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Delphi murders trial: Day 20 live blog

Last Updated 4 weeks by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Saturday is Day 20 in the trial of Delphi Murders suspect Richard Allen at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi – and the second full day of jury deliberations.

Allen, 52, is charged with murder and murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German. The girls’ bodies were found near the Monon High Bridge near Delphi on Feb. 14, 2017, a day after they went missing.

Allen was first investigated in 2017 and again in October 2022. After a second police interview, he was taken into custody.

The trial began Oct. 18 and was expected to continue through mid-November. Originally, 16 Allen County residents sat as the jury on the case, but one juror was dismissed on Oct. 25.

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Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.

Tune into News 8 and follow our daily live blogs throughout the trial for the latest developments.

NOTE: The times listed in the blog headers are the times which the entries were added. Specific times for courtroom events will be listed in the entries if available. These notes are compiled from photographs of written notes provided by reporters in courtroom and emailed to the WISH-TV news desk.

For a brief summary of Day 18 in the Delphi Murders trial (Thursday), scroll to the bottom of the page.

To view all of our previous trial coverage, click here, and follow News 8’s Kyla Russell on X as she covers the trial live from Delphi.

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9:42 a.m.: Defense arrives at courthouse

News 8’s Kyla Russell reports the defense attorneys for Richard Allen have arrived at the Carroll County courthouse for the third day – or second full day – of jury deliberations.

9 a.m.: Court in session for Saturday

8:57 a.m.: Vans transporting jurors arrive at Carroll County courthouse


Brief summary of Day 19 in the Delphi Murders trial

Jurors spent all day Friday in the Carroll County courthouse deciding whether or not suspect Richard Allen is guilty of the 2017 murders of Abby Williams and Libby German.

The prosecution and defense concluded their cases on Wednesday, delivering their closing arguments on Thursday. The jury began deliberations late Thursday.

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There will be 15 jurors in the room — the 12 who will decide whether Richard Allen is guilty in the murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German, along with three alternates.

Deliberations could take hours or days. The 12-member jury (three alternates excluded) must reach a unanimous verdict.

If they have reasonable doubt Allen committed the murders, they are instructed to find him not guilty.

If they believe he committed the murders, they are instructed to find him guilty.

If the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict, the trial could end in a mistrial.

Deliberations will continue Monday if jurors do not reach a verdict on Saturday.