Jury selection began Monday for the trial of Richard Allen, charged with the murder of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana. Allen is accused of killing Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, near a hiking trail in 2017. The case has been a source of relentless debate and interest in the community and beyond. If found guilty, Allen could face 130 years in prison; the death penalty is off the table.
The trial, expected to last a month, will see potential jurors being selected from Fort Wayne, roughly 100 miles from the crime scene. Once chosen, the jury members will be sequestered in Delphi and unable to use cellphones or access news broadcasts for the duration of the trial. Prosecutors aim to call approximately 50 witnesses, while Allen's defense has listed around 120. Evidence to be presented includes a purported confession made during a phone call by Allen to his wife.
Allen's defense faced a setback after the judge allowed statements made by Allen to be entered as evidence while rejecting alternative defense theories involving other suspects and an alleged ritual sacrifice. Throughout the legal proceedings, the case has been shrouded in speculation, with authorities maintaining a gag order on parties involved to curb public discourse. Allen was arrested in 2022 after ballistic testing linked an unspent bullet found at the crime scene to his firearm, although Allen denies any connection to the location or owner of the property. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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