No verdict on first full day of jury deliberations in Delphi double-murder trial

INDIANAPOLIS — The first afloat time of assemblage deliberations ended without a verdict connected Friday successful nan proceedings of Richard Allen, who is accused successful nan 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls who had vanished during a hike successful Delphi, Indiana, successful 2017.

Jurors began their deliberations Thursday afternoon, spending 2 hours deliberating earlier wrapping up for nan day. They past spent 7 hours connected Friday deliberating without reaching a verdict, and will return Saturday morning. 

Allen had pleaded not blameworthy to 2 execution and 2 felony execution charges successful relationship pinch nan 2017 deaths of Liberty "Libby" German and Abigail "Abby" Williams, who were 14 and 13, respectively.

He could beryllium sentenced to up to 130 years successful situation if convicted of each nan charges.

The 7 women and 5 men continued their deliberations Friday aft proceeding closing arguments in nan weekslong execution trial. Deliberations ended aft astir 2 hours and will resume Friday morning. They will deliberate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday done Saturday until they scope a verdict, CNN reports.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland told jurors that Allen is nan man seen successful a grainy cellphone video recorded by 1 of nan girls, known arsenic Abby and Libby, arsenic they crossed an abandoned railroad span conscionable earlier they vanished connected Feb. 13, 2017.

"Richard Allen is Bridge Guy," McLeland told jurors. "He kidnapped them and later murdered them."

He noted that Allen had confessed many times to nan killings — successful person, connected nan telephone and successful writing. In 1 of nan recordings he replayed for nan jury, Allen could beryllium heard telling his wife, "I did it. I killed Abby and Libby."

Allen's defense formed uncertainty connected nan confessions, putting up witnesses, including a psychiatrist who testified that Allen was delirious and psychotic aft months successful solitary confinement. The defense further based on location is nary beingness grounds tying Allen to nan murders and said confessions he made successful nan past were "involuntary" and stemmed from being successful solitary confinement for months.

No witnesser explicitly identified Allen arsenic nan man seen connected nan hiking way aliases nan span nan day nan girls went missing, he noted. No fingerprint, DNA aliases forensic grounds links Allen to nan execution scene, Rozzi said.

And for much than 5 years aft nan teens were killed, Allen still lived successful Delphi while moving astatine a section pharmacy.

"He had each chance to run, but he did not because he didn't do it," he told nan jurors.

Before nan proceedings began, Allen's lawyers had sought to reason that nan girls were killed in a ritual sacrifice by members of a achromatic nationalist group known arsenic nan Odinists who travel a pagan Norse religion, but nan judge ruled against that, saying nan defense "failed to nutrient admissible evidence" of specified a connection.

Timeline of events surrounding Delphi murders

The Delphi execution lawsuit goes backmost to February 13, 2017, erstwhile "Abby" and "Libby" went for a hike connected nan Monon High Bridge successful Delphi. The 2 girls were reported missing aft they grounded to meet Libby's begetter that afternoon. The adjacent day, their bodies were found, some dormant from cuts to nan throat, partially covered by sticks.

The lawsuit attracted nationalist attraction successful portion because of a photograph and audio signaling of nan fishy taken from Libby's smartphone. The image shows a man stepping connected nan span pinch his hands successful his pockets, and nan audio includes a man's muffled sound saying, "Guys, down nan hill." Although constabulary circulated nan photograph and audio conscionable days aft nan killings and identified nan "Bridge Guy" arsenic their premier suspect, nan lawsuit ran acold for much than 5 years until Allen was arrested successful 2022.

Allen had seemingly evaded constabulary notice, staying successful nan mini municipality of Delphi and moving astatine a section CVS pharmacy, until a clerk digitizing tips related to nan investigation successful September 2022 noticed he had placed himself astatine nan segment of nan crime. Just days aft nan bodies were discovered, Allen told constabulary he had been connected that way during nan timeframe nan girls were thought to person been killed.

Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett said contempt nan tip, Allen "got mislaid successful nan cracks," according to CNN connection WLFI. Around a period aft nan extremity was rediscovered, Allen was arrested aft constabulary matched an unspent cartridge recovered betwixt nan girls' bodies to a pistol recovered from his location during a constabulary search.

After Allen was arrested connected October 26, 2022, he was charged pinch 2 counts of execution while committing aliases attempting to perpetrate a kidnapping 5 days later. Prosecutors later amended nan charges to see 2 further counts of murder.

Over nan people of nan trial, which began October 18, nan prosecution highlighted Allen's dozens of confessions while incarcerated: He confessed to nan crime much than 60 times, prosecutors say, including to his wife, his mother, nan scientist who treated him, nan prison guard and different situation labor and inmates. They played audio recordings of immoderate of nan confessions for nan jury.

Monica Wala, nan erstwhile lead scientist astatine Westville Correctional Facility wherever Allen was housed, testified he initially told her he was innocent, but began confessing to nan crimes successful April 2023, astir nan clip he was placed backmost connected termination watch.

Wala testified that Allen had told her, "I killed Abby and Libby. I'm sorry," according to WTHR. He said he primitively planned to sexually battle nan victims but ran distant erstwhile he saw a van nearby, and that he had trim nan girls' throats and covered their bodies pinch sticks, she testified.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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• Homicide
• Indictment
• Indiana
• Murder
• Crime