FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Court TV) — A jury has been selected in the trial of an Indiana man who is facing up to 130 years in prison if convicted of killing two teenagers who were hiking just outside Delphi.
Richard Allen, 52, is accused of murdering 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German on Feb. 13, 2017.
(L to R) Richard Allen, Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
Prosecutors say Allen acted alone when he abducted the girls from the abandoned railroad trestle known as the Monon High Bridge. A key piece of evidence in the case is a cellphone video captured by Libby, showing a man approaching the girls on the bridge and ordering them “down the hill.” The following day, searchers found their bodies about a quarter of a mile away, on private property.
The case garnered national attention for years but went cold until Oct. 2022, when authorities announced they had arrested Allen, a pharmacy technician who lived and worked in Delphi.
Since Allen’s arrest, the case has taken on multiple twists and turns as evidence was leaked, Allen’s public defenders withdrew and were later reinstated, and defense filings claimed Odinists were responsible for the girls’ slayings. Special Judge Fran Gull has ruled Allen’s defense cannot submit any evidence that states the murders were committed by a third party at trial.
Judge Gull has banned cameras from the courtroom during Allen’s trial. Reporters are also barred from taking any electronic devices inside the courthouse. Once opening statements begin, Court TV will bring you daily trial updates.
