More than seven years after Indiana girls Liberty German (14) and Abigail Williams (13) were murdered, their alleged killer is due to go on trial. Richard Allen’s trial date has been set for October 14, 2024 and is expected to run for around a month.
This blog will provide updates as the trial progresses. The blog is in chronological order so please scroll for updates.
This info is from The Independent:
Jury selection in his trial is set to start on Monday at Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once the jury is selected, the trial will be moved to the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, the town where the crimes took place.
Special Judge Frances Gull has banned photography and video cameras from the courtroom, along with audio recording and other electronic devices.
WEEK ONE UPDATES
Actual proceedings kicked off on Friday, October 18.
Anna Williams, Abby’s mother, testified on Friday afternoon. Anna described Abby. Abby was smart and reserved, her mother said, and wouldn’t go out of her way to talk to most people. She hung around with a pretty small group of friends.
Anna spoke about how she worked several jobs at the time that Abby was murdered. She said that she was working at a restaurant on February 13, 2017 when she found out that the girls were missing. “That was not in their habit because they don’t go places by themselves,” Anna said.
Andrew Baldwin, Richard Allen’s defense attorney, put repeated emphasis on asking the witnesses how assertively Libby and Abby spoke. He’s likely trying to establish how feasible it is for Richard, who is smaller and said to be soft-spoken, could have forced the two girls down the hill and killed them.
Witnesses said that Libby was outspoken and had a louder personality, while Abby was quieter, but her mother said her voice “was high-pitched when she got excited.”
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Mitch Catron, who has worked for the county for 12 years, said in the day’s final testimony that he responded to a call about the missing girls around 5:15 p.m. that day.
The deputy testified being tasked to follow up on tips in the case in the months after the murders.
“Did you ever investigate any tips related to Richard Allen?” defense attorney Jennifer Auger asked him.
“No,” Deputy Catron said.
“Did you ever hear of any?” Jennifer asked.
“No,” Deputy Catron said, “I did not.”
Kelsi German, now known as Kelsi Siebert, who is Libby’s older sister, spoke at the trial on Friday. She said that Libby was ‘brave’ and outspoken and that she would ‘absolutely’ stand up to others. She recounted how Libby and Abby wanted to go to the Monon High Bridge on February 13, 2017. Kelsi dropped them off and went to her boyfriend’s home. She got a call at 4pm that day from her grandmother saying that the girls could not be found.
“We thought they were out in the woods,” she testified. “We didn’t yet suspect something was bad.”
She kept texting and calling her sister as the search continued into the night with no signs of the girls. The next day, she came back to the bridge and walked down a path to search under the structure. “Not long after we had started coming back up the bridge, someone told us that they had found them.”
Derrick German, Libby’s father, also testified. He said that he got a call from Libby and she asked him to pick them up at the bridge. He said it would be a few hours as he had errands to run. “She said, ‘No problem. We’ll just do some exploring.’”
He arrived at the trail a little after 3 p.m. and called Libby, but she didn’t answer. He walked along the trail and called multiple times, but he did not find the girls.
Becky Patty, Libby’s grandmother also testified. “The last thing she said to me was, ‘Grandma, it will be OK,’” She wasn’t worried,Becky said, because Libby had been to the trail before. “It was a safe place in 2017.”
But by 3:30 p.m., the girls were nowhere to be found. Libby was not answering her phone, which was unlike her.
“I knew we needed to go to the trails to look for them,” she said.
The family called the police as night approached. Becky said they were at the police station until after midnight, and then they went back to the trails to keep looking.
“I kept calling and calling and calling,” Becky said, as she cried on the stand.
They went home and went out again the next morning. They searched nearby fields where the girls would’ve been if they had tried to walk home. As they were walking back to their car, they learned from a friend that the girls had been found.
“You need to take me,” Patty told the friend, she testified. “You need to take me.”
As she waited, she saw the coroner’s truck driving by.
“That’s when I knew,” she said. “They weren’t alive.”
