The murder trial in Delphi, Indiana, runs seven years after two girls were mysteriously killed. Here’s what you should know.

The trial of Richard Allen, the man charged with the murders of two teenage girls in a case known as the Delphi murders, has begun.

Allen, 52, is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of murder for committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in the 2017 slayings of eighth-graders Abigail Williams and Liberty German of Delphi, Indiana.

The process is expected to take a month. Here’s what you should know about the Delphi murders and the case against Richard Allen.

What happened to Abigail Williams and Liberty German?

Abigail, 13, and Liberty, 14, better known as Abby and Libby, were close friends who were dropped off at a hiking trail by a relative on February 13, 2017. When they failed to meet the relative later that day, they were reported missing.

Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near the Delphi Historic Trail, about a mile from where they were last seen. Authorities determined the deaths were homicides. CBS News previously reported that the girls were stabbed.

The police searched for a suspect for years and investigated Thousands of leads and the release of several composite sketches of the suspect based on eyewitness accounts. Audio evidence Libby’s cell phone revealed that an unknown man had told the girls to go “down the hill.” Libby too I recorded a short video of a man the police believed was the murderer.

Who is Richard Allen?

Richard Allen, a drugstore pharmacy technician in Delphi, was arrested on Oct. 26, 2022more than five years after the murders. He was first interviewed by police in 2017 and said he was walking in the area and saw three “women” near a bridge but did not speak to them.

He was questioned again on October 13, 2022 after police searched former suspects. He said he saw three “teenage girls” during his walk. Investigators searched his home and confiscated a .40 caliber handgun. Prosecutors said tests determined that an unspent bullet discovered between the teen’s bodies “passed through the gun.” Allen told prosecutors that he had never been where the bullet was found and did not know how a shot from his gun could have gotten there.

Allen pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Prosecutors previously said Allen admitted to the murders within a year Jail call to his wife in April 2022. During the call, Allen admitted to the murders seven times before his wife quickly ended the call, court documents say. Special Judge Fran Gull decided in August 2024 that these statements, along with other comments Allen made while in prison, may be used as evidence at trial.

officer said previously They have “good reason to believe” that more than one person was involved in the murders, but no further arrests have been made.

Allen’s lawyers previously suspected it was the girls killed as part of a pagan sacrificial ritualand accused police of ignoring evidence from the crime scene. In a search request in March 2017, an FBI agent claimed the girls’ bodies appeared to have been “moved and placed” at the crime scene.

In process

The process was repeatedly delayed due to evidence leaks and the withdrawal of Allen’s public defenders, who were later reinstated by the Indiana Supreme Court. On Friday, October 18th, Opening speeches began.

The process is expected to take a month. Jurors are confiscated and prevented from using cell phones or watching the news. CBS Chicago reported.

Prosecutors said they plan to call about 50 witnesses, while Allen’s defense attorneys expect to call about 120 people to the stand.