Photo: Indiana State Police
Richard Allen has been found guilty of the 2017 murders of two teenage girls, Liberty “Libby” German, 14, and Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, in Delphi, Indiana. Allen, charged with four counts of murder, was convicted following four days of jury deliberation, as reported by the Associated Press, the Indianapolis Star, and WTHR.
The bodies of Libby and Abby were discovered near a creek along a hiking trail in February 2017, and their deaths were initially a mystery for five years. Prosecutors revealed during Allen’s trial, which began on October 18, that the girls’ throats had been cut. Libby was found naked and covered in blood, while Abby was dressed in Libby’s clothes, according to court reports.
In 2022, after a lengthy investigation, police arrested Allen, a resident of Delphi, after allegedly finding knives and a gun at his home that were linked to evidence from the crime scene, including a bullet. During his time in custody, Allen reportedly confessed to the murders in a phone call with his wife, as prosecutors claimed. However, Allen’s defense attorney, Andrew Baldwin, argued that the confession was made while his client was in a compromised mental state, according to AP News.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Nick McLeland emphasized the strength of the case against Allen, referencing his alleged confession and the brutal nature of the crime. “Now all the pieces are clear,” McLeland said. “He kidnapped them and later murdered them. He slit their throats. He stole the youth and life away from Abby and Libby.”
Allen’s defense team, led by Brad Rozzi, attempted to discredit the timeline presented by the prosecution and questioned the identification of Allen as the “bridge guy,” a man seen in a video walking on the bridge where the girls were killed. Rozzi also suggested that the murders might have been committed by Odinists, members of a Norse pagan religion, as part of a ritual sacrifice. However, the judge ruled out this defense theory, citing a lack of evidence.