The hair that was found in Abby’s hand was also discussed. Richard’s team said the hair did not belong to him. The hair had a root and was able to be tested and that it belonged to a female. He said it did not belong to Libby or Abby, but possibly to a relative of Libby’s. Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin said there should be more tests to determine who the hair belonged to.
Andrew also spoke about his client’s alleged innocence on the first day.
“Richard Allen is truly innocent … We want the truth to come out in this courtroom for the families and all of you because it is truly important,” Andrew said.
Andrew also challenged the prosecution’s timeline from February 13. He said that Richard had been at the trail but he had left by 1.30pm. This was more than half an hour before the girls were thought to have been abducted. He said that by 2.15pm, Richard’s car had left a nearby parking lot where the prosecution are alleging that he had parked.
“Richard Allen was never on the trail with those girls … There is reasonable doubt in this case,” Andrew said.
He also challenged the argument that the girls’ bodies were in the woods by 4pm on February 13 and they were discovered the next day. Libby’s phone, which was found under Abby’s leg, somehow connected to a cellphone tower at 4.33am on February 14.
“After 4 p.m. (on Feb. 13), human hands handled that phone,” Andrew said. “Richard Allen was at home and never came back.”
The defense’s theory is that the girls were taken somewhere, and “someone brought the girls back to where they were found and it was probably after 4:33 a.m.”
“Evidence does not support (state’s) timeline,” Andrew told jurors.
In the prosecution’s opening statements, Nicholas McLeland spoke about what Richard allegedly did on the day of the murders.
The girls were hiking along the trail on Feb. 13, 2017, “a nice summer day in the middle of winter,” Nicholas told jurors. A little after 2 p.m., the girls reached the high bridge. It is alleged that Richard was following them.
He “pulls out a gun and forces them down the hill,” Nicholas said, adding that the video that Libby was taking on her phone shut off around this time.
“Out of fear, the girls comply,” Nicholas said. Richard, he added, “had the power.”
The girls disappeared, and their bodies were found along Deer Creek the next day. Their throats had been slit. Libby was found naked and covered in blood. Abby was wearing Libby’s sweatshirt and jeans, while the rest of the clothes were found in the nearby creek.
Richard later admitted being on the trail that day. After searching his home, investigators found knives, boots and a handgun. An unspent bullet found at the crime scene had been cycled through the same weapon.
A probable cause affidavit in the case identified the firearm as a Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40 caliber handgun.
The infamous suspect sketches were also discussed in court. Richard’s attorneys wanted the images shown to jurors.
“To the extent that the sketches do not resemble Richard Allen, they are highly relevant,” the defense’s motion stated.
The judge ruled Friday that the sketches will not be admissible, according to Fox59.
Court ran for a half day on Saturday, October 19.
Steven Mullin, who was the Delphi police chief at the time of the murders testified. He gave his timeline of events of the day. He told the court that on the evening of February 13, 2017, he “figured the girls would return home” and “didn’t think anything bad happened.”
Jake Johns, a Delphi resident who helped search for the girls, also testified and gave his timeline of events.
Pat Brown, the Delphi resident who found the girls’ bodies testified.
He told the court, “We found them… I thought they were mannequins.”
Court resumed on Monday. Dep. Darron Giancola who was the first law enforcement officer to see the girls’ bodies testified.
Deputy Giancola said he recognized them based on pictures and described the condition that the bodies were found in. He did not perform life-saving measures: “It was apparent they were deceased.”
The defense asked the deputy about the type of gun that he was carrying, which was a Block 17, 9mm. It was believed this question was asked as part of groundwork for future arguments.
The jury were shown 42 crime scene photos on Monday. These included images of the girls’ bodies. Family of both the girls and Richard became emotional when they saw the photos. It was reported that Richard himself did not have any reaction when viewing the photos.
There has been lots of discussion this week about sexual assault/ rape kits. On Monday, Police Sgt Jason Page took the stand and was asked if a rape kit was given. “I would assume. I wasn’t there,” Sgt Page said.
