Attorneys for Richard Allen, the Indiana man accused of killing 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams on a hiking trail in February 2017, revealed that a hair found near the victims' bodies did not match Allen. This disclosure was made by Allen's attorney, Andrew Baldwin, during pre-jury selection proceedings in Carroll County.
Jurors were brought in from neighboring Allen County after Allen's legal team requested a change of venue due to concerns about impartiality in Carroll County. The case gained significant attention locally and nationally, with initial hopes that the disappearance of the girls would be a missing persons case rather than a murder investigation.
Liberty and Abigail went missing while walking on the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 13, 2017, and were found deceased the following day. Allen, now 52, was arrested in 2022, five years after the killings, while working at a CVS store in Delphi.
Police recovered a cellphone belonging to one of the victims, which contained a video showing the girls and a man in a dark jacket and jeans. The man can be heard instructing the girls to go 'down the hill.' Subsequent investigations led to the recovery of incriminating evidence from Allen's residence, including a handgun matching a bullet found at the crime scene.
Despite legal complexities and social media misinformation surrounding the case, prosecutors have alleged that Allen confessed to the crimes multiple times during phone conversations while in custody. Allen's defense team has put forth a controversial theory involving a pagan Norse religion, which they claim was hijacked by white nationalists and linked to the girls' deaths.
The upcoming trial is expected to evoke painful memories for the Delphi community, which has been grappling with the tragedy for nearly eight years. The trial may provide closure for the victims' families, who have been enduring a prolonged legal process in pursuit of justice.
