The jury has convicted an Indiana man accused of killing two teenagers who were hiking just outside Delphi.
Richard Allen, 52, was convicted on all charges related to the murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German on Feb. 13, 2017. He’s facing up to 130 years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 20.
Prosecutors said Allen acted alone when he abducted the girls from the abandoned railroad trestle known as the Monon High Bridge. A key piece of evidence in the case was a cellphone video captured by Libby, showing a man approaching the girls on the bridge and ordering them “down the hill.” The following day, searchers found their bodies about a quarter of a mile away, on private property.
The case garnered national attention for years but went cold until Oct. 2022, when authorities announced they had arrested Allen, a pharmacy technician who lived and worked in Delphi.
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Since Allen’s arrest, the case has taken on multiple twists and turns as evidence was leaked, Allen’s public defenders withdrew and were later reinstated, and defense filings claimed Odinists were responsible for the girls’ slayings. Special Judge Fran Gull ruled Allen’s defense could not submit any evidence that states the murders were committed by a third party at trial.
Judge Gull banned cameras from the courtroom during Allen’s trial. Reporters were also barred from taking any electronic devices inside the courthouse, leaving them to rely on paper and pens.
At the conclusion of the day’s proceedings, Judge Gull allowed members of the media inside the courthouse to view any exhibits introduced that day for 15 minutes.