Sgt Page also spoke about the crime scene. The girls’ bodies had sticks placed on them. Crime scene tech, Police Sgt. Duane Datzman spoke about the scene. He said the sticks “were of no evidentiary value” and did not have blood on them. The sticks were collected about three weeks later and placed in evidence storage at the state police post in Lafayette. The sticks were not tested for DNA.
On Tuesday, clothing from the scene was discussed in court. State prosecutor James Luttrell brought a physical piece of evidence in a paper bag – a size 10 black Nike shoe found at Deer Creek, the shoe that belonged to Libby.
The exhibit included physical pieces of evidence, such as clothing from the girls: A tie-dye shirt, a gray-hooded sweatshirt, and a pair of Converse shoes were among the articles. The exhibit also included a Smith and Wesson cartridge, hair from Abby’s fingers, strands of fiber, and various DNA swabs from the girls’ bodies and other pieces of evidence.
Indiana State Police Trooper Brian Olehy spoke about the clothing and said that he was ‘not aware’ of any DNA found within the exhibit that belonged or connected to Richard Allen.
Defense attorney Brad Rozzi questioned Brian about blood found on a tree at the scene, as well as if “there was anything usual or unusual to find an unspent bullet in a wooded area in Indiana.”
Brian said, “It’s not uncommon to find a bullet anywhere in Indiana.”
The defense referenced the photo of the unspent bullet found at the scene, to which Brian said he had not seen more than six photos of the bullet, and admitted that there were not pictures of where the bullet was after it was removed. The bullet was collected in its “pure form.” He later said that only five or six photos of the bullet “was good.”
The jury asked if the ground under Abby appeared disturbed to indicate that she was dressed there. Brian said, “It was not disturbed.”
Cellphone data was also discussed on this day. The report taken from Libby’s phone was said to be several hundred pages.
Indiana State Police Lt. Brian Bunner, a state forensic examiner, said he looked through Libby’s camera roll and found the “bridge video.” He also mentioned the camera roll was the phone’s “last user activity.” The approximately 35-second video was taken between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017.
In the video, Libby and Abby can be heard talking and conversing while on the bridge.
One of the girls was heard on video saying, “See the trail ends here. There’s no path. So, we have to go down there.”
Libby’s phone had data extracted at least four times.
The jury were shown audio and video of the bridge on the day of the murders, captured by Libby. Jeremy Chapman, an audio-visual forensic expert, spoke in court about the infamous ‘Down the hill’ comment from the video. He said that the audio had been enhanced to play in the media.
Railly Voorheis testified in court. She was 16 at the time of the murders and had been on the trail that day. Railly talked about passing a man along the trail, and she said “hi” to him. He didn’t reply.
Once the girls were reported missing, Railly reported that she’d encountered the man, and she later shared with authorities the photos she’d taken on her phone, and talked with authorities about the man she’d passed.
The prosecution shared a photo of “bridge guy” from Libby’s recording, and Voorheis said that he was the man she’d passed.
Defense attorney Jennifer Auger asked Railly to describe the man.
Breann Welber was also 16 at the time and was on the trail that day. Breann and Libby had messaged on Snapchat that day. When Breann saw the image of the man on the bridge, she said “First thing I thought was that is the person I saw on the trail.”
Another woman on the trail that day, Betsey Blair, also spoke about the image.
“I recognized him as the one I had seen on the bridge.”
She also said she could have mistaken the man having a hat on his head for brown “poofy” hair.
On day 5, Sarah Carbaugh testified.
She told the jury she visited the trail every day with her dogs.
Sarah said she did not know the girls but after she found out they were missing via an Amber Alert, she drove by the area being searched. While there, she said she saw a group of people at the Mears entrance, including a girl wearing pink who appeared visibly stressed. She also saw a man covered in “mud” and “blood” walking along a country road. She said she drove past the man, who did not acknowledge her, but says she later recognized him as “Bridge Guy.” She waited three weeks to report who she saw to police, saying she was afraid.
Andrew Baldwin began pulling Sarah’s testimony apart. She responded that the details “were as simple as it is” and that “outside of this testimony, I want nothing to do with this.”
Andrew asked further questions about Bridge Guy’s hair texture and eyes. “You’re romanticizing this,”Sarah said.
