Delphi murder trial: Allen case deliberations begin – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana traffic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Friday is Day 19 in the trial of Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi.

Allen, 52, is charged with murder and murder in commission or attempted kidnapping in connection with the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German. The girls' bodies were found near the Monon High Bridge near Delphi on February 14, 2017, a day after their disappearance.

Allen was first investigated in 2017 and again in October 2022. After a second police interview he was taken into custody.

The trial began on October 18 and was expected to last until mid-November. Originally, 16 Allen County residents were seated as jurors in the case, but one juror was dismissed on Oct. 25.

Cameras are not permitted in the courtroom.

Tune in to News 8 and follow our daily live blogs throughout the trial for the latest developments.

NOTE: The times listed in the blog headers are the times the entries were added. Specific times for court events will be listed in the listings when available. These notes are compiled from photos of written notes provided by reporters in the courtroom and emailed to the WISH-TV newsroom.

For a quick recap of Day 18 in the Delphi Murders Trial (Thursday), scroll to the bottom of the page.

Click here to see all of our previous trial coverage and follow News 8's Kyla Russell on X as she covers the trial live from Delphi.

9 a.m.: Court session for Friday

After five hours of closing arguments and about two hours of jury deliberations on Thursday, the jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. at the Carroll County Courthouse.

There will be 15 jurors in the room – the 12 who, along with three alternates, will decide whether Richard Allen is guilty of the murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.

The consultations could last hours or days. The 12-member jury (excluding three alternates) must reach a unanimous verdict.

If they have reasonable doubt that Allen committed the murders, they are instructed to find him not guilty. If they believe he committed the murders, they are instructed to find him guilty.

If the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict, the trial could end in a mistrial.

8:57 a.m.: The jury bus arrives at the Carroll County Courthouse

Brief summary of day 18 in the Delphi murders trial

Thursday's trial began with a 58-minute closing argument from Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland – the man who tried to convince jurors that Richard Allen murdered Abby and Libby.

McLeland again showed the jury a “Bridge Guy” video set to music that Libby recorded shortly before the girls' deaths. Bridge Guy orders the girls “down the hill” and Libby says, “That's a gun.”

News 8's Kyla Russell says McLeland reminded the jury of the many witnesses who said they saw Bridge Guy on Feb. 13, 2017.

The state again laid out the timeline leading up to Allen's arrest, noting what they say were incriminating items found in Allen's home shortly before his arrest in 2022 – more than five years after the deaths.

At the house, McLeland said, they found “a Bridge Guy starter kit” – complete with a handgun that they say matched an unspent cartridge found between the girls.

Allen's prison confessions are another pivotal point in her argument. McLeland replayed the calls, noting when Allen told his wife, “I did it. All I know is that I did it.”

McLeland told the jury that Bridge Guy “stole Libby and Abby's youth and lives.”

“I believe the evidence is clear that Richard Allen is Bridge Guy and he killed Abby and Libby,” McLeland told the jury.

After 58 minutes he finished his closing argument.

Next up was defenseman Brad Rozzi.

Rozzi paid tribute to the girls' families and the suffering they had endured over the past seven years, but said Richard Allen's life had also been ruined.

He showed the jury graphic photos of Allen in Westville covered in feces, as well as images of medieval torture tools. He told jurors that if they convicted Allen they would be “supporting this behavior.”

Rozzi outlined what he believes are the four main themes of the case: a broken timeline, faulty ballistics, false confessions and digital forensics.

He said the defense's case for his innocence was easy to make because it focused on the state's clumsy investigation. Again and again, Rozzi said, Allen's defense team had to take over the work of investigators.

He cited a lack of interviews, a years-long delay in DNA testing, changing schedules and poor science about firearms as reasons for the investigation's failure.

Rozzi again pointed out that there was no DNA or digital evidence that could link Richard Allen to the crime scene.

After speaking for an hour and 17 minutes, Rozzi ended his argument with a clear message to the jury: They must find Allen innocent.

The court then adjourned for lunch.

When the court reconvened, McLeland rebutted the defense's closing argument.

McLeland began by telling the court that it had been a long three or four weeks and that it was now time to hand the case over to the jury. He reminded the jury: “You’re in the driver’s seat. I’m not here to tell you how to feel.”

He said the defense had not substantiated their claims and that the prosecution had witnesses who were on the trail that day and they only confirmed that Allen was there. He told the jury that Melissa Oberg's testing of the cartridge found at the crime scene linked Allen to the crimes.

Finally, McLeland said there were two victims in the case, Abby and Libby. “You are Allen’s victims. But they’re not just victims, they’re heroes.”

After rebuttal, Judge Gull gave instructions to the jury. She said her decision must be “beyond a reasonable doubt” and not “beyond every possible doubt.” She said it's up to the state to prove it.

Gull told jurors that if they were given two interpretations, they would have to choose one that was on the side of innocence.

After giving instructions to the jury, they had about two hours to deliberate before the court session ended for the day.