Delphi murders: Defense insists suspect in murder of two girls only confessed due to ‘mental health crisis’ as trial starts

Richard Allen is charged over the killings of best friends Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in February 2017

Defense lawyers for a man accused of murdering two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana argued that he was an innocent man caught up in a flawed investigation and that his multiple confessions should be discounted as his trial in the high profile case got under way.

Richard Allen, 52, is charged over the killings of best friends Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, whose bodies were found near the historic Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Indiana, in February 2017.

The trial at the Carroll County Courthouse got under way on Friday, with both sides delivering opening statements. Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin said that Allen’s multiple alleged confessions were as a result of a “mental health crisis.”

“Richard Allen is truly innocent… We want the truth to come out in this courtroom for the families and all of you because it is truly important,” Baldwin said, per the Lafayette Journal & Courier.

Allen, a Delphi local, was arrested five years after the killings in October 2022. He was charged with the teenagers’ murders, having admitted to investigators that he was on the bridge trail on the day the girls disappeared, but has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Libby and Abby went missing on February 13, 2017 after they set off on a hike along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana.

Allen is accused of murdering Abigail Williams (center) and Liberty German (right) in February 2017 (Allen County Jail)

Their bodies were discovered the next day in a wooded area around half a mile off the trail. Their throats had been cut.

On the day they disappeared, Libby had posted photos on Snapchat of her and Abby walking along the trail near the bridge.

She captured a grainy video on her phone of a man dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket and a cap walking along the abandoned railroad bridge. Investigators released a grainy image from the video and a chilling audio of the man telling the two girls: “Go down the hill.”

Spectators lined up from the early hours up to enter the Carroll County Courthouse ahead of the trial on Friday (AP)

Elsewhere during his opening on Friday, Baldwin said that the investigation into the teenagers’ murders had been hindered with problems from the outset, including the loss of critical pieces of evidence.

Per the Journal & Courier, Baldwin said that a “turf war” between investigators had led to more conflicts, with state officials kicking off the FBI in the middle of the years-long investigation.

In his own opening, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland outlined the suspected timeline of events and said that the two girls had complied “out of fear” when being told to go “down the hill” by the alleged killer.

The 52-year-old Delphi local was arrested five years after the killings, in October 2022. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him (Indiana State Police)

McLeland said Allen had admitted to being on the trail that same day, and that after searching his home, investigators found knives, boots and a gun, as well as an unspent bullet – one that has not been fired – found at the crime scene, had been cycled through the same weapon.

He also told jurors they would hear incriminating statements Allen made to correctional officers, inmates, law enforcement, even his wife.“They had details that only the killer would know,” the prosecutor said. “Richard Allen is the man on the bridge.”

McLeland also referenced Allen’s alleged confessions during his time behind bars.

Officers escort Richard Allen out of the Carroll County courthouse following a hearing in November 2022 (AP)

Allen appeared in court dressed in a long-sleeve, button-down purple shirt and khaki pants, and shook his head as McLeland spoke, according to the Journal & Courier. His family members, including his wife Kathy Allen, sat behind him.

News media are barred by Judge Fran Gull from reporting directly from the courtroom with electronic devices. The judge also set strict rules for photo or video coverage outside the courthouse.

Police confiscated cameras from several journalists outside the building on Friday morning before court proceedings began, including 2 cameras from a photographer with The Associated Press.

The trial continues.