November 11th 2024.
In the small town of Delphi, Indiana, a former pharmacy worker named Richard Allen has been found guilty of murder. The victims were two teenage girls, Abigail Williams and Liberty German, who disappeared during an afternoon hike in 2017. After a lengthy trial, Allen was convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.
It's been a long road to justice for the families of the victims. Allen wasn't arrested until five years after the girls' disappearance, despite the case garnering widespread attention from true-crime enthusiasts. The trial itself was also plagued with delays, a leak of evidence, and even the withdrawal and reinstatement of Allen's public defenders by the Indiana Supreme Court.
As the verdict was delivered, Allen showed no reaction, but he did glance back at his family in the courtroom. He is now awaiting sentencing on December 20 and could face up to 130 years in prison. Outside the courthouse, a crowd gathered and began cheering as word of the verdict spread. The Indiana State Police spokesman, Captain Ron Galaviz, confirmed that a gag order remains in place until Allen is sentenced.
Allen's lawyers chose not to make any statements as they left the courthouse after the trial. The case was overseen by Superior Court Judge Fran Gull, who, along with the jurors, came from Allen County in north-eastern Indiana. Throughout the trial, the seven women and five men were sequestered, and the proceedings took place in the girls' hometown of Delphi, a tight-knit community with a population of around 3000.
In his closing argument, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland reminded the jury that Allen had repeatedly confessed to the killings. He had confessed in person, on the phone, and in writing. One of the recordings played for the jury included Allen telling his wife, "I did it. I killed Abby and Libby." McLeland also pointed to evidence that linked Allen to the crime, including a grainy cellphone video recorded by one of the girls. In the video, a man can be seen following the girls across a railroad trestle before telling them to go "Down the hill."
The bodies of the two girls were found the next day, their throats cut, in a nearby wooded area. During the trial, an investigator testified that Allen had been wearing similar clothing to the man seen on the bridge, and a bullet found between the girls' bodies was linked to Allen's gun. However, the defence argued that the state police's bullet analysis was flawed and that there was no concrete evidence tying Allen to the crime.
Allen's arrest in October 2022 came after a retired state government worker who had volunteered to help police found paperwork showing that Allen had contacted authorities two days after the girls' bodies were found. Testimony during the trial revealed that Allen had told an officer he had been on the hiking trail the same afternoon the girls went missing. However, the defence argued that Allen's confessions were unreliable due to his severe mental health crisis at the time.
Both a psychiatrist and a psychologist called by the defence testified that Allen's prolonged isolation and constant surveillance in prison could have caused him to become delirious and psychotic. Allen's psychologist also stated that he had planned to rape the girls but ultimately did not follow through after a van passed by.
In his closing arguments, defence attorney Bradley Rozzi maintained Allen's innocence, pointing out that no witnesses had identified Allen as the man seen on the bridge or the hiking trail. He also noted that there was no physical evidence linking Allen to the crime scene. Despite the prosecution's claims that Allen had provided details of the crime in his confessions, the defence argued that those details could have been influenced by Allen's interest in true crime and his desire for attention.
The trial was an emotional and difficult time for the families of the victims and the community of Delphi. While the verdict brought a sense of closure, it also served as a reminder of the tragic loss of two young lives and the impact it has had on those left behind.
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