DELPIHI, Ind. — The trial of a man accused of murdering two teenage girls in a quiet Indiana town has reached its halfway point, following more than two weeks of evidence presentation related to the 2017 crimes.
Prosecutors concluded their case on Thursday against Richard Allen, during which jurors listened to recorded calls where he allegedly admitted to killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German.
The trial commenced on October 18 at the Carroll County Courthouse, situated in the hometown of the victims. Jurors have been kept away from external influences since the trial began, which is set to continue until November 15.
In response, the defense started calling its first witnesses on Thursday. An Indiana Department of Correction psychologist testified on Friday, stating that Allen was suffering from severe mental illness when he reportedly confessed to the murders while in custody at Westville Correctional Facility.
Allen, aged 52, faces a possible sentence of up to 130 years in prison if found guilty of two murder charges and additional counts related to kidnapping.
Key events in the trial have included:
**Opening Arguments**
The opening statements featured Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland asserting that jurors would be presented with compelling evidence, including Allen’s own admissions, demonstrating that he forcibly led the girls off a hiking trail into an isolated area while armed and ultimately committed the murders.
McLeland maintained that Allen was identifiable in cellphone footage recorded by German on the day of their disappearance and mentioned that an unspent bullet discovered near their remains originated from Allen’s firearm.
Conversely, defense attorney Andrew Baldwin insisted on Allen’s innocence, claiming the evidence presented would create “reasonable doubt” about his guilt and questioning the timeline presented by the prosecution. He proposed that a different individual may have abducted the teenagers and returned them to the scene the following day.
**Viewing Evidence from the Crime Scene**
During the trial’s initial week, jurors were shown graphic photos of the site where the girls’ bodies were found in a remote wooded area. The teenagers, affectionately referred to as Abby and Libby, had previously crossed an abandoned railroad bridge called the Monon High Bridge during their excursion.
The courtroom reacted with visible distress, with some jurors gasping and turning away from the disturbing images, while the victims’ mothers were seen in tears.
Additionally, jurors watched cellphone footage recorded by German shortly before the girls disappeared, which depicted a man clad in a blue jacket and jeans following Williams. In an enhanced version of the video, one of the girls remarked, “There’s no path, so we have to go down here.” Moments before the video concluded, the man reportedly instructed the girls to “Go down the hill.”
**The Identification of Allen as a Suspect**
Authorities indicated in an affidavit released about a month post-Arrest in October 2022 that Allen emerged as a suspect after investigators revisited earlier tips and realized he had previously been interviewed in 2017. Trial testimony revealed additional particulars regarding the process through which the former pharmacy technician became a focus of the investigation.
A retired state worker, who volunteered with the investigation in 2017, testified that in September 2022, she stumbled upon documents that prompted her interest. Kathy Shank stated she discovered a lead sheet suggesting that shortly after the girls’ bodies were discovered, a man had reached out to the police claiming he had been on the hiking trail the day the girls went missing. The report incorrectly listed him as Richard Allen Whiteman but was marked as “cleared.”
Shank recounted that she recalled a young girl having been present on the same trail and time, which led her to think there might be a link, prompting her to inform law enforcement about her findings.
**Allen’s Statements to Authorities in 2017**
The bodies were located on February 14, 2017, the day after the girls’ disappearance. After two days, Allen reached out to authorities, stating he had been on the hiking trail during the time the girls were missing. According to Dan Dulin from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Allen indicated he was on the trail between 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM and remembered encountering three girls during that timeframe.
**What Allen Said in 2022**
Following Shank’s tip, investigators spoke with Allen in October 2022. During this interaction, Allen claimed he had arrived at the trail around noon and departed no later than 2:00 PM, varying from his earlier statement given in 2017.
Steve Mullin, who was Delphi’s police chief during the time of the girls’ deaths and later served as an investigator for the local prosecutor’s office, indicated that Allen described his attire on the day as a blue or black Carhartt jacket, jeans, and a beanie. Mullin queried Allen about whether he was the person seen in German’s recorded video, to which Allen replied that if the photo was captured with the girls’ camera, he could not possibly be the individual in question.
**Confessions and Recorded Evidence**
On Thursday, the trial focused on several taped phone conversations between Allen and his wife where he supposedly confessed to killing the girls, with statements such as “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.” Testimonies from a former prison warden revealed that Allen had claimed to have used a box cutter to commit the murders.
Dr. Monica Wala, who served as Allen’s psychologist during his time in Westville, stated that he began confessing to the murders in early 2023 during their therapy sessions, providing graphic accounts of the crime as well as details about placing tree branches over their remains. A report submitted to the jury recorded Allen stating he originally intended to assault the teenagers but refrained upon observing a passing van.
Testimonies from a state trooper supported Allen’s confession, aligning it with a statement from a man who reported being in a van near the Monon High Bridge during the relevant time.
Allen’s attorneys have contended their client’s admissions were made under duress and mental strain stemming from confinement and harassment by fellow inmates. During cross-examination, Wala conceded that she had been following Allen’s case with personal interest, even while treating him, and identified herself as a follower of true crime content.
**Firearm Evidence**
Weeks following Allen’s arrest, court documents revealed that forensic analysis established that an unspent bullet discovered between the girls’ bodies had come from a firearm owned by Allen. Expert witness Melissa Oberg from the Indiana State Police confirmed her findings, linking the bullet to Allen’s Sig Sauer .40-caliber handgun.
