allowed to testify on whether they believed Allen's alleged behavior was genuine.
11:40 a.m. update
The Carroll County Council approved another $2.2 million for Delphi trial-related expenses. That brings the total to $4.3 million.
This is particularly noteworthy because the Carroll County budget is $9.4 million.
Tuesday, Oct. 15
3:30 p.m. update
A final juror, a woman, has been selected for the jury. The rest of the prospective jurors have been excused. This means the jury for the Delphi murders trial is full. Tuesday afternoon, 17 jurors were seated but only 16 remain. It is not clear which of the jurors was excused.
There are now 12 jurors and four alternates, who are all from Allen County.
The court will reconvene on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. in Allen County when the jury will be sworn in, and the judge will hold a hearing on multiple motions by both sides.
One of those motions, from the prosecution, is asking to keep jurors from seeing or hearing about two widely-circulated composite sketches investigators released in their search for a suspect. Read more about that in this story.
Another motion, from the defense, is for jurors to be taken to the crime scene near the Monon High Bridge.
The jury will then be transported to a hotel closer to Delphi for the trial in Carroll County beginning Friday, Oct. 18.
1:30 p.m. update
A male juror has been selected. Court has recessed for lunch, but the jurors have been asked to return after the recess.
12 p.m. update
Three of the 11 jurors selected on Monday were excused. Four more jurors, three women and one man, were selected Tuesday. They only need to select one more juror.
During questioning, Andrew Baldwin, a defense attorney for Allen, said a hair was found in one of the girls' hands "but it wasn't Richard Allen's." That was new information never before revealed in public hearings or filings.
Baldwin also described the evidence surrounding a bullet found at the scene was "open to interpretation."
Investigators say that bullet was cycled through a gun that belongs to Allen, without being fired. It is a key piece of the prosecution's case.
On Thursday, a hearing will be held on the prosecution's motion to block the jury from seeing or hearing about composite sketches used in the investigation.
Jury selection is due to resume this afternoon.
Monday, Oct. 14
4:45 p.m. update
The Allen County Courthouse is adjourned for the day, as 14 jurors – eight women and six men – have been selected.
The full jury is expected to be chosen Tuesday, Oct. 15, which means there will be no court proceedings Wednesday, Oct. 16.
4:30 p.m. update
Thirteen jurors have been selected, made up of seven women and six men. This means three more still need to be selected to consist of 12 jurors and four alternates.
The list of jurors includes a nurse, a school counselor, a stay-at-home mother, a transportation director and a seminar professor.
In court Monday, 52 possible jurors were split into groups and then questioned by both the Carroll County prosecutor and Allen's defense team.
Many of these potential jurors were dismissed because of their personal biases or hardships that would be caused by a monthlong trial.
The state and defense then agreed on 13 jurors following questioning.
Allen was in court Monday to help his attorneys choose the jurors. 13 Investigates senior reporter Bob Segall noted that Allen offered his input throughout the day to his defense team.
3 p.m. update
Another juror – a woman – has been selected, bringing the total to 11 out of 12, with four alternates still needed as well. The jurors have been described as a FedEx delivery driver, a school counselor, a stay-at-home mother and two of the jurors are related to police officers.
1 p.m. update
Twenty-four potential jurors had been questioned and 10 had been selected: six women and four men. That means only six members remain to be selected (two jurors, four alternates).
Fifty-two potential jurors were brought into the Allen County Courthouse Monday morning, and 50 more are expected in the afternoon.
Three attorneys for the state and three for the defense were in the courtroom, along with Gull.
Allen walked into the courtroom shortly before 9 a.m. wearing a light purple button down shirt and khaki pants, the first time he's been seen in a public court appearance not wearing a prison jumpsuit since his arrest two years ago. 13 Investigates senior reporter Bob Segall described Allen as pale but appeared to be in much better physical condition since he had been moved out of state prison.
Gull came into the courtroom around 9 a.m. and explained the process to follow. Potential jurors watched a video before being brought into the courtroom. The defense and state were then each given 30 minutes to question each group of jurors.
The groups of approximately 50 jurors heard a mini opening statement from the state and defense before being questioned by both sides. Twelve potential jurors were questioned at a time in groups.
Gull told the potential jurors that the trial is expected to last until Nov. 15.
Each side (prosecution and defense) receives 10 strikes for the jury selection process and two more strikes for alternates.
The state listed more than 50 witnesses they plan to call, and the defense listed more than 120 witnesses they plan to call.
In their mini opening statement, the state said that "bridge guy" ... "brutally murdered Abby and Libby, then casually walked back to his car and went home." The "bridge guy" left a clue, the prosecution said, a bullet found at the crime scene. The state said it would prove Allen is the "bridge guy," and that jurors would hear how he allegedly confessed to the murders and why.
In their mini opening statement, the defense said Allen confessed to shooting the girls in the back, but the evidence shows they were not shot. "Richard Allen confessed to a crime he didn't commit," his lawyers said, adding that in the four months prior to his confession, he was "languishing" in solitary confinement in prison. His lawyers said that a psychologist will tell you "these are the ingredients for false confessions" and described the state's evidence as "soft."
Among the potential jurors dismissed by Gull included a person who said a family member had been murdered in California and one who said they were a psychic.
At one point during defense questioning, Andrew Baldwin, part of Allen's defense team, stood behind him in court with his hands on his shoulders and said, "You guys, look at this man right here. Is it really possible that he might be innocent of this crime?" Allen smiled at the potential jurors, and the potential jurors just stared back. The state objected. Baldwin then said to the potential jurors, "I need you to look in your hearts and minds."
Even if the jury is selected in just a day or two, opening statements in the trial will not begin until Friday, Oct. 18 as scheduled due to transportation and hotel arrangements for the jury.
What to expect this week
The Allen County clerk sent jury questionnaires to 600 potential jurors who have been summoned to appear for jury selection at the Allen County Courthouse.
The prosecutor and defense team will each get to strike 10 potential jurors. Others will be dismissed by the judge for personal circumstances or views that would prevent them from serving.
Once all jurors have been chosen, a process scheduled to last up to three days, they will be sworn in on Thursday, Oct. 17. They will then be transported to a hotel closer to Delphi for the trial in Carroll County.
The jury will be sequestered for the entirety of the trial, with opening statements by the prosecutor and defense team scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 18.
Allen denies having anything to do with the murders, but police say he did admit to investigators that he was on the walking trails near the Monon High Bridge – not far from the crime scene – on the day of the murders.
“The state’s going to use that as a very burning piece of evidence to, first and foremost, at least put him in the area and give him opportunity, and so that will be challenging for the defense to overcome because it puts him there,” 13News legal analyst Katie Jackson-Lindsay said. “But on the other hand, that can also cut both ways. Because if he truly committed these crimes, why would he admit that? That’s what the defense will argue.”
Officials are warning the people of Carroll County that the cost of the Delphi murders trial will likely be twice the initial estimate, to a total of over $4 million.
