Day 1 of Delphi jury selection ends with 14 jurors selected, 2 alternates remain
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Day one of jury selection in the trial for Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen concluded at the Allen County courthouse Monday night with 14 out of 16 total jurors selected.
Dozens of potential jurors packed into the courthouse in Ft. Wayne Monday morning. The pool of people were questioned by state attorneys, Allen’s defense team, and Special Judge Francis Gull on conflicts in schedules, knowledge of the case, and if the jurors could set aside existing bias for the duration of the trial. Gull said she’d hoped to question all 100 potential jurors Monday, but only made it through about 50.
Allen, 52, is charged with murder and murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in the 2017 deaths of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. The girls’ bodies were found near the Monon High Bridge near Delphi on Feb. 14, 2017, after going missing a day earlier.
Allen appeared in court alongside his defense team, wearing a dress shirt and slacks rather than an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. He took notes and nodded while potential jurors were questioned. At one point, he was said to be seen laughing with his attorneys.
Allen was a pharmacy technician who worked and lived in Delphi, the hometown of Williams and German. He was first questioned by investigators in 2017, then again in October 2022 shortly before his arrest.
By 5 p.m., Monday’s session ended with 12 jurors and two of four alternates selected. The jury currently consists of eight women and six men.
According to News 8’s Kyla Russell, jurors’ jobs range from all over, including a school counselor, a nurse, and a position working with kids. At least two of the chosen jurors say they have a family member who works in law enforcement or has in the past.
Before the jurors were picked, Judge Gull asked the 50 potential jurors if they had heard about the case. About 65% of them raised their hands “yes.” When asked if they would be able to set aside bias, most said they’d be able to, though four potential jurors said it would be difficult to do so.
Jury selection comes roughly five months after Allen’s trial was originally scheduled to begin. According to the Allen County Superior Court, a few hundred jury summons were sent out for the May trial date that did not happen. Those potential jurors were not put back into the jury pool and won’t be for two years, according to Russell.
Once the jury is finalized, they will be transported to Carroll County, which is about 100 miles from Fort Wayne.
The jurors will stay at a hotel near the courthouse in Delphi. Their meals and activities will be paid for by the county, Russell says.
The jury will be sequestered for the duration of the trial and will not be able to use cell phones or watch news broadcasts. Many potential jurors said they would struggle mentally and financially during that time.
Jury selection was originally expected to last for three days, but selection may end Tuesday if the two final jurors are selected.
Judge Gull has set aside roughly four weeks for Allen’s trial, with proceedings expected to last until about Nov. 15.
The trial is slated to begin Friday morning at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi.
News 8’s Ashley Fowler and Kyla Russell contributed to this report.