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Delphi Murders Trial - Defense calls first 2 witnesses · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's it's hard to believe. Huh, two years already since
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  they arrested that guy in the Delphi murders case. Yeah,
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  you know, the story of Abby and Libby, Right, it
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  just keeps on grippin everyone. And this trial of Richard Allen,
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  it's got twists and turns you wouldn't believe.
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  Speaker 2: It's a tough one. We've got a ton.
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  Speaker 1: Of new articles actually from the Indianapolis Star and the
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  Lafayette Journal and Courier. So we're going to unpack all
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  that evidence and try to see what the defense is
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  dealing with.
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  Speaker 2: It's certainly a case that stays with you. The amount
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  of evidence the prosecution's presented is massive, like they're trying
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  to paint a very complete picture for the jury.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and they're really focusing on those prison phone calls
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  right where he seems to be confessing. It must have
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  been just awful for his wife and his mother to
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  hear that. Absolutely, I mean I did it, I killed
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  Abby and Libby.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, those calls are really emotionally charged, and they're really
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  the center of the prosecution's case. And they even brought
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  in a state trooper who had listened to over seven
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  hundred of his prison calls.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wow, Yeah, what's a lot of listening. And then
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  he testified that he believes Alan is the bridge guy
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  in that video that Libby captured. Can you imagine listening
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  to seven hundred calls and then you have to connect
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  it to a video. Yeah, that's got to be powerful
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  for the jury.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, very impactful. The prosecution is also trying to really
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  solidify that connection between Alan and the actual crime scene.
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  They've pointed out his confession where he talked about seeing
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  a white van near the trail, and that seems to
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  be backed up by a witness who lived nearby and
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  said his van was there, right, small detail, but could
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  be bad.
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  Speaker 1: So we've got these apparent confessions, a possible link to
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  the scene. What else is the prosecution using.
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  Speaker 2: Well, they've also presented evidence from his Internet search history
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  and it included some disturbing content and searches that were
• 1:47
  directly related to the Delphi murders.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so this is where it gets really interesting. So
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  it sounds like they're laying out their case pretty meticulously,
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  But what about the defense? What are they up against?
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  Speaker 2: They're facing some major obstacles and it's fascinating to see
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  how they're trying to navigate it. One of the biggest
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  things is the judge hasn't made a ruling on their
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  request to present a theory that the girls were actually
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  killed by Odinists in a sacrificial ritual Odinists. Yes, so
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  it's a branch of paganism that's inspired by Norse mythology
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  and traditions.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So they're suggesting a whole other story here, right.
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  Speaker 2: It could shift the focus away from Allen entirely.
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  Speaker 1: So why hasn't the judge allowed them to even talk
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  about this?
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  Speaker 2: Well, we don't know exactly why, but it's possible they
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  just haven't seen enough evidence to support such a specific
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  and potentially controversial claim. It's a risky move by the defense,
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  and it seems like it's backfired, at least for now.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it doesn't sound like their attempts to cast
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  doubt on the whole investigation by calling witnesses who say
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  police missed other leads have worked either.
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  Speaker 2: Right. They called Cheyenne Mill to the stand. She's the
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  woman who saw a man that matched the bridge guide
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  description on the trail the day the girls disappeared. Right,
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  But her testimony was more about how she felt dismissed
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  by the police than about them man's identity.
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  Speaker 1: So not the knockout punch they were hoping for.
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  Speaker 2: Not quite. And then there was Teresa Libert. She saw
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  a strange man near her property the morning of the murders.
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  But again, it didn't seem to really change the trial's
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  direction much.
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  Speaker 1: Hmm. It sounds like they're really struggling to build a
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  strong counter narrative.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's almost like they're trying to punch through a
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  brook wall.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I can imagine the frustration in that courtroom.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's definitely a David versus Goliath situation here.
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  The prosecution seems to have all the cards, but remember
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  this is just the first act.
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  Speaker 1: Their whole case really seems to hinge on those confessions,
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  you know, sixty one incriminating statements. They say, yeah, that's
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  that's a lot. But is it possible that those statements
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  aren't as straightforward as they seem?
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  Speaker 2: Well, that's the big question, right, Yeah. His mental state
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  during those calls is a huge point of contention. Remember
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  he actually told his wife, I'm losing my mind.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a big red flag, right. It makes you
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  wonder was he really in control? Of what he was
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  saying exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And to add to that, his defense attorney said he
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  was on all sorts of medications in prison, which could
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  have messed with his behavior, even his voice.
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  Speaker 1: So we're left wondering how much weight will the jury
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  really give to these confessions. It's kind of an ethical puzzle.
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  Speaker 2: It is, and it goes beyond this case. You know.