“You said he had very effeminate eyes,” Andrew said.
“I did not say that,”Sarah said.
The jury also learned more about the injuries suffered by the girls. Dr. Roland Kohr, a forensic pathologist testified about the autopsies he performed.
The first autopsy was performed on Abby. Kohr noted Abby’s clothing, any physical injuries, and performed a rape kit. He said that Abby had a 1-inch deep, 3-inch long incision wound on her neck. She also had a faint mark under her mouth, which Kohr said could be from duct tape or cloth. Abby showed no signs of blunt force trauma or restraint wounds. He said that though the rape kit showed no “overt injury patterns,” it does not mean that sexual contact didn’t occur.
Libby German’s autopsy was performed second. Kohr also noted her clothing, physical injuries, and performed a rape kit. The autopsy report said Libby had anywhere from three to five incision wounds on the right side of her neck, the largest being around 3.5 inches long. She also showed no signs of overt sexual trauma or defensive wounds.
Kohr estimated that the girls died approximately 41 hours before the autopsy.
More forensics from Libby’s phone were discussed on day five. First Sgt. Christopher D. Cecil compiled a report in 2019 on what he found on Libby’s iPhone. Some highlights:
Two people were using Libby’s phone.
Many apps had logons for Abby and Libby.
The Health app on the phone was working, in the background, and recorded steps taken, changes in elevation, and the distances traveled. Cecil outlined that information for the jurors.
The phone also made two calls, was plugged into a power source, and posted photos to Snapchat on Feb. 13, 2017.
The phone also recorded the “bridge guy” video, which jurors watched Tuesday.
The phone last locked at 2:07 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017, although someone failed to unlock it with a fingerprint about 7 minutes later.
The last recorded movement of the phone was at 2:32 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017.
The last signal from the phone came about 10:32 p.m., Feb. 13, 2017. Cecil reported he thought that the phone had died.
This year, Cecil compiled a second report based on what he had learned and new information, including more extensive information from the Health app. He also outlined that several apps — including the App Store, Camera, Maps, Photos and Snapchat — were limited to providing a location only when in use. The only app with location always on was Weather. Local services for the Walmart app were set to “never.”
Cecil’s 2024 report showed the phone stayed on until 4:30 a.m. Feb. 14, 2017. He found no indication the phone was turned off or moved from 2:13 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017, to 4:30 a.m. Feb. 14, 2017; however, the phone continued to receive calls and texts.
One of the last texts received, read, “You need to call me now!!!”
Cecil said he couldn’t explain why the phone received no calls, texts or data between midnight Feb. 13, 2017, and 4 a.m. Feb. 14, 2017, or why the phone received multiple calls and texts at 4:34 a.m. Feb. 14.
On day 7, Melissa Oberg testified. She previously worked for the Indiana State Police as a forensic firearm examiner. She discussed the bullet that was found at the scene in depth. If you’d like to read her testimony in full, it is linked in the blog.
Questions from the jurors includes ones about one cycled bullet found where near the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German, and others taken from the home of suspect Richard Allen and cycled as part of Oberg’s testing. Melissa said the results of those tests did not result in an exact match.
On day 8, Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holeman took the stand. He interviewed Richard Allen in October 2022. He told the jury about the interview process. He said that when he told Richard that Melissa Oberg’s report matched the bullet to his gun, Richard denied this and his demeanor changed.
The lieutenant asked Richard about a few comments he made during the search, and Richard retaliated, saying “his life was already ruined because all of his friends and community ‘thought he did it.’” Lt Holeman asked about the “Bridge Guy” video, and the witnesses and experts who said that was him. Lt Holeman then told the jury he lied to Richard about this, as it wasn’t true. Richard denied at least 20 times that he was the killer and that his gun was there.
After further back-and-forth, Lt Holeman said Richard told him, “I am not going to tell you something I didn’t do…I don’t care what you do to me. I am not going to ever tell you something I didn’t do.”
Lt Holeman told the jury that he believed a single person killed the girls. He did say at first that he thought there may have been more people involved.
