Delphi Murders Update as Jury Reaches Verdict
Richard Allen has been found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder in the killings of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana.
Allen, 52, could be sentenced to up to 130 years in prison for murdering Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, on the Monon High Bridge Trail in February 2017.
His sentencing date is set for December 20. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty for Allen.
Indiana State Police Sergeant John Perrine told reporters outside the courthouse that the gag order in the case would stay in place until Allen was sentenced, so the department could not make a public statement following Allen’s