Written by seven years after the tragic and mysterious killing The trial against Richard Allen, the man charged in the killing of two teenage girls in a case known as the Delphi murders, has begun.
Allen, 52, is facing two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in the killings of Delphi, Indiana eighth graders Abigail Williams and Liberty German in 2017.
The trial is expected to take one month. Here’s what to know about the Delphi murders and the case against Richard Allen.
What happened to Abigail Williams and Liberty German?
Abigail, 13, and Liberty, 14, better known as Abby and Libby, were close friends who had been dropped off by a relative at a hiking trail on Feb. 13, 2017. When they failed to meet the relative later in the day, they were reported missing.
Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near the Delphi Historic Trail, about a mile where they were last seen. Authorities determined their deaths were homicides. CBS News previously reported that the girls were stabbed to death.
Police spent years searching for a suspect, investigating thousands of leads and releasing multiple composite sketches of the suspect based on eyewitness accounts. Audio evidence from Libby’s cell phone revealed an unknown man had told the girls to go “down the hill.” Libby also recorded a short video of a man who police believed to be the killer.
Inside the trial
The trial has been repeatedly delayed because of evidence leaks and the withdrawal of Allen’s public defenders, who were later reinstated by the Indiana Supreme Court. On Friday, Oct. 18, opening statements began.
The trial is expected to last a month. Jurors will be sequestered and kept from using cellphones or watching the news, CBS Chicago reported.
Prosecutors said they plan to call about 50 witnesses, while Allen’s defense attorneys expect to call about 120 people to the stand.
Do you have thoughts abuse this please leave them in the comments !
