Delphi murder trial gets underway over 7 years after slayings – National & International News – MON 14Oct2024

Delphi murder trial gets underway over 7 years after slayings

Today, jury selection began in Allen County, IN, for the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of the 2017 murder of Abigail Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14. Known as the Delphi murder case, the killings and the prolonged investigation that followed have drawn scrutiny and interest from investigators and true crime enthusiasts all over the world.

Following Allen’s arrest, and a sensational filing by his defense team (more on that below), the judge in the case imposed a gag order, prohibiting investigators and attorneys on both sides from discussing the case publicly or disclosing the contents of filings. Because of this gag order, there are still many unanswered questions in this case. Some of this may be cleared up during the trial.

While the jury is being selected in Allen County, the trial will take place in Carroll County, over 100 miles away. This was part of an agreement with Allen’s defense team, which had initially saw a change of venue. The trial is expected to take about a month, during which the jury will be sequestered.

Judge Frances Gull has barred audio and video recordings of the proceedings as well as all electronic devices. Unlike other recent sensational murder trials, there will be no broadcast and those interested in following the case will have to depend on the accounts of members of the press in the courtroom.

The crime

On February 13, 2017, best friends Libby and Abby were dropped off by family at the Delphi Historic Trails in Delphi, IN, to enjoy a 2-hour hike on a day off from school. The girls ventured onto the Monon High Bridge, a famous local landmark. While on the bridge, the girls posted photos of themselves on Snapchat. When the grandfather of one of the girls came to collect them and could not find them, he immediately called the police and reported them missing. A massive search effort was then launched.

Sadly, Libby and Abby were found deceased near Deer Creek about a half mile from the bridge. It was not until some years later that their cause of death and some of the bizarre circumstances surrounding their deaths were revealed.

The investigation

The Indiana State Police took charge of the investigation. The day following the girls’ discovery, police released a still image of a man in a dark blue coat, jeans, and a hat. He appeared to be walking on the Monon High Bridge, the last place the girls were known to have been alive. Police later revealed that this man in the image was the prime suspect.

Later, the police released some muffled audio of a man’s voice saying “down the hill”. It was later revealed that both the still and the audio were recorded on Libby’s smartphone.

Despite these vital clues and multiple persons of interest, no arrests were made in the case for years.

The arrest

In 2022, the Indiana State Police announced a long awaited arrest in the case, making headlines around the world. Richard Allen, now 52, was arrested in charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Allen was local to the area, married with at least one child, and worked in a local Rite Aid pharmacy. Little else is known about him at this point, except that he had apparently never had any serious trouble with the law previously.

Allen does bear some resemblance to the man in the brief video from Libby’s phone. There are pictures of him from around the time of the crime wearing a similar jacket to that worn by the man in the video.

Allen had been among the first individuals interviewed by investigators way back in 2017. He admitted that he had been on the trails around the same time as the girls, but said that he had not seen them. It is not clear at this point what made police finally zero in on Allen as a suspect. Shortly before his arrest, police searched his home and found a gun, which they believe was connected to the case.

Based on currently available information, the connection of the gun to the case has been regarded by some as flimsy. As the filing from Allen’s defense team revealed, Libby and Abby were not shot. The probable cause affidavit for Allen’s arrest states that investigators found an unspent round near where the girls’ bodies were found which they believe was “cycled through” (not fired from) Allen’s gun. However, the validity of ballistic tool mark analysis in criminal cases has recently been questioned. It is also not even clear whether the casing was deposited at the time the girls were killed.

Prosecutors say that since his arrest, Allen has confessed to the murders multiple times, including on a recorded phone call to his wife. Allen’s defense plans to dispute the validity and admissibility of these confessions, arguing that they arose from Allen’s fragile and deteriorating mental state during his incarceration.

Other than the tool marks and the confessions, it is not clear what other evidence there is against Allen due to the gag order. The full extent of this evidence will be revealed at trial.

Defense raises possibility of ritual murder

In a lengthy and sensational filing, Allen’s defense team revealed for the first time Abby and Libby’s cause of death, which was stabbing. In fact, according to the filing, the girls’ murders were unusually brutal and elaborate in a way that suggested a ritual component.

The defense also raised the difficulty that Allen, or indeed anyone, would have had in controlling the two girls in a way that would allow him to stage the very complicated crime scene found by investigators. Even investigators involved in the case have commented that it was likely that more than one person was involved.

The filing seeks to implicate a group of Odinists, followers of the ancient Norse god Odin. Odinism has become popular among white supremacist groups in the US. The filing also alleged that some of Allen’s jailers, who they say have mistreated him, wore Odinist insignia on their uniforms before they were told to remove them. Allen’s attorneys heavily hinted at a cover-up by law enforcement of this aspect of the case, or at the very least a failure by law enforcement to adequately pursue this avenue of inquiry.

Carroll County prosecutor Nick McLeland dismissed the defense’s filing as “a fanciful defense for social media to devour”. Judge Gull seems to agree and has barred the defense from presenting this theory in court. Gull said that, “the probative value of such evidence is greatly outweighed by confusion of the issues and its potential to mislead the jury”.

The exclusion of this evidence may create an issue for appeal if Allen is found guilty. It is the job of the defense team to create reasonable doubt in the case against their client, and presenting a plausible alternative theory of the crime is an effective way to do that. Instead, Allen’s team will be confined to arguing the admissibility and relevance of the state’s evidence against Allen.

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