Court reconvened on Monday for day 9. Stacy Bozinovski, a forensic scientist for the Indiana State Police who tested the DNA found at the scene testified. She spoke to the jury about the DNA collection process. She said that she found no DNA that linked Richard to the scene. She also said there was no DNA that indicated that the girls had been sexually assaulted.
Stacy did say that Abby’s hoodie tested positive for male DNA, but that sample ended up belonging to a male lab employee.
Stacy also confirmed that the bullet cartridge found could not be tested as there was not enough DNA on it.
The prosecution asked Stacy about items that were tested “Did you find the DNA of Richard Allen on the DNA samples submitted to you?”
Stacy said no, adding that she “did not even create a male profile for any of the DNA.”
Maj. Pat Cicero also testified on this day. He first visited the crime scene on April 4. He said that based on the direction of blood found at the crime scene, that Libby was killed in one area of the crime scene and then dragged to a different spot.
Maj Cicero said he did not believe Abby Williams was moved after injury. Williams did not have blood on her hands, which Cicero said could have been due to her possibly being restrained or unconscious.
Day 10 was a big day in court. The day began with two videos of police interviews with Richard Allen from October 2022.
The first video was an interview that took place on Oct. 13, 2022, before the search of his home and his arrest. The interview was conducted by Mullin and Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett.
Richard repeatedly denied being involved in the murders, saying at one point, “You’re not going to to find anything that ties me to the murders.”
The video showed that investigators asked to get data from Richard’s phone. He agreed at first, but then became hesitant.
Richard could also be seen repeatedly saying that he did not kill ‘the two little girls.’
John Galipeau, the former warden of the Westville Correctional Facility also testified. Richard was held at that facility from his arrest until December 2023.
John said Richard came into the unit on suicide watch and remained on it most of the time. He also said that Richard was watched by inmates at first, but later, guards were put in charge of watching him. He said this change happened after Richard received some “legal mail” in April 2023 and began defecating in his cell and washing his face with toilet water. It was around this time that Richard wrote his first confession.
He slipped an envelope under his cell door with a request for interview inside. The paper read, “I’m ready to officially confess to killing Abby and Libby. I hope I get the chance to apologize to their families.” – John said he sent the confession off to internal affairs.
Westville correctional officer Michael Clemons was the next to testify.
His log was shown to the court. It included the following timestamped entries:
7:30 a.m.: “God, I am so glad nobody gave up on me after I killed Abby and Libby.”
8:01 a.m.: “I, Richard Matthew Allen, killed Abby and Libby all by myself, nobody helped me.”
8:03 a.m.: “I am not crazy, I am only acting like I’m crazy.”
Michael mentioned a few other quotes from Richard, including “I am ready to confess,” “I don’t want to die,” and an unspecified moment where Richard was screaming nonsense.
On day 12, Master Trooper Brian Harshman, a 30-year veteran of the Indiana State Police was called to the stand.
MT Harshman told the court he became “the phone guy,” meaning he monitored Richard’s communication from inside custody to the outside world. He says he monitored calls, video chats, and texts. He says he has listened and relistened to 700 hours of Richard’s calls.
The trooper told the jury he believes the voice in the “Bridge Guy” video is “absolutely Richard Allen’s.”
Harshman testified that Richard either called his wife or his mother, adding that he makes “incriminating statements.”
The prosecution started by playing several phone calls between Richard and his wife, Kathy, including an outgoing call placed on April 3, 2023.
The prosecution then rested its case.
Day 13 was a day of long testimonies from multiple defense witnesses.
On day 14, the jury were shown videos of Richard Allen that were taken while he was incarcerated at the Westville Correctional Facility. There was no audio, but the footage showed Richard naked and being transported for medical treatment.
The videos were only shown to the jury and not the public. Some reporters said this made Libby’s family upset because the photos of the girls naked were shown to the public and not just the jury. Apparently this was a choice by the prosecutionm
Info from Wish TV:
Jury members were left shocked by the videos’ content, with many wearing wide-eyed expressions. Russell noted Allen’s defense attorney Jennifer Auger held her head in her hands, or watched with her hand over her mouth. At one point, Auger looked away.
