Richard Allen, a resident of Delphi, Indiana, was declared guilty on Monday by a jury. The charge was the 2017 murder of two young girls, Liberty German and Abigail Williams, who were enjoying a hike when they were killed. The case drew attention from across the nation, as a video revealed a man tailing the girls just before the tragedy occured. Close to the site where they disappeared, a memorial for German and Williams stands as a solemn reminder of the horrifying incident.
The two victims, 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams, were discovered lifeless the day following their mysterious disappearance while on a hiking expedition in Delphi. Delphi is a small town located roughly 80 miles to the northwest of Indianapolis. This disturbing incident happened on February 13th, 2017. After five years, the law enforcement agencies apprehended and charged Richard Allen, a 52-year-old local man.
Allen, after facing the jury, was convicted of two instances of murder and two additional counts of homicide committed or sought to be committed during a kidnapping attempt. The jury who took the final decision, began their discussions last Thursday. Following his hearing, Allen’s sentencing has been decided to take place on the 20th of December. It is believed that he may be facing a jail term that could extend up to 130 years.
Throughout the court proceedings, the prosecuting lawyers informed the jury of Allen’s initial intentions to sexually assault the young girls. They further presented statements in which Allen confessed to the murders, at one point admitting to having used a box cutter for the gruesome act. However, the validity of these statements was put into question on the grounds that Allen might have been suffering mentally during his solitary confinement.
Moreover, assertions were made during the trial that no fingerprint, genetic or additional forensic evidence conclusively linked Allen to the site of the murders. Additional doubt was cast on a bullet found at the scene which the prosecution claimed was linked to Allen. As a result, the absence of solid evidence connecting Allen to the crime scene generated discussion and dispute over his guilt.
Court files and prosecuting attorneys stated that the girls were last seen alive around 1:49 p.m. on February 13th. They were left at the trailhead leading to Monon High Bridge in Delphi, enjoying the last day of their four-day winter school break. Video footage taken from one of the girls’ phones painted a chilling picture, with a man tracking the girls in the background, clad in a dark coat and jeans.
In the video recording, one of the girls referenced a ‘gun’, and a male voice was heard instructing them to ‘go down the hill’. A correlated piece of evidence was an unfired .40-caliber bullet discovered near the site where the girls were found. Investigators involved in the case followed up on leads, interviewing numerous individuals who claimed to have seen a man whose physicality and clothing matched the man from the video.
One individual reported the man as being ‘kind of creepy’, while another witness commented on the man’s clothes, noting they appeared to be stained with blood and mud. During the first stages of investigation in 2017, police officers questioned Richard Allen. Back then, he agreed to having been on the trail around the same time as the girls, but stated that he spotted three young women and did not recollect what they looked like.
The case took a significant turn five years later, in October 2022, when law enforcement officials once again questioned Allen. This time, they conducted a search of his residence. During their search, investigators found a firearm, which they believed had been loaded with the same unfired bullet discovered near the deceased girls. Confronted with this new evidence, Allen denied knowing why the bullet was there or any involvement in the young girls’ tragic deaths.
Dubbed as the ‘Delphi Murders’, this case has drawn significant public interest and intense scrutiny. As jury members deliberated inside the courthouse, crowds gathered outdoors. Some held signs emblazoned with the victims’ names and messages of remembrance – phrases like ‘never forgotten’, while others conveyed messages in support of Allen’s proclaimed innocence.