A murder trial is set to commence in the small town of Delphi, Indiana, where two teenage girls were tragically killed in 2017. The accused, a 52-year-old man named Richard Allen, faces charges in the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. The case remained unsolved for over five years until Allen, a local pharmacy worker, was arrested.
Living and working in the community of Delphi, Allen now faces two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping. If convicted, he could potentially receive a sentence of up to 130 years in prison.
The trial, scheduled to last approximately a month, is being held in the Carroll County Courthouse, just blocks away from the pharmacy where Allen was employed. A panel of jurors from nearly 100 miles away has been sequestered for the trial, with strict restrictions on outside communication.
Prosecutors plan to call around 50 witnesses, while Allen's defense team expects to call approximately 120 individuals. The trial has faced several delays, including issues with evidence leaks and changes in legal representation.
The victims, known as Abby and Libby, were found deceased in a wooded area near the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 14, 2017. The girls had disappeared the day before while hiking on the trail. Police released images and audio from one of the victim's cellphones, hoping to identify the suspect.
Allen had been interviewed by investigators in 2017, claiming to have seen the girls on the day of their disappearance. Subsequent searches of his home led to the seizure of a firearm, with testing linking a bullet found at the crime scene to his gun.
Prosecutors have been granted permission to present incriminating statements made by Allen, including a recorded confession during a phone call with his wife. The defense has attempted to introduce a theory suggesting the killings were part of a ritual sacrifice by a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group.
While the exact cause of the girls' deaths has not been disclosed, court documents suggest their throats had been cut. The trial is expected to shed further light on this tragic case that has gripped the community of Delphi for years.
