Trial for Richard Allen, Delphi murders suspect, starts Monday: What to know
Left to right: Abigail Williams, Richard Allen, Libby German (Indiana State Police)
Richard Allen, the man accused of killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty "Libby" German while they hiked in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017, will finally stand trial for murder.
Allen’s trial starts Monday with jury selection in Fort Wayne and the trial is to take place in Delphi, a town of about 3,000 that’s been haunted by the killings for more than seven years. The case has been closely watched in the state and nationwide.
Allen, 51, who had worked and lived in the Delphi area, was arrested in October 2022, more than five years after their bodies were found. He’s pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
When is Richard Allen’s trial?
Richard Allen’s trial starts Monday, Oct. 14, and is expected to last six weeks, according to The Indianapolis Star.
There will be no cameras, cell phones or laptops allowed in the courtroom.
The judge in the case issued a gag order in December 2022 barring attorneys, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner and the girls’ family members from commenting on the case to the public or the media in any form, including social media.
Prosecutors had sought the order, citing intense public scrutiny and media attention.
What happened to Abigail Williams and Liberty German?
On Feb. 13, 2017, a relative of one of the teenagers dropped them off at a hiking trail near their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The girls never showed up at the location where they were supposed to be picked up. They were found dead a day later near a bridge. An autopsy showed they had been stabbed.
In a search warrant request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls’ bodies appeared to have been "moved and staged" at the crime scene.
Delphi murders arrest timeline
It took more than five years for an arrest to be made in the murders of Libby and Abigail, and authorities released limited information throughout the investigation. Here’s a timeline of the investigation that led to Allen’s arrest.
February 2017: Shortly after the killings, investigators released two grainy photos of a suspect walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited, and an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying "down the hill."
July 2017: Authorities released a sketch of the suspected killer.
April 2019: Police release another sketch based on video released that month showing a suspect walking on the Monon High Bridge. The images and audio came from Libby’s cellphone. Authorities hailed her as a hero for recording potentially crucial evidence.
December 2021: State police announced they were seeking information from people who had contact with someone who used a fictitious online profile to communicate with young girls. State Police said investigators determined the profile "anthony_shots" was used from 2016 to 2017 on Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms.
October 2022: Allen is arrested and charged with the murders of Abigail and Libby.
Defense argues ritual ‘Odinism’ sacrifice theory
In September 2023, attorneys for Allen claimed in a 136-page court filing that Abigail and Libby were killed by members of a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group known as Odinists. They maintained Allen had nothing to do with the murders, because "(n)othing, absolutely nothing, links Richard Allen to Odinism or any religious cult," they wrote.
The attorneys claimed that two groups of Odinists, one from the Delphi area and one from the Rushville area in southeastern Indiana, were investigated for their involvement in the crimes. They say investigators found multiple ritualistic symbols at the crime scene, including the way Liberty’s body was positioned.
The judge in the case denied the attorneys’ request to present their alternate theory to the jury. Defense attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi continue to push the ritual sacrifice claims and have asked the judge to reconsider allowing it at the trial, FOX 59 reports.