DELPHI, Ind. – One of the most consequential criminal trials in state history is expected to last about a month. The trial of Richard Allen begins with jury selection in Allen County on Monday, Oct. 14. Once picked, jurors will be transported to Carroll County for the proceedings. Jury selection is expected to last three days. 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German. (Credit: Family) Special Judge Fran Gull, assigned by the Indiana Supreme Court to oversee the high-profile case, expects the trial to wrap up on Nov. 15. Allen faces four counts of murder in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. He’s been in custody since Indiana State Police announced his arrest in October 2022. The case has drawn national attention, with the girls’ ages (they were 13 and 14 years old), the shocking nature of the crime, audio and video captured by a victim’s phone, a years-long wait for an arrest and contentious legal battles involving the defense, judge and prosecution only fueling speculation and drawing the attention of amateur sleuths. The four-week trial is expected to cost more than $4 million. Here’s a look at how the case has unfolded. February 2017: Friends’ walk ends in tragedy On Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, best friends Abby Williams and Libby German went for a hike along a trail near the Monon High Bridge. They were dropped off around 1 p.m. However, the girls never showed up at a predetermined meeting location later that day. Family members reported them missing at 5:30 p.m., setting off a large search. Local officials initially said they had no reason to believe the girls were in immediate danger. But as the hours wore on and Monday turned into Tuesday, efforts to find the girls became more desperate. Around 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, searchers found the girls dead about a half mile away from the bridge. During an afternoon news conference, authorities revealed they suspected foul play. They later characterized the case as a double homicide investigation. Initial evidence A day after the girls were found dead, investigators released an image that became inextricably linked with the Delphi murder investigation. Grainy image released in February 2017 of the Delphi killer The grainy photo, taken from Libby German’s phone (we would later learn it was a still from a video she’d taken), showed a man in a blue Carhartt jacket. He would later become widely known as “Bridge Guy”—a shadowy figure at the center of various theories about the Delphi case. Police would later call the man in the photo a suspect and conduct a statewide manhunt. A week after releasing the photo, police provided another key piece of haunting evidence to the public—an audio clip of a man saying, “Down the hill.” It was the voice of “Bridge Guy” and the public would later learn investigators had some additional audio and video from Libby’s phone. These intriguing pieces of evidence fueled the case in its early days. Investigators worked around the clock to find the killer, but despite massive amounts of public attention, an overwhelming number of tips and a large amount of reward money, the case remained unsolved. The initial sketch released in 2017 (left) and the revised sketch released in 2019 (right) In July 2017—five months after the murders—police released a composite sketch of the suspected killer based on witness tips. Like the photo and video, “The Sketch” would become a central part of the Delphi discourse. Less than two years later, investigators released a new sketch showing a suspect who looked considerably younger than the man from the July 2017 sketch, fueling further theories. False starts and false leads While police and the victims’ families made every effort to keep the case in the public consciousness, no suspect had been arrested as of 2021—and the case would remain that way until October 2022. Kegan Kline During that span between the 2017 murders and Richard Allen’s eventual arrest, several possible leads sparked public interest. There was the case of Kegan Kline, who’s since been convicted in a child exploitation case. Kline used a social media account called “anthony_shots” to solicit photos and videos from underage girls. Image from the social media account for "anthony_shots" Investigators said the account interacted with Libby German shortly before she died. Kline downplayed any connection with the Delphi case and told police his father had access to the account. He was never charged in connection with the murders. Kline is listed as a defense witness in the trial. In September 2017, a man named Daniel Nations was arrested in Colorado after authorities said he threatened hikers with a hatchet. Nations was in Indiana at the time of the murders in Delphi, leading detectives to interview him. Ultimately, police didn’t tie him to the case. In April 2021, a Lafayette man named James Brian Chadwell was charged in an attack on a 9-year-old girl. At the time, authorities said they were looking into any possible ties to the Delphi case. Neither Nations nor Chadwell were charged in connection with the Delphi murder. Chadwell, sentenced to 90 years in his case, was listed as a defense witness for the trial. ‘Major development’ In October 2022, authorities said to expect a “major development” in the Delphi murders case and scheduled a news conference for Oct. 31, 2022. At this point, more than five years had passed since the girls were found dead. Before the announcement, sources confirmed to FOX59/CBS4 that someone was taken into custody in Carroll County in connection with the Delphi murders case. Jail records indicated that a 50-year-old man named Richard Allen had been arrested. Booking photo of Richard Allen State police held their news conference on Oct. 31. While they announced his arrest, they provided few details. Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland revealed the probable cause affidavit was under seal. Allen was charged with murder. It would later come to light that Allen worked as a CVS pharmacy technician and had once printed off pictures for Libby German’s family ahead of the girls' funerals. Post-arrest developments Several key moments unfolded after Allen’s arrest. Judge Benjamin Diener ordered Allen to be taken into state custody for his safety, citing the “public’s blood lust.” Shortly after that, Diener recused himself from the case, saying he and his staff were overwhelmed with Delphi-related requests. The Indiana Supreme Court appointed Fran Gull, an Allen County judge, to oversee the proceedings. Photo of Judge Fran Gull (provided from WANE) Allen, who initially indicated he planned to hire private counsel, asked for court-appointed attorneys. Gull assigned Andrew J. Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi to represent him. They would later ask for a change of venue, citing high local interest and concerns about the fairness of a trial in Delphi. Gull would later decide that holding a trial away from Carroll County was impractical, electing to bring in a jury from Allen County instead. Andrew Baldwin (L), Richard Allen (C), Bradley Rozzi (R) Probable cause affidavit unsealed On Nov. 29, 2022, just weeks after taking over the case, Gull granted the release of a redacted version of the probable cause affidavit. The document withheld the names of several witnesses. It revealed that that an unspent round found near the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German was traced to a Sig Sauer handgun owned by Allen. Court docs: Bullet found near Delphi girls tied back to Richard Allen The affidavit also said Allen admitted he was near the Monon High Bridge during the two-hour window in which investigators believe the girls were killed. Investigators believe he is the “Bridge Guy” from the infamous photo released in February 2017. Probable-Cause-Affidavit-Richard-AllenDownload Why did it take nearly six years for police to zero in on Allen? Further reporting revealed that Allen voluntarily talked to investigators in 2017. This interview was essentially forgotten until investigators retraced their steps from the early days of the case, leading them to take a closer look at Allen. Shortly after the release of the probable cause affidavit, Allen’s attorneys issued a lengthy statement professing their client’s innocence and challenging the evidence against him. Gull quickly issued a gag order preventing anyone associated with the case from talking to the public or media. Trial delayed, legal maneuvering During a January 2023 hearing, Gull expressed skepticism that the trial would meet its scheduled March 2023 date. She decided to delay the trial, the first of many delays in the long-gestating case against Allen. As Allen awaited trial, several developments played out. His attorneys raised concerns about the conditions of his captivity and worried about Allen’s physical and mental deterioration as he awaited trial. In one filing, they described him as a “prisoner of war” and asked for him to be moved to a county facility. Left: Richard Allen a year or two before his arrest: Right: Richard Allen on April 4, 2023 Allen’s attorneys also filed a motion challenging the state’s ballistics evidence. They criticized the toolmark methodology employed by the prosecution. During a June 2023 hearing, both the defense and prosecution acknowledged that Allen had confessed to the Delphi murders. Allen’s attorneys attributed those statements to his deteriorating mental state in captivity. ‘Delphi Documents’ unsealed In June 2023, Gull authorized the release of several documents related to the Delphi case. Hundreds of pages of documents revealed new details about the investigation. Some of the key revelations include the fact that the girls were killed with a knife—as was believed to be the case but never confirmed until that point—and details of an April 3, 2023, phone call in which Allen told his wife he’d killed the girls. “Autopsies of the girls ruled their deaths as homicides and their wounds were caused by sharp object,” according to one of the documents. Delphi documents: Richard Allen told wife he killed girls; investigators believe knife used in murders The search warrant showed investigators were looking for guns, knives, electronic devices, clothing and a specific cell phone at Allen’s home in Delphi. Police seized a Sig Sauer P226, multiple phones, an iPod, hard drive, laptop and other electronics during their search on Oct. 13, 2022. A separate document showed Allen admitted “several times” that he committed the murders during a phone call with his wife. He also confessed to his mother, according to the filing. Other documents released in the case showed an inmate at Westville Correctional Facility claimed inmates and guards abused and mistreated Allen, mocking him and calling him a “kid killer.” The Odinism theory Allen’s attorneys filed multiple motions requesting a Franks hearing—a proceeding defendants can ask for if they have reason to