The jury is now seated in the State of Indiana versus Richard Allen. By Thursday, they will be sworn in and transported to Carroll County. By Friday, opening statements will begin, but you won’t have the level of access to this trial that you should have.
The issue of transparency goes all the way back to 2017, in the weeks and months following the killings of Delphi teenagers Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
Police spent years giving vague updates in press conferences, but not necessarily making themselves readily available to all media outlets for interviews or further questioning if it did not meet the setting standards required.
When Richard Allen was arrested in October 2022, court documents were sealed on the recommendations of county Prosecutor Nick McLeland. Original Judge Benjamin Diener said the public had a “bloodlust” for information and he feared for the safety of his staff.
This is a broad paint stroke across a case that, for years, practically begged for public involvement yet kept some members of the public and news media at bay.
Special Judge Fran Gull now has complete authority when it comes to the broadcast rules for this case, as laid out in Indiana’s cameras in courtroom law. Judge Gull was one of the judges that served in the pilot program of that law, and she herself has been hailed as a champion of court access and technology in the legal system.
However, that’s not the same judge you hear about today.
Judge Gull stated earlier this year, while defending herself in another attempt by the defense to have her step down, that she has lost complete faith in the media. News media are only allowed pen and paper to each court hearing, jury selection, and now the trial proper. No electronics of any kind. That limitation has created a history of misinformation in the reporting of this case. Some reporters recount courtroom events differently while others have facts or statements that another did not hear or cannot confirm. Several news media outlets have tried to plead their case, but the judge’s response was simple and blunt: “I’m the judge, I do my job. You’re the media, you do yours.”
This has resulted in a news media coalition, made up of local Indianapolis media, statewide media sources, and national outlets.
The goal is to work together to bring you the most accurate information possible, especially considering the checkered pasts of the judge, prosecution and defense.
Jury selection lasted two days. The third was unnecessary as the process moved along quickly. Both the State and defense dropped a few pieces of information, in their own bias, that give a small preview of what’s to come.
The State of Indiana says the case is about three things: the “bridge guy”, the bullet, and the brutal murders of two girls.
The defense plans to question the credibility of ballistics, confessions, and, in a surprise move, call into question supposed DNA evidence. Allen’s attorneys would claim during opening statements to potential jurors Tuesday that strands of hair found in Abigail Williams’ hand were not Richard Allen’s. The prosecution did not object, according to notes from pool reporters.
By November 15th, the State of Indiana hopes it’s case is strong enough to convince the jury that Richard Allen alone killed the girls in 2017.
By November 15th, the defense hopes it’s case is strong enough to convince the jury that Richard Allen is the victim of shoddy police work and a desperate prosecution’s weak case.
Most importantly of all, by November 15th, the families of Abigail Williams and Liberty German should have something close to closure and justice. However, if the State is wrong and Richard Allen is not the “bridge guy”, then that means the killer has yet to be caught.
