THE sister of one of the Delphi murder victims shared a sorrowful picture as families from both sides emerged at the courthouse for the start of opening statements.
The long-awaited trial of Richard Allen is set to begin on Friday, over seven years since best friends Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, were found dead on a wooded trail in Delphi, Indiana, on February 14, 2017.
Liberty German’s older sister, Kelsi, shared a selfie of the two hours before the start of opening statements on Friday[/caption]
Allen, 52, a married father of one, was arrested five years after the puzzling double murders rocked the small, tight-knit community of Delphi, which has a population of less than 3,000 residents, according to the US Census Bureau.
Hours before opening statements in the high-profile trial were scheduled to begin on Friday, Kelsi German, the older sister of Liberty, shared a heartbreaking photo of the two on Instagram.
“I love you,” German captioned the selfie of herself and Liberty, who both had face paint on.
Twelve jurors, including eight women and four men, will serve as the main jury, while four others will be alternatives.
TRIAL SECURITY MEASURES
The jury, consisting of eight women and four men, will have minimal contact with the outside world throughout the month-long trial.
Judge Frances Gull required all jurors to hand over their cell phones to court staff after they were sworn in on Thursday, according to NBC affiliate WTHR.
The jurors, who will be living in a hotel while the trial is in session, will only be allowed to make phone calls to friends and family with a bailiff present.
Families of the jurors will only be allowed to visit them on Sundays, which is their only day off from jury service.
For entertainment, jurors will only be allowed to watch TV shows and movies, not live television, to avoid receiving information about the trial from news coverage.
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