Delphi murder trial: Richard Allen found guilty

A 52-year-old man who prosecutors said was “hiding in plain sight” was found guilty Monday of brutally murdering two girls in the small town of Delphi, Indiana, more than seven years ago.

The 2022 arrest of Richard Allen, 52, a married Delphi resident who worked at a local CVS, had been a surprising development in a case that had been unsolved for years. Libby German, 14, and her best friend, Abby Williams, 13, disappeared from a hiking trail on February 13, 2017, and their bodies were found the next day next to a creek about a half-mile away. Allen confessed to the killings more than 60 times while in prison before the trial, prosecutors said. But his lawyers argued that he was innocent, ignoring the confessions that resulted from his poor mental health under the conditions of confinement.

Allen was found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of murder during kidnapping. The jury, consisting of seven women and five men – who were selected in another province and imprisoned for the duration of the trial – deliberated for approximately 18 hours over four days. after hearing 17 days of testimony.

The case had captured the attention of true crime fans and online sleuths because of the many questions surrounding what happened to the girls, even as a video from Libby’s phone appeared to capture the moment their killer approached them on an abandoned railroad bridge. Prosecutors said Allen was the man – dubbed “Bridge Guy” by online sleuths – seen and heard in the chaotic video filmed around 2:13 p.m. on the day the girls were allegedly kidnapped.

Authorities had released clips of the video publicly in the hope that someone could identify the man, but for more than five years they had no credible leads.

Allen was only identified as a suspect after a volunteer caseworker with the county prosecutor’s office testified that she discovered a mislabeled document on September 21, 2022, in which Allen told investigators he was on the hiking trail at the time of the girls’ disappearance . IndyStar reports this.

The video that had become an obsession in the true crime community and hampered investigators was played publicly in its entirety in its original and forensically enhanced form for the first time in court. In the 43-second video, authorities said a man can be seen approaching the girls over the railroad trestles and later ordering them to “go down the hill.” Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Indiana, reported.

Reporters in the courtroom said they could hear a girl’s voice telling them they had reached the end of the path and should go “down.”

A detective said he could hear one of the girls say the man had a gun. WTHR-TV in Indianapolis reports this.

Investigators found an unspent bullet cartridge among the girls’ bodies that they said also tied Allen to the crime. A firearms expert for the prosecution testified that it had cycled through one of Allen’s guns, while his attorneys questioned the reliability of the tests. WXIN-TV in Indianapolis reported this.

Although the process came to light disturbing details Regarding the girls’ deaths, which had long been hidden from the public, Allen’s lawyers argued that prosecutors had failed to prove he was guilty. Among a variety of issues raised by the defense, there was no evidence linking Allen’s DNA to the bloody crime scene. the Indy Star And other news outlets reported.

The trial also included emotional testimony from the girls’ relatives, who worked for years to keep the girls’ memories alive and seek justice.

“Maybe when this is over – we will learn to move on – maybe not,” Libby’s grandmother Becky Patty wrote in a poignant note. Facebook post on the first day of the trial. “However, one thing is certain: we will live our lives with love and honor for you. I love you and miss you so much Libby.”

Allen is expected to be sentenced on December 20. The judge did not lift the gag order, which prevents people involved in the case – including the victims’ families – from speaking publicly, so authorities will not make a statement until after the sentencing.