Richard Allen, a Delphi, Indiana resident, was found guilty of all charges in the double killings of Abby Williams and Libby German.
The verdict was announced on the fourth deliberation day in this high-profile, national case.
Allen was stoic and didn’t react to the ruling in court, but his wife and mother wept.
Allen was convicted of felony murder for the killing of Abigail Williams while attempting to commit kidnapping; felony murder for the killing of Liberty German while attempting to commit kidnapping; murder for knowingly killing Abigail Williams; and murder for knowingly killing Liberty German.
Today is the day. Sarah Ausbrook, a Delphi resident, said that it’s taken a long time to arrive.
She said that the prosecutors “did a fantastic job in presenting all the evidence.”
Ausbrook stated, “Today is a day of healing for me and this community.”
She said, “I know the families will be reliving their pain but they’ll also be rejoicing because they got an answer.”
The gag order prevents the families of the girls from making any comments until after sentencing.
Allen’s sentencing will take place on Dec. 20, 2009.
Abby and Libby died on a local hike trail on February 13, 2017. The girls were killed by slitting their throats and then dumped near a hiking trail in a forest. The next day, their bodies were discovered.
Libby shared a picture of Abby with Snapchat on the day of their murders as they walked across the Monon High Bridge. According to Nick McLeland, after the girls had crossed the Monon High Bridge, they noticed a man standing behind them. Libby began recording a voice on her phone.
Police released a recording from Libby’s phone of an unknown suspect saying “down the hill” as they searched for a suspect. The police released a grainy photo of the man on the trail, a man known as “bridge boy.”
Allen, arrested in 2022 for murder, admitted to the police that he was in the area on the day of the crime, but denied involvement.
Allen’s numerous confessions made while in prison and his mental state at the time were major topics of discussion during the trial.
Allen’s defense claimed he was in a psychotic condition when he confessed to his wife, a psychologist, and corrections officers.
Police analysis of Allen’s gun was the prosecution’s main evidence. It determined that a.40 caliber round found in the bodies of both girls was fired through Allen’s Sig Sauer Model P226. The defense, however, rejected that accuracy, calling it “apples to apples” because the technician compared a round that was cycled but not fired to a bullet from Allen’s gun.
A forensic scientist said that no DNA evidence was found to link Allen or anyone to the crime scene.
