ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. — It's been nearly eight years since the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German were found near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. The man accused of killing the two teenagers is about to stand trial.
Starting Monday, Oct. 14, the trial for Richard Allen will begin by selecting a jury in Fort Wayne. Judge Frances Gull has set aside three full days to select 16 members of the jury (12 jurors and four alternates).
The Allen County Clerk sent jury questionnaires to 600 potential jurors who have been summoned to appear for jury selection at the Allen County Courthouse.
The prosecutor and defense team will each get to strike 10 potential jurors. Others will be dismissed by the judge for personal circumstances or views that would prevent them from serving.
Once all jurors have been chosen, a process scheduled to last up to three days, they will be sworn in on Thursday, Oct. 17. They will then be transported to a hotel closer to Delphi for the trial in Carroll County.
The jury will be sequestered for the entirety of the trial, with opening statements by the prosecutor and defense team scheduled to take place on Friday, Oct. 18.
Allen denies having anything to do with the murders, but police say he did admit to investigators that he was on the walking trails near the Monon High Bridge – not far from the crime scene – on the day of the murders.
“The state’s going to use that as a very burning piece of evidence to, first and foremost, at least put him in the area and give him opportunity, and so that will be challenging for the defense to overcome because it puts him there,” 13News legal analyst Katie Jackson-Lindsay said. “But on the other hand, that can also cut both ways. Because if he truly committed these crimes, why would he admit that? That’s what the defense will argue.”
Officials are warning the people of Carroll County that the cost of the Delphi murders trial will likely be twice the initial estimate, to a total of over $4 million.