(NewsNation) — The grandmother of one of the teenagers who died in Delphi, Indiana, nearly eight years ago gave emotional testimony Friday at the long-awaited trial of the man charged with their murders.
Richard Allen, 52, is accused of killing Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, in February 2017 after allegedly luring them to their deaths while they were on a hike not far from their home.
Becky Patty, German’s grandmother, described her as an active and very smart girl who was involved in sports and had tons of friends.
“She liked adventure,” Patty said. “She wanted to try anything once.”
An avid lover of crime shows, she wanted to help solve them one day.
“She wanted to make a difference,” Patty said.
The night before the girls died, Williams had spent the night at German’s house. German asked to go to the trails. Before they left for the walk the next day, Patty said, her granddaughter came to her office to say goodbye.
“I told her to grab a jacket,” Patty recalled. “The last thing she said was, ‘Grandma, I’ll be okay.'”
Opening statements in Delphi trial
The girls’ deaths had gone unsolved for more than five years when Allen, then a pharmacy worker, was arrested in the case that has drawn attention from true crime enthusiasts.
After an evidence leak, several legal filings, the removal and reinstating of the original court-appointed defense team and other delays in the Delphi murder case, Allen’s trial is now in full swing.
Allen had been there all along in Delphi, living and working in the community of about 3,000 people in Indiana. He faces two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping. If convicted, Allen could face up to 130 years in prison.
In opening statements Friday, Carroll County prosecutor Nicholas McLeland told the court the “last thing the girls saw was Richard Allen’s face.”
They then heard his “chilling words: ‘Girls, down the hill,’” McLeland said. “Out of fear, the girls complied.”
At the scene of the crime, a rugged, wooded area near the Monon High Bridge Trail just outside Delphi, McLeland said, an unused bullet was discovered from a gun belonging to Allen. A grainy image of Allen as well as his voice were captured by German on her phone, McLeland said, and a video showed a man walking behind her on an abandoned railroad bridge.
Jurors, McLeland said, will hear during the trial incriminating statements Allen made to correctional officers, inmates, law enforcement and even his wife, who was in the gallery, though she shook her head when the prosecutor said that her husband confessed to her.
Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin, meanwhile, said Allen made these confessions under the stress of being in a tiny cell while under constant watch following his arrest. In addition, Baldwin said, Allen mentioned shooting the girls in the back, though that wasn’t how they died.
“Richard Allen is innocent,” Baldwin told the jury. “He is truly innocent.”
State looks to nix composite sketches
After the girls were found dead, investigators released a grainy image of the suspected killer. However, it would be another five years before Allen was arrested.
In October 2022, Allen was taken into custody. He’s now charged with four counts of murder in connection with the girls’ deaths.
As the trial began, attorneys for Allen laid out their argument for why widely circulated composite sketches should be admitted as evidence.
Earlier this week, McLeland filed a motion in limine asking the court to prohibit the use of composite sketches during Allen’s trial.
The sketches, released in 2017 and 2019, have been part of the Delphi killings investigation for years. Indiana state released them in hopes of generating leads about the deaths of Williams and German.
McLeland argued the sketches were not used to identify Allen and said using them during the trial could confuse or prejudice the jury.
Attorneys discussed the motion during a hearing in Allen County on Thursday. Judge Fran Gull took it under advisory and has yet to rule.
The state argued that the sketches were produced as part of the investigation for the purposes of recognition, not identification, of a suspect.
Delphi murder trial jury selection
Jury selection in the trial began Monday.
Around 300 summons were sent to prospective Allen County jurors. Eventually, 12 jurors and four alternates were selected.
The three-day process of culling the jury pool began in Allen County on Monday, with 100 prospective jurors scheduled to appear in the courtroom. Allen was present during the proceedings, arriving in a purple shirt, khaki pants and a pair of shackles.
Due to the high-profile nature of the case, Allen’s defense team asked for a change of venue. Special Judge Fran Gull, appointed by the Indiana Supreme Court to oversee the case after the original judge recused himself, determined that was logistically challenging.
She decided to bring in jurors from Allen County and transport them to Carroll County for the trial. Jury selection began Monday.
The jurors will be sequestered for about a month. More than 100 people were expected to testify between the defense and prosecution.
NewsNation affiliate WXIN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.