believe investigators included a false statement knowingly, intentionally, or with reckless disregard for the truth in order to obtain a search warrant. In their memorandum supporting the hearing filed in September 2023, Allen’s attorneys laid out a theory that the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German were ritualistic in nature and accused investigators of failing to give that aspect of the investigation enough credence. The defense team named several individuals they believe were tied to Odinism, a Norse pagan religion that has been coopted by white supremacists, and accused them of killing the girls. Attorneys for Richard Allen want client moved, lay out alternative theory of ‘ritualistic’ murder They also alleged guards at Westville Correctional were adherents of the religion and wore patches saying as much. Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland Prosecutor Nick McLeland dismissed the Odinism angle as a “fanciful defense for social media to devour.” He later filed a motion seeking to prohibit the defense from mentioning Odinism, ritualistic killings and other third-party individuals during the proceedings. Weeks before the trial, Gull ruled in favor of the prosecution. The defense filed an unsuccessful motion to have the Court of Appeals take up the matter. Evidence leak and fallout After crime scene photos from the case ended up on social media, an investigation found an associate of Andrew Baldwin was responsible. Baldwin said his friend “snookered and abused” his trust by taking sensitive crime scene photos and disseminating them to a Fishers man. The photos ended up online. Indiana State Police investigated the matter; the Fishers man questioned about the leak later took his own life. A Westfield man was later charged. The evidence leak led Gull to attempt to have Baldwin and Rozzi removed from the case. In fact, the special judge had them both taken off the docket and, for a time, appointed different attorneys to represent Allen. Judge Fran Gull announces the withdrawal of Richard Allen's attorneys from the Delphi murder case on Oct. 19, 2023 Baldwin and Rozzi disputed Gull’s characterization of the matter and said they didn’t step down as Allen’s defense team. The Indiana Supreme Court eventually intervened, restoring Baldwin and Rozzi as Allen’s representation. The state’s highest court refused to remove Gull from the case. As the defense situation was being litigated, Gull pushed the trial back to October 2024. January’s key decisions, defense pushback In January 2024, with Allen’s original team restored, Gull made several key decisions in the case. She denied the defense’s request for a Franks hearing, clearing the way for evidence gathered during the search of Allen’s home in October 2022 to be admitted at trial. She also denied a defense request to suppress ballistics evidence, making it admissible in court. Later that month, Allen’s team again called for Gull to remove herself from the case, questioning her impartiality and citing a series of rulings that they claimed showed favoritism to the prosecution. Gull declined to step down. Defense, prosecution clash As the case plodded toward the October 2024 trial, McLeland filed contempt allegations against the defense, citing evidence leaks and violations of the gag order. The defense responded by asking Gull to throw out the contempt charges. Gull ultimately declined to hold the defense in contempt, saying they were “sloppy, negligent and incompetent” but concluding that their conduct didn’t rise to the level of contempt. In additional filings, the defense accused investigators of lying or omitting information to obtain a search order and filed a motion to have his purported jail confessions suppressed, arguing their client was under mental duress. The defense filed another motion to have Allen’s police interview thrown out. Gull ultimately ruled in favor of the prosecution, as she had in the Odinism matter. In another filing, the defense accused investigators of erasing interview tapes related to the Odinism investigation. McLeland said some interviews were inadvertently deleted but added they were not evidence and had nothing to do with the case against Allen. In March 2024, the defense filed a motion for a speedy trial. Gull scheduled a new trial date for May 13, 2024. As that new trial date approached, Allen’s attorneys asked for another delay, saying they didn’t have enough time to adequately prepare their case due to the immense amount of discovery evidence. Gull scheduled the proceedings for Oct. 14 through Nov. 15, 2024. Safekeeping order, new rulings In August 2024, just two months away from the trial, Gull vacated the safekeeping order for Allen, directing him to be moved from state custody to a county jail. Other key rulings from Gull also came in August and September following three days of motions hearings. She rejected a defense motion to dismiss the case based on erased recordings, ruled Allen’s purported confessions were admissible in court and granted a state motion prohibiting the defense from mentioning its Odinism theory, ritualistic killings or third parties. The defense filed a motion in late September 2024 seeking to have the jury visit the Delphi crime scene, including the Freedom Bridge, the Monon High Bridge and the old CPS building. While the prosecution objected to the request, citing practicality and security concerns, Gull took the motion under advisement and said she would rule after jury selection.