Delphi murder trial: Jurors see video of Richard Allen, accused of killing Libby Herman and Abby Williams, at Westville jail

DELPHI, Indiana — Jurors in the trial of the double murder of Richard Allen More than a dozen videos of Allen being held at Westville Correctional Facility were shown Saturday.

Allen is accused of killing Libby Herman and Abby Williams while they were out for a walk in Delphi, Indiana, on February 13, 2017.

The state objected to showing the videos in court, with the defense arguing that only jurors should be allowed to view them because of the “dignity” of the people involved. The defense said the video was revealing.

Judge Frances Gall ruled that the footage could be shown to the jury, while the monitor showing the footage was pointed away from the courtroom gallery where media and the public were seated. Alain did not even see what was shown.

The defense shared two exhibits, a video camera and a video master sheet. The main sheet contained the category “contains nudity”.

The 10 videos were filmed during April 2023 and did not contain audio.

While watching the video, reporters in the courtroom noticed that one of the jurors raised his eyebrows and looked at Allen. Several jurors took notes. A juror with experience as a psychologist was “extremely interested.”

Throughout the morning, Allen occasionally looked down at his cup of coffee. Libby’s family looked “annoyed” as the video was played. Libby’s grandmother, Becky Petty, told prosecutor Nick McLeland during a preliminary hearing that people are unlikely to see the videos showing Allen, but the public will be shown gruesome crime scene and autopsy photos of Libby and Abby.

Video #10 seems to have evoked the most emotion from those who were able to see it. Defense attorney Jennifer Auger looked deeply troubled as she watched. Auger held her head with his hand at one moment, covered her mouth at another, and then looked away.

The defense also called Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter. He says he played a supporting role and that dozens of law enforcement agencies were initially involved in the investigation. These include the FBI, Homeland Security, US Marshals and ATF.

Carter said the FBI’s decision to drop the case was made in August 2021. FBI agents who worked on the case turned over all their investigative materials.

Carter was on the podium for less than 10 minutes.

The jury then showed five more videos before the end of the day. Again, they were only played for the jury, the prosecution and the defense. The screen was turned away from the public and the media.

During a recess, Libby’s grandmother came out of the courtroom. She was visibly upset that the footage was not shown to the public, while everyone saw the graphic photos of Libby and Abby’s autopsy and crime scene. Allen’s wife, Cathy, was also not in court Saturday.