Jury selection underway in the trial of a man accused of killing 2 teen girls in 2017

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eight women and six men have been selected so far to a jury in the trial of a man charged in the Indiana killings of two teenage girls during a winter hike in 2017.

Jury selection opened Monday in the case against Richard Allen, which has long haunted the girls' hometown of Delphi and spurred endless online speculation.

Allen, 52, is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping in the killings of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German. If convicted, he could face up to 130 years in prison. Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

Jury selection is expected to continue Tuesday at a location in Fort Wayne, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the killings occurred.

Once the 12 members and four alternates are selected, they will be taken to Delphi, a town of about 3,000 residents, sequestered during trial and banned from using cellphones or watching news broadcasts.

If jury selection is completed on Wednesday, jury instructions and opening statements could take place Friday morning. The trial is expected to last a month.

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

Allen, a pharmacy technician who had lived and worked in Delphi, was arrested in October 2022, nearly six years after the girls known as Abby and Libby were killed.

A relative had dropped the eighth graders off at a hiking trail just outside Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017, but the two failed to show up at the agreed pickup site later that day. They were reported missing that evening and their bodies were found the following day in a rugged, wooded area near the trail.

Within days, police released files found on Libby's cellphone — two grainy photos and audio of a man saying “down the hill” — that they believed represented the killer.

But no arrest followed.

In July 2017, investigators released a sketch of the suspect, and another in April 2019. They also released a brief video showing the suspect walking on an abandoned railroad bridge.

After years of failing to find a suspect, investigators said they went back and reviewed “prior tips.”

Allen had been interviewed in 2017. He told the officer that he had been walking on the trail the day the girls went missing and that he saw three “females” at another bridge but did not speak to them. He said he did not notice anyone else because he was distracted by a stock ticker on his phone, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police interviewed Allen again on Oct. 13, 2022, when he reasserted he had seen three “juvenile girls” during his walk in 2017. Investigators searched Allen's home and seized a .40-caliber pistol. Testing determined an unspent bullet found between the teen’s bodies “had been cycled through” Allen's gun.

According to the affidavit, Allen said he'd never been where the bullet was found, did not know the property owner, and “had no explanation as to why a round cycled through his firearm would be at that location.”

The case has seen repeated delays after evidence was leaked, Allen’s public defenders withdrew and were later reinstated by the Indiana Supreme Court. The Delphi killings remain the subject of rampant speculation and theories by true-crime enthusiasts.

Allen County Superior Court Judge Fran Gull, who is overseeing the case, issued a gag order at prosecutors’ request in December 2022, two months after Allen’s arrest. It bars attorneys, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner and the girls’ relatives from commenting on the case, including on social media.

Gull has banned cameras from the courtroom during Allen’s trial.

In August this year, she ruled prosecutors can present evidence of dozens of incriminating statements they say Allen made in conversations with correctional officers, inmates, law enforcement and relatives. That evidence includes a recording of a telephone call between Allen and his wife in which, prosecutors say, he confesses to the killings.

The judge's ruling was “a real blow to the defense,” said Hal Johnston, an adjunct criminal law professor at Indiana University who is not involved in the case.

“The incriminating statements are going to be extremely persuasive because that’s what the jury wants to hear," Johnston said.

Allen's attorneys had hoped to present evidence the girls were killed in a ritual sacrifice by members of a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group, but Gull ruled against that, saying the defense furnished no “admissible evidence" of such a connection.

She also blocked Allen's attorneys from arguing the killings may have been committed by others, including the late owner of the property where the teens' bodies were found.

Prosecutors have not disclosed how Abby and Libby were killed. But a court filing by Allen’s attorneys in support of their ritual sacrifice theory states their throats had been cut.

A sign announcing the town of Delphi, Ind., along Indiana State Road 25 is shown Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the grounds of the Carrol County Court House is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Historic buildings on Main Street form part of the downtown area in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Carrol County Court House is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the grounds of the Carrol County Court House is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Carroll County Court House is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The Carroll County Court House is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Signage for a restaurant located among some of the historic buildings on Main Street in the downtown area in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

A Delphi Police Department vehicle drives under the Monon High Bridge Tail in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announces during a news conference in Delphi, Ind., Oct. 31, 2022, the arrest of Richard Allen for the murders of two teenage girls killed in 2017. Allen's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

FILE - Officers escort Richard Allen out of the Carroll County courthouse following a hearing, Nov. 22, 2022, in Delphi, Ind. Allen, of Delphi, is scheduled to go on trail Oct. 14, 2024 for the slayings of two teenage girls, Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, who were killed while hiking in 2017 near their small community in northern Indiana hometown. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

FILE - This image provided by Indiana State Police shows Richard Matthew Allen. Allen is scheduled to go on trail Oct. 14, 2024 for the slayings of two teenage girls, Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, who were killed while hiking in 2017 near their small community in northern Indiana hometown. (Indiana State Police via AP)

FILE - This photo released by the Indiana State Police, Feb. 13, 2017, shows a man walking along the trail system in Delphi, Ind., that authorities say is a suspect in the killings of two teenage girls. (Indiana State Police via AP, File)

The Monon High Bridge at the end of the Monon High Bridge Trail is shown in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Decorated stones bearing the names of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, who were killed in February 2017, are placed at a memorial along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Decorated stones bearing the names of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, who were killed in February 2017, are placed at a memorial along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

FILE - Grandparents of victim Libby German, Becky Patty, left, and her husband Mike Patty, speak during a news conference for the latest updates on the investigation of the double homicide of Liberty German and Abigail Williams on Thursday, March 9, 2017, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind. (J. Kyle Keener/The Pharos-Tribune via AP, File)

A semi-truck crosses a railroad crossing on the edge of town in Delphi, Ind., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley is down to his final game to try to break Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record.