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  It makes us think about how we handle confessions from
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  people who might be struggling with mental health or medication effects.
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  What does justice even look like in these situations.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a tough one, especially when you think about
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  the fact that he initially denied any involvement during police questioning.
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  So did he change his story because of a guilty
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  conscience or was there something else going on?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that initial denial definitely adds another layer of complexity
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  at everything, and it feeds right into the defense's argument
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  that investigators were too quick to focus on him and
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  maybe missed other suspects.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so we've got him on the Moon and Hybridge
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  Trail for like an hour and a half afternoon on
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  February thirteenth, twenty seventeen, the day the girls disappeared, right,
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  and this timeframe seems to with what the prosecution says.
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  They say Abby and Libby were on the bridge around
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  two pm, followed by the bridge guy who they think
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  is Allan.
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  Speaker 2: Right, and then there's that psychologist report. It revealed he
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  supposedly confessed to her about planning to assault the girls. Wow,
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  but then claim he changed his mind because he saw
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  a white van.
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  Speaker 1: Wait. So that white van detail keeps coming up. It
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  might explain the change in his alleged plan, but it
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  also connects back to what that guy who lived nearby said.
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  It's like a twisted game of connect the dots.
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  Speaker 2: It is, Yeah, and the prosecution has done a good
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  job of weaving a story that connects the timeline, the confessions,
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  and those witness statements.
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  Speaker 1: But the defense is saying that investigators were so focused
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  on Alan that they may have missed other important leads.
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  They keep going back to Cheyenne Mill, the woman who
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  said she saw a man on the trail.
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  Speaker 2: And Teresa Liebert, who ran into his strange man near
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  her property the morning of the murders.
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  Speaker 1: Right, these two women reported what they saw, but the
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  defense says their information wasn't taken seriously enough.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Their strategy seems to be about planting those seeds
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  of doubt, highlighting these things to challenge how thorough the
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  investigation really was.
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  Speaker 1: So, with the trials still going on, what's the next
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  big thing we should look out for.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the judge's decision on that Odinis theory is crucial.
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  If they allow it, it could totally change the direction
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  of the trial.
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  Speaker 1: It would be a huge turning point. Can you imagine
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  the prosecution having to suddenly deal with a whole different
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  set of suspects.
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  Speaker 2: It would be fascinating to watch. Yeah, But beyond all
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  the legal stuff, this case really brings up some profound.
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  Speaker 1: Questions definitely, like how do we balance the weight of
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  a confession with someone's mental state? Right? What makes an
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  investigation thorough? And in the end, what does justice for
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  Abby and Libby even mean?
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  Speaker 2: It's a heavy case with no easy answers.
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  Speaker 1: Makes you think it really does? It makes you think, Yeah,
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  it's easy to get lost in all the legal arguments, right,
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  but we can't forget at the heart of this are
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  two young girls, absolutely whose lives were just tragically cut short.
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  Speaker 2: It's a constant reminder of what this crime really.
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  Speaker 1: Cost, and we can't forget their families They've gone through
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  years of pain and not knowing what happened.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and now they're living it all again as the
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  trial goes on.
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  Speaker 1: It just got to be a heavy burden to carry.
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  And then you add in all the media attention, right,
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  it can't be easy.
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  Speaker 2: No, it's like everyone's watching and judging every move.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know, it's a reminder that everyone involved,
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  the families, the jury, even the lawyers and stuff, they
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  all deserve some empathy and respect as they go through this.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking of the jury, yeah, they have a huge weight
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  on their shoulders. They have to sort through all the evidence,
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  figure out what stories make sense, and then decide his fate.
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  It's big responsibility, really is, and I bet those confessions
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  will be a big part of what they think about.
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, how do you reconcile what he said with
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  his mental state in those medications?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a minefield, huge one.
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  Speaker 2: So as we wrap up our look at this Delphi
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  murders trial, Yeah, it feels like we have more questions
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  than answers, Right.
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  Speaker 1: Will the judge let them talk about that odinist theory?
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  Will the jury believe the prosecution?
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  Speaker 2: Right? And maybe the biggest question of all what does
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  justice even mean in this case?
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  Speaker 1: Is it punishment or closure or something else entirely.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a question that doesn't have an easy answer.
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  Speaker 1: No, it doesn't, and it's something we all have to
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  think about as this case keeps going.
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  Speaker 2: It makes us think about mental health, the justice system,
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  even what truth is. It reminds us that even with
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  all the information we have today, sometimes those really important
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  questions just stay unanswered.
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  Speaker 1: Well, thank you for joining us on this deep dive.
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  It's a case that we'll keep developing, and we encourage
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  you to stay informed, stay involved, and keep thinking critically
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  until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning, and keep diving
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  deep