The process of determining the jury for the trial of Richard Allen, the man accused of the notorious Delphi murders, commenced on Monday in Allen County. Allen faces the grave charges for the 2017 murders of teenagers Abby Williams and Libby German, whose lives were tragically taken near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Indiana. This case, unresolved for over half a decade prior to Allen's arrest in October 2022, has drawn widespread attention far beyond the small town of Delphi, especially in the true-crime community.
According to WTHR, the jury selection process is expected to span three days, with the goal of selecting 12 jurors and four alternates. Despite detailing stringent procedures in the jury selection process, the cost to the community weighs heavily, with estimates stating that expenses might exceed $4 million, twice the initial forecast.
Allen, a long-time resident of Delphi and a pharmacy technician by trade, has denied any involvement in the deaths of the two teens. However, his presence on the trails near the crime scene on the day the girls disappeared stands as pivotal evidence against him. As noted in the information from WRTV, a bullet found at the scene matched a gun discovered during a search of Allen's property, and a video from Libby German's phone suggests an association with the accused. Their bodies were discovered on a riverbank after a recording from Libby's phone instructed them "to walk down the hill."
The potential prejudicial impact of the intense public scrutiny surrounding the case has altered the normal process, leading Special Judge Fran Gull to decree that jurors would be chosen from outside Carroll County. According to ABC11, upon selection, jurors will be taken about 100 miles from Fort Wayne to Delphi, where they will be sequestered for the trial's duration and prohibited from engaging with media or communications devices, ensuring that outside influence is minimal during the proceedings. With the jury selection underway, the preparations set the stage for the trial proceedings scheduled in the following days, where Richard Allen will confront the charges brought against him.