Allen’s defense team tried to challenge the reliability of the firearms assessment during cross-examination, although Oberg stated she had not encountered any mistakes during her extensive 17-year career analyzing firearms.
Prosecutors concluded their case on Thursday against Richard Allen, during which jurors listened to recorded calls where he allegedly admitted to killing 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German.
The trial commenced on October 18 at the Carroll County Courthouse, situated in the hometown of the victims. Jurors have been kept away from external influences since the trial began, which is set to continue until November 15.
In response, the defense started calling its first witnesses on Thursday. An Indiana Department of Correction psychologist testified on Friday, stating that Allen was suffering from severe mental illness when he reportedly confessed to the murders while in custody at Westville Correctional Facility.
Allen, aged 52, faces a possible sentence of up to 130 years in prison if found guilty of two murder charges and additional counts related to kidnapping.
Key events in the trial have included:
**Opening Arguments**
The opening statements featured Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland asserting that jurors would be presented with compelling evidence, including Allen’s own admissions, demonstrating that he forcibly led the girls off a hiking trail into an isolated area while armed and ultimately committed the murders.
McLeland maintained that Allen was identifiable in cellphone footage recorded by German on the day of their disappearance and mentioned that an unspent bullet discovered near their remains originated from Allen’s firearm.
Conversely, defense attorney Andrew Baldwin insisted on Allen’s innocence, claiming the evidence presented would create “reasonable doubt” about his guilt and questioning the timeline presented by the prosecution. He proposed that a different individual may have abducted the teenagers and returned them to the scene the following day.
**Viewing Evidence from the Crime Scene**
During the trial’s initial week, jurors were shown graphic photos of the site where the girls’ bodies were found in a remote wooded area. The teenagers, affectionately referred to as Abby and Libby, had previously crossed an abandoned railroad bridge called the Monon High Bridge during their excursion.
The courtroom reacted with visible distress, with some jurors gasping and turning away from the disturbing images, while the victims’ mothers were seen in tears.
Additionally, jurors watched cellphone footage recorded by German shortly before the girls disappeared, which depicted a man clad in a blue jacket and jeans following Williams. In an enhanced version of the video, one of the girls remarked, “There’s no path, so we have to go down here.” Moments before the video concluded, the man reportedly instructed the girls to “Go down the hill.”
**The Identification of Allen as a Suspect**
Authorities indicated in an affidavit released about a month post-Arrest in October 2022 that Allen emerged as a suspect after investigators revisited earlier tips and realized he had previously been interviewed in 2017. Trial testimony revealed additional particulars regarding the process through which the former pharmacy technician became a focus of the investigation.
A retired state worker, who volunteered with the investigation in 2017, testified that in September 2022, she stumbled upon documents that prompted her interest. Kathy Shank stated she discovered a lead sheet suggesting that shortly after the girls’ bodies were discovered, a man had reached out to the police claiming he had been on the hiking trail the day the girls went missing. The report incorrectly listed him as Richard Allen Whiteman but was marked as “cleared.”
Shank recounted that she recalled a young girl having been present on the same trail and time, which led her to think there might be a link, prompting her to inform law enforcement about her findings.
**Allen’s Statements to Authorities in 2017**
The bodies were located on February 14, 2017, the day after the girls’ disappearance. After two days, Allen reached out to authorities, stating he had been on the hiking trail during the time the girls were missing. According to Dan Dulin from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Allen indicated he was on the trail between 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM and remembered encountering three girls during that timeframe.
**What Allen Said in 2022**
Following Shank’s tip, investigators spoke with Allen in October 2022. During this interaction, Allen claimed he had arrived at the trail around noon and departed no later than 2:00 PM, varying from his earlier statement given in 2017.
Steve Mullin, who was Delphi’s police chief during the time of the girls’ deaths and later served as an investigator for the local prosecutor’s office, indicated that Allen described his attire on the day as a blue or black Carhartt jacket, jeans, and a beanie. Mullin queried Allen about whether he was the person seen in German’s recorded video, to which Allen replied that if the photo was captured with the girls’ camera, he could not possibly be the individual in question.
**Confessions and Recorded Evidence**
On Thursday, the trial focused on several taped phone conversations between Allen and his wife where he supposedly confessed to killing the girls, with statements such as “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.” Testimonies from a former prison warden revealed that Allen had claimed to have used a box cutter to commit the murders.
Dr. Monica Wala, who served as Allen’s psychologist during his time in Westville, stated that he began confessing to the murders in early 2023 during their therapy sessions, providing graphic accounts of the crime as well as details about placing tree branches over their remains. A report submitted to the jury recorded Allen stating he originally intended to assault the teenagers but refrained upon observing a passing van.
Testimonies from a state trooper supported Allen’s confession, aligning it with a statement from a man who reported being in a van near the Monon High Bridge during the relevant time.
Allen’s attorneys have contended their client’s admissions were made under duress and mental strain stemming from confinement and harassment by fellow inmates. During cross-examination, Wala conceded that she had been following Allen’s case with personal interest, even while treating him, and identified herself as a follower of true crime content.
**Firearm Evidence**
Weeks following Allen’s arrest, court documents revealed that forensic analysis established that an unspent bullet discovered between the girls’ bodies had come from a firearm owned by Allen. Expert witness Melissa Oberg from the Indiana State Police confirmed her findings, linking the bullet to Allen’s Sig Sauer .40-caliber handgun.
Allen’s defense team tried to challenge the reliability of the firearms assessment during cross-examination, although Oberg stated she had not encountered any mistakes during her extensive 17-year career analyzing firearms.
