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Delphi Murder Suspect Richard Allen Found Guilty of Killing Teens — What to Know
The former C.V.S. pharmacy tech was found guilty on all counts for the murders of middle schoolers Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
Richard Allen, 52, the man accused of killing Liberty “Libby” German, 14, and Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, has been found guilty of the 2017 double murder.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, November 11, 2024, following a fourth day of deliberations and three weeks of trial at the Carroll County Courthouse in Indiana. Jurors found the 52-year-old former C.V.S. pharmacy tech responsible for the teens’ deaths, convicting him on two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping, according to the CW network’s WISH-TV.
The decision marks the end of a trial rife with motions, nearly eight years after the brutal double murder and two years following his arrest.
News of the guilty verdict is still breaking, though statements are expected to be made soon.
What evidence was shared in the Delphi Murders trial?
Allen was accused of killing German and Williams after the middle-school friends disappeared on the afternoon of February 13, 2017, while strolling along the Monon High Bridge on Delphi’s historic trails, about 70 miles north of Indianapolis. Their bodies were discovered the next day — less than one mile from the bridge — after sustaining cuts to the throat, as a medical examiner testified in the trial.
The case was thrust into the national spotlight when authorities released a clip of a video from German’s cell phone, capturing the murder suspect telling the girls, “Guys, down the hill.” Authorities with the Indiana State Police (I.S.P.) cited German as “a hero” for her quick decision to record their presumed killer.
In a probable cause affidavit released on Nov. 29, 2022 — made possible after a gag order was lifted following much back and forth over documents the state sought to keep sealed — prosecutors stated that an unspent .40 caliber bullet found at the crime scene was linked to a gun found inside Allen’s home at a later time.
Allen confessed to the murders on several occasions while behind bars. However, his mental status at the time of his phone statements was a topic of concern during the recent trial.
What was Richard Allen’s defense?
Allen, represented by attorneys Andrew Baldwin of The Criminal Defense Team and Brad Rozzi, claimed Odinists were responsible for the murders.
Special Judge Fran Gull blocked the alternate theory from the courtroom, another point of concern as legal proceedings continued.
In motions to have Odinism expert Dr. Perlmutter take the stand, the defense stated sticks placed on the girls’ bodies were “arranged in a pattern” that supported their theory. They also pointed to the positioning of German and Williams’ bodies — which included German being without clothes and Williams wearing German’s clothes — as being evidence that the murders were ritualistic in nature.
Odinism, referring to those who revere the Norse god, Odin, is a neo-Pagan movement most commonly identified within Indiana’s state prisons and tied to white supremacism.
At trial, blood spatter expert Patrick Cicero from the Laporte County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana testified that physical evidence indicated German didn’t immediately die from the fatal injury to her throat, according to ABC Indianapolis affiliate WRTV, and that she was likely dragged back to the location where she was found beside Williams.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Roland Kohr testified that he found no evidence of sexual assault on the victims but maintained it was still possible, as previously reported by Oxygen.com.
What's next for Richard Allen?
Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty, but Allen now faces up to 130 years behind bars, according to NBC South Bend, Indiana affiliate WNDU-TV.
According to WISH-TV, sentencing has been scheduled for Friday, December 20, 2024.