Can Barkley actually topple the 40-year-old mark of 2,105 yards set by the Los Angeles Rams great?

Absolutely — if he plays.

The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a rout Sunday over Dallas, which makes the season finale essentially a glorified preseason game.

Don't expect the Eagles to play quarterback Jalen Hurts — who sat out against Dallas with a concussion — and most key starters against New York. The Eagles will essentially treat Sunday like a bye.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni will surely feel the pull to rest Barkley, too. Why play in a nothing game and risk injury to perhaps their most valuable player and only the ninth running back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season?

The NFL rushing leader with 2,005 yards, Barkley is only 101 yards from topping Dickerson's mark.

The 27-year-old Barkley was politically correct after he ran for 167 yards against Dallas — yes, he wanted the record, but he's willing to do what's best for the team, even if that means sitting out the last game.

Barkley gets an extra shot at the NFL record thanks to a 17th game of the season that Dickerson and the NFL did not have in 1984.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead for Barkley and his chances of catching Dickerson:

Barkley could clear 100 yards in the first half against the Giants. The Giants are 31st in the NFL against the run and Barkley ran for 176 yards and a touchdown in his first career game against them earlier this season.

Barkley is a hefty 222 yards ahead of Baltimore's Derrick Henry at 1,783 for the NFL lead.

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards in 2012 and is second on the season rushing list.

Barkley could use the rest. He leads the NFL with 345 carries and averages a league-high 125.3 yards rushing per game.

Barkley on playing Sunday:

“I mean, it’s up to Nick, to be honest. And you know, whatever his decision is, I’m all for it. If his mindset is, we’ll go out there and try it, I’ll go out there and try it. But (if) his mindset is, let’s rest and get ready for this run, then I’m all for that, too. I’m not just saying that because a camera’s in my face or mics in my face. I really mean that. I came here to do something special, and obviously breaking the record is special. But I want a banner up there."

Sirianni on possibly using Barkley against the Giants:

“We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team. Always got to do what’s right for the football team to reach our goals of what we need to do. Like I said, I’ve got a lot to think about.”

Dickerson to the Los Angeles Times on Barkley possibly breaking his record:

“I don’t think he’ll break it. But if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not. I don’t pull no punches on that. But I’m not whining about it. He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it. If he’s fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it’s a great record to have.”

Barkley has flourished in his first season with the Eagles.

Barkley might enjoy the delicious twist of setting the record against his old team, the Giants — but surely not the 17th-game asterisk that would come with the total.

Barkley was drafted out of Penn State with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018. He was an instant success in New York and ran for 1,307 yards his rookie season. Barkley ran for 5,211 yards and 35 touchdowns and had 288 receptions for 2,100 yards and 12 TDs in six years with the Giants.

He hit free agency after the Giants elected not to put a franchise tag on him.

Barkley signed a three-year deal with the Eagles for $26 million guaranteed and $37.75 million overall, making him the highest-paid running back in franchise history.

His free agency was chronicled by the reality sports documentary television series “Hard Knocks.”

In the crucial scene, Giants general manager Joe Schoen told Barkley the Giants would not make him an offer, nor stick the franchise tag on him. Rather, the Giants would let Barkley test the free-agent market, a move that sent him to an NFC East rival.

“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” team owner John Mara said to Schoen in the series. “As I’ve told you, just being around enough players, he’s the most popular player we have, by far.”

Under general manager Howie Roseman, the Eagles generally had been loath to use high draft picks or valuable salary cap space on a running back.

Barkley was deemed a worthy exception.

Sporting his trademark goggles and Jheri curl, Dickerson was one of the great running backs in the 1980s, and the Hall of Famer was widely considered one of the best of all time.

Dickerson finished his career with 13,259 yards, the ninth-most in NFL history. Emmitt Smith holds the career NFL rushing record with 18,355 yards.

In 1984, Dickerson topped 100 yards rushing 12 times to break O.J. Simpson's 1973 record with Buffalo of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season.

Simpson set his record in 14 games before the NFL expanded to 16 in 1978. The NFL moved to 17 games in 2021.

“I don’t sit down and watch games, except the Rams, and I work for the team. But I’ll have no choice but to keep up with it because I get so many text messages,” Dickerson told the Times. "People blowing up my phone like, ‘Man, it’s not fair. He gets 17 games,’ or, ‘We’re going to put a hex on him.’”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is interviewed by Pam Oliver following an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 41-7. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley speaks to reporters following an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. The Eagles won 41-7. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, right, is congratulated by offensive tackle Jordan Mailata after Barkley rushed for a long run to put him over 2,000 yards for the season during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is congratulated by offensive tackle Jordan Mailata and teammates after running for a long gain to put him at over 2,000 yards for the season during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Dean Lowry (94) as he loses his helmet during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) tries to stop him during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off the ball to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off the ball to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

A fan holds a sign for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the second half of an NFL football game between the Eagles and the Carolina PanthersSunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Former NFL and SMU running back Eric Dickerson speaks to media after a panel discussion about NIL and NCAA college football, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Former NFL and SMU running back Eric Dickerson speaks during a panel discussion about NIL and NCAA college football, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Former NFL and SMU running back Eric Dickerson left, chats with SMU safety Jonathan McGill after a panel discussion about NIL and NCAA college football, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Former NFL and SMU running back Eric Dickerson speaks during a panel discussion about NIL and NCAA college football, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, is hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, center, as Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) looks on during a touchdown run by Barkley in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley reacts after he set the Eagles' season rushing record during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) speaks to the media after an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)