Trial in 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls in Indiana reaches midway point as prosecution rests

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — The proceedings of a man accused of sidesplitting 2 teenage girls successful a mini Indiana organization has passed its midway constituent pursuing much than 2 weeks of grounds astir nan 2017 killings.

Prosecutors rested their lawsuit Thursday against Richard Allen aft jurors heard recorded telephone calls successful which he told his woman that he killed Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.

Allen’s proceedings began Oct. 18 astatine nan Carroll County Courthouse successful Delphi, nan girls’ hometown. Jurors person been sequestered since nan begining of nan trial, which is scheduled to tally done Nov. 15.

The defense began calling its first witnesses Thursday. A scientist for nan Indiana Department of Correction told jurors Friday that Allen was earnestly mentally sick erstwhile he began confessing to nan killings while housed astatine nan Westville Correctional Facility.

Allen, 52, faces up to 130 years successful situation if he is convicted connected 2 counts of execution and two further counts of execution while committing aliases attempting to perpetrate kidnapping.

Here are immoderate cardinal moments successful nan proceedings truthful far:

Opening statements

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland opened nan trial by telling jurors they would spot and perceive evidence, including incriminating statements Allen has made, that will person them he forced nan girls disconnected a hiking way into a secluded area while equipped pinch a weapon and trim their throats.

Allen was nan personification seen connected cellphone video German recorded connected nan time nan girls vanished and an unspent slug recovered betwixt their bodies came from Allen’s gun, McLeland said.

Defense lawyer Andrew Baldwin told jurors Allen is innocent. Baldwin said nan assemblage would perceive witnesser statements and forensic grounds that would raise “reasonable doubt” that Allen is not nan slayer and said nan state’s timeline does not lucifer nan grounds successful nan case.

Someone other whitethorn person kidnapped nan teens and returned them early nan adjacent time to nan segment wherever they were recovered dead, Baldwin said.

Jurors spot photos and video from nan execution scene

In nan first afloat week of nan trial, jurors were shown photographs of nan area wherever nan teens’ bodies were recovered successful a wooded area disconnected nan hiking trail. The girls, known arsenic Abby and Libby, had crossed an abandoned railroad trestle called nan Monon High Bridge during their hike.

Some jurors and others successful nan courtroom gasped aliases turned distant erstwhile gruesome images of their bloody bodies were shown, and nan girls’ mothers wept.

Jurors besides viewed cellphone video that German recorded conscionable earlier nan youths vanished showing a man wearing a bluish overgarment and jeans pursuing Williams arsenic she crosses nan Monon High Bridge.

In an enhanced type of nan video shown to jurors, 1 of nan girls says, “There’s nary way truthful we person to spell down here.” Just earlier nan video ends, prosecutors said, nan man seen successful nan video tells nan teens, “ Down nan hill.”

How Allen became a suspect

Investigators said successful an affidavit released astir a period aft Allen’s October 2022 arrest that he became a fishy aft they went backmost and reviewed “prior tips” and recovered that he had been interviewed by an serviceman successful 2017.

Trial grounds has revealed much specifications astir really they zeroed successful connected nan erstwhile drugstore worker.

A retired authorities government worker who volunteered successful March 2017 to thief constabulary pinch nan investigation told jurors that successful September 2022 she recovered paperwork that caught her eye.

Kathy Shank testified she recovered a “lead sheet” saying that 2 days aft German and Williams’ bodies were found, a man contacted authorities and said he had been connected nan way nan day nan girls went missing. His sanction was listed incorrectly arsenic Richard Allen Whiteman and marked “cleared,” Shank said.

She wished nan man’s sanction was really Richard Allen and recalled that a young woman had been connected nan way astatine nan aforesaid location and clip and had seen a man.

“I thought location could beryllium a correlation,” Shank testified, adding that she notified officers of her find.

What Allen told investigators successful 2017

The girls’ bodies were recovered Feb. 14, 2017, nan time aft they went missing.

Two days later, Allen contacted authorities and told them he was connected nan hiking way nan day of Feb. 13, during nan clip play erstwhile nan girls disappeared, according to testimony.

Dan Dulin, an Indiana Department of Natural Resources captain, told nan tribunal he said to Allen, who said he was connected nan hiking way betwixt 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and remembered seeing 3 girls.

What Allen told investigators successful 2022

After Shank brought Allen to investigators’ attention, they interviewed him successful October 2022. Allen told investigators he arrived astatine nan way astir noon and near nary later than 2 p.m., not 3:30 p.m. arsenic he told Dulin successful 2017.

Steve Mullin, who was Delphi’s constabulary main erstwhile nan girls were killed and later became an interrogator astatine nan region prosecutor’s office, said Allen told him and different serviceman that he was wearing a bluish aliases achromatic Carhartt jacket, jeans and a beanie connected nan time nan teens vanished.

Mullin said he asked Allen if he was nan likewise dressed personification seen successful German’s cellphone video.

“His consequence was if nan image was taken pinch nan girls’ camera, location was nary measurement it was him,” Mullin testified.

Prosecutors besides showed jurors constabulary interviews pinch Allen videotaped earlier his apprehension successful which he many times professed his innocence.

Allen’s alleged confessions

On Thursday nan assemblage heard respective recorded telephone calls of Allen speaking pinch his woman from situation successful which he told her that he killed German and Williams. In 1 of nan calls, he said, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

The assemblage heard grounds earlier from nan erstwhile prison guard of nan Westville Correctional Facility, wherever Allen was antecedently held, who said Allen claimed to person killed nan girls pinch a container cutter that he later discarded.

Dr. Monica Wala, Allen’s situation scientist during his clip astatine Westville, testified Allen began confessing to sidesplitting nan girls successful early 2023 during his sessions pinch her. She said he provided specifications of nan crime successful immoderate of nan confessions, including telling her he slashed nan girls’ throats and put character branches complete their bodies.

A study written by Wala and presented to nan assemblage arsenic an grounds states Allen besides told her he had planned to rape nan teens but did not do truthful aft he saw a van walking nearby.

A authorities trooper testified Thursday that Allen’s remark corroborated a connection by a man whose driveway passes nether nan Monon High Bridge and who said he was driving location successful his van astir that time.

Allen’s attorneys person said their customer made nan incriminating statements while nether nan unit and intelligence accent of being locked up and watched 24 hours a time and being taunted by group incarcerated pinch him.

During cross-examination, Wala acknowledged she followed Allen’s lawsuit pinch liking during her individual clip moreover while she was treating him and that she was a instrumentality of nan existent crime genre.

An unspent slug and Allen’s gun

Court documents released weeks aft Allen’s apprehension authorities that testing wished an unspent slug recovered betwixt nan girls’ bodies “had been cycled through” a pistol Allen owned.

Melissa Oberg, an Indiana State Police firearms expert, told nan assemblage her study tied nan information to Allen’s Sig Sauer, a .40-caliber handgun.

Allen’s lawyer tried to formed uncertainty connected nan accuracy of firearms testing during cross-examination. Oberg said she is not alert of making immoderate recognition mistakes successful her much than 17 years of analyzing firearms.