Richard Allen, a resident of Delphi, Indiana, has been found guilty on all charges in the double murders of 14-year-old Liberty 'Libby' German and 13-year-old Abigail 'Abby' Williams. The verdict was delivered on Monday, November 11, 2024, after more than three days of jury deliberations in a trial that began on October 18, 2024.
Allen was convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder for the killings that occurred on February 13, 2017, when the girls vanished during a hike on the Monon High Trail. The prosecution presented key evidence, including dozens of confessions made by Allen while incarcerated, which he made to his wife, mother, a psychologist, and other prison employees and inmates. These confessions were recorded and played for the jury, with Allen admitting to the crimes and providing details such as planning to sexually assault the victims but fleeing when he saw a van nearby, and cutting the girls' throats before covering their bodies with sticks[1][3][5].
The defense argued that Allen's confessions were involuntary and stemmed from his mental health issues, including being in a psychotic state after months in solitary confinement. They also pointed out the lack of physical evidence tying Allen to the crime scene and questioned the accuracy of the police analysis of Allen's gun, which linked an unspent cartridge found near the girls' bodies to Allen's Sig Sauer Model P226[1][3][5].
Allen had initially told police he was on the trail around the time the girls were killed but denied any involvement. He was arrested on October 26, 2022, after police matched the unspent cartridge to his pistol. Despite living in Delphi for over five years after the murders, Allen was identified as the suspect known as 'Bridge Guy' from a grainy cellphone video recorded by one of the girls[1][3][5].
The community of Delphi has expressed relief and a sense of healing following the verdict, with the families of the victims awaiting the sentencing scheduled for December 20, 2024[3][5].
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