DELPHI, Ind. – Richard Allen’s fate is now in the hands of the jury. The prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments Thursday in the Delphi murders trial. The case went to the jury at 1:25 p.m. Jurors will have to decide if Allen, charged with four counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German, is guilty or not guilty. It’s also possible the case could end in a mistrial if the jury can’t agree on a unanimous verdict. Indiana State Police arrested Allen in October 2022. The state said an “unspent bullet” found at the crime scene matched a gun owned by Allen. While in custody, he later confessed to killing the girls, according to the prosecution. The defense cast doubt on the competence of the investigation and contended Allen’s confessions were false and the result of months spent in solitary confinement at Westville Correctional Facility. The defense also questioned the bullet evidence and the state’s timeline. The trial started with jury selection in Allen County on Oct. 14. After three days of jury selection, the proceedings moved to Carroll County. Opening statements were held on Friday, Oct. 18, when jurors heard the first testimony in the case. The prosecution presented first and rested its case on Day 12 (Oct. 31). The defense began presenting its case on Oct. 31 and rested on Day 17 (Nov. 6). McLeland's rebuttal After both sides presented closing arguments, the court broke for lunch. Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland then had the chance for a final rebuttal. He spoke for just over 10 minutes. "Now is the time we hand the case over to you," he told the jury. "I'm not up here to tell you how you should feel." McLeland reaffirmed that witnesses saw "Bridge Guy" on the day of the murders, adding that witnesses on the bridge after the girls' abduction were "irrelevant." He brought up Allen's confessions and the van detail that "only the killer would know." He reiterated that Allen pointed a gun at the guns to "execute power over them" and reminded the jury that the state's expert testified that the "unspent bullet" found at the crime scene had been cycled through Allen's Sig Sauer. He also pointed out the defense's expert witness didn't do his own analysis of the bullet. While Abby and Libby were the victims, McLeland also described them as "heroes." He pointed out that Libby shot the video that led investigators to "Bridge Guy" while Abby "hid the phone for police and concealed the bullet." "Libby told [her grandmother] Becky [Patty] she'd grow up to solve crimes and that's what she did," McLeland told the jury. "And she brought Abby along with her." Gull's final instructions Once McLeland was finished, Special Judge Fran Gull read the final jury instructions. The alternates will sit and listen but can't participate in deliberations. She referred to the burden of proof as "strict and heavy" and said reasonable doubt can rise from evidence or a lack of evidence. It's not enough for the state to convince jurors that Allen is "probably guilty." She informed the jury that transcripts of testimony will not be available and reminded them that "neither sympathy nor prejudice" should guide their decision. With that, the jury was taken out of the courtroom so deliberations could begin. They will have until 4 p.m. to deliberate on Thursday before returning to the hotel if they don't have a verdict. They would then reconvene at 9 a.m. on Friday. If deliberations extend into the weekend, they'll work Saturday but not Sunday.