Brutal killing of Abby and Lilly: Highly anticipated trial begins for Indiana man

On Friday, jurors heard opening statements in the trial of Richard Allen, a man accused of the brutal murders of two teenage girls in a small Indiana town. The deaths of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, remained unsolved for five years before investigators arrested Allen, a local pharmacy employee.

Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland outlined the case, stating that the girls were found in a rugged, wooded area near the Monon High Bridge Trail in Carroll County with their throats cut. McLeland told the jury they would see crime scene photos and that Allen’s incriminating statements would be a key part of the evidence. Allen, 52, faces two counts of murder and two additional murder charges related to kidnapping. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 130 years in prison.

Jurors were selected from Fort Wayne, nearly 100 miles away, and transported to Carroll County. They are sequestered for what could be a month-long trial, with limited access to the outside world. Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin, in his opening statement, emphasized the presence of reasonable doubt, raising questions about hair evidence and suggesting the possibility that the girls may have gotten into a vehicle at some point.

Abby and Libby were found dead in the woods

The case has drawn widespread attention, particularly among true-crime enthusiasts, and has faced delays due to a variety of issues, including the leak of evidence and changes in Allen’s legal team. A gag order is in place, preventing the media from using electronic devices inside the courtroom.

Abby and Libby were found dead on February 14, 2017, a day after they disappeared while hiking near Delphi, a town of 3,000. Days after their deaths, police released grainy photos and audio from Libby’s phone, believed to capture the killer’s image and voice, instructing the girls to go “down the hill.” Investigators also released two sketches of the suspect in the years following the murders and, after no suspects emerged, they re-examined old tips.

Allen had been interviewed in 2017, telling police he had been on the trail the day the girls went missing but claimed he had not seen them. In 2022, he was interviewed again, and investigators searched his home, discovering a .40-caliber pistol. Testing revealed that an unspent bullet found between the girls’ bodies had been cycled through Allen’s gun, though he denied ever being at the scene.

Prosecutors are allowed to present evidence of multiple statements made by Allen to various individuals, including a recorded phone call with his wife, where he allegedly confessed to the killings.

Allen’s defense team is arguing an alternative theory, suggesting that the girls were killed as part of a ritual sacrifice by members of a white nationalist pagan group called the Odinists.