On day 15, Richard’s sister, daughter, and his neuropsychologist all testified.
Dr. Polly Westcott, a neuropsychologist performed a psychological evaluation on Richard while in prison. Dr Westcott shared the process of her assessment, which she performed over two days.
They showed the jury more videos of Richard in prison.
Shelby Hicks testified next, she was in the bridge around 2:30 that day with her boyfriend. Said she didnt see or hear anything suspicious.
Last was Brad Weber – drives a white van and lives near the bridge.
On day 16, Betsey Blair testified again. She is the woman who helped to create the first BG sketch.
She spoke about seeing a car parked in the CPS parking lot on the day of the murders. She told the jury that she couldn’t tell if it was a hatchback like Richard’s vehicle. She said it was an older angular looking car.
She also said the building was abandoned so the vehicle would not have belonged to an employee.
A black 2016 Ford Focus SE registered to Richard is at the center of the case.
Dr Stuart Grassian also testified on this day. Dr Grassian is Harvard educated and has a special interest in how solitary confinement impacts mental health. He told the jury that a normal person could absolutely become psychotic after being in solitary for 6 months.
Dr Eric Warren took the stand – he is a toolmark specialist. He described the characteristics of bullets and explained the science to the jury.
Stacy Eldridge, a computer information expert also testified. She examined Libby’s call phone data after the police investigation.
Eldridge said Libby’s phone last connection time was Feb. 14 at 4:33 a.m. and before that, 5:45 p.m. on Feb. 13, and said there is evidence messages weren’t received during that time period. Some texts did have time stamps, but weren’t received until Feb. 17.
Eldridge said she doesn’t know why the phone did not ping in that time frame, even though it was under Abby’s back and was stationary. She said, “I can only conclude something external happened to the phone,” meaning it could have been moved, blocked by metal or have been blocked from the tower.
She said she now knows that at 5:45 p.m. to 10:32 p.m. on Feb. 13, the phone had something plugged into the audio jack of Libby’s phone.
On day 17, the defense unexpectedly rested their case at 9.36am. The defense only took six days to call forward over 20 witnesses to present their case, nearly half as many as the prosecution.
Closing arguments and jury instruction came on Day 18. Defense attorney Brad Rozzi started.
He said that there are four main themes:
Broken timeline.
Bumbled ballistics.
False confessions.
Digital forensics.
Rozzi also told the jury that the state has presented a theme of “what they don’t want you to hear, is what we had to tell you.” He says, “we had to do their job.”
Rozzi also said that Brad Weber’s gun could not be ruled out as cycling the cartridge that was found. He said that the ‘magic bullet’ made up most of the state’s case and told the jury to ‘use your common sense.’
He also told the jury that Abby could have lived for 5-10 minutes after her injury but nobody heard any screaming (dumb if her throat was cut).
He also spoke about Richard’s treatment in solitary confinement and how that led to his behavior/confessions.
He told the jury that there are five components to keep in mind:
Nobody identified Allen as Bridge Guy.
No digital data connects Allen to the crime.
No clothing connects Allen.
No DNA connects Allen.
No trace material connects Allen.
He said that “at the end of the day the state’s timeline has crumbled, the magic bullet is nothing more than a tragic bullet.”
His closing arguments went for an hour and 17 minutes.
McLeland began his rebuttal in the afternoon. He told the jury “you’re in the driver’s seat.” “I’m not up here to tell you how to feel.”
He reiterated that Libby had a ‘blood outline’ of a tear on her face. He also said there are two victims in the case, Abby and Libby. He says “they are Allen’s victims. But they aren’t just victims, they are heroes.”
His rebuttal apparently went from 1.07pm to 1.52pm – 45 mins.
Judge Gull then gave the jury their instructions. She said the jury will not deliberate on Sundays.
She says the jury will deliberate from nine a.m. to four p.m. daily, unless at 4 p.m. they choose to stay and deliberate longer. Court was noted to be off the record at 1:27 p.m. on November 7, 2024.
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