Delphi Murders trial: Day 2 live blog
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Seven years, eight months, and five days after Abby Williams and Libby German went missing in Delphi, the trial for accused killer Richard Allen started Friday.
Allen, 52, is charged with murder and murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in 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 Feb. 14, 2017, a day after they went missing.
Allen was first investigated in 2017 and again in October 2022. Following the second interview, he was taken into custody.
Saturday’s session was set to begin at 9 a.m. Follow this blog throughout the day and stay tuned to News 8 for the very latest.
NOTE: Times listed on the blog headers are the time the entry was written, not the time the events happened in court. Those events will be noted in the story when available.
For a brief summary of Day 1 in the Delphi Murders trial, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Steve Mullen testimony (Delphi chief of police in 2017)
The first witness called to the stand by the prosecution was Steve Mullen, who served as Delphi’s chief of police in 2017, and was on duty the day of the murders. Mullen described Feb. 13, 2017, as “routine” and spoke about hearing radio traffic and receiving texts about the girls’ disappearance. During his testimony, Mullen stood up and approached a map of the trail on a TV, and pointed out where Abby and Libby entered.
After learning the girls did not return, Mullen said he contacted Delphi Middle School and spoke with the search party. Mullen did not participate in the search but said he stayed behind at dispatch.
Mullen says when he left the dispatch center at 2 a.m. on Feb. 14, he told the court he did not believe anyone had hurt the girls and believed they would return home.
He returned to work at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 14 and met with the search party. He says he did not direct them where to go.
Allen’s attorney Andrew Baldwin objected to Mullen’s testimony about the search, saying Mullen only knew the whereabouts of the search because he was at dispatch.
Mullen continued his testimony by describing when he heard the girls’ bodies were found and noting on the courtroom map where they were located. He says he met with Abby and Libby’s families around 2 p.m. to say they had found bodies and were working on identification.
Mullen said he then learned of a store near the start of the trail, the Hoosier Harvest Store, having security cameras. The store’s camera pointed toward 300 North and West, and he reviewed footage from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 13. He also discussed drone footage taken of the trail on Feb. 13, 2024, which state prosecutor Nick McLeland said was to represent and compare what the two scenes looked like seven years apart.
McLeland asked Mullen what kind of people would be seen on the bridge in 2017, which he answers, “Teenagers. Younger people.”
Baldwin then began questioning Mullen, starting by asking about improvements made on the trail since 2017. Special Judge Fran Gull chimed in, asking about the thought process behind searching for the girls downstream. Mullen said it was in case the girls might have fallen off the bridge. Baldwin asked if Mullen went to the scene, and Mullen said he did not.
Mullen described to the court where the bodies were found in relation to Morning Heights Cemetery, which is near the trail. He said he went to Weber’s property on Feb. 27, 2024, but did not elaborate further.
9 a.m.
Richard Allen arrived in court Saturday wearing a blue striped button down and glasses. News 8’s Kyla Russell reported that he was seen looking back at his mother and his wife.
Libby and Abby’s families were all present in the courtroom.
8 a.m.
News 8’s Kyla Russell reports that there is a much smaller crowd outside the Carroll County courthouse for the second day of the trial.
Court is set to run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Brief summary of Day 1 in Delphi Murders trial
Court proceedings on Friday began at the Carroll County courthouse in Delphi with opening statements from the prosecution and Allen’s defense.
Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin began his statement by saying “Richard Allen is an innocent man,” before discussing points from their argument, including DNA from hair found in Abby Williams’ hand not matching Allen’s, false confessions from Allen and his family, and witnesses who would testify that Allen was not on the High Monon Bridge in Delphi on the day the girls disappeared.
State prosecutor Nick McLeland began his opening statement by describing Feb. 13, 2017, as a “summer day in the middle of winter” and Libby and Abby’s adventure on the bridge. He warned the jury of graphic pictures that would be shown and said witnesses would testify that Allen confessed to being on the bridge. Allen and his wife both “furiously” shook their heads hearing the prosecution’s mention of him being on the bridge.
Special Judge Frances Gull also ruled in favor of the state’s request that composite sketches used during the investigation would NOT be allowed as evidence in the trial. The first courtroom sketch of the trial was also released to the public Friday evening.
The first set of emotional testimonies came from Libby German’s grandmother, Becky Patty; sister, Kelsi Seibert; and father, Derrick German. Abby’s mother, Anna Williams, and Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitchell Catron ended Friday’s witness statements. To read their statements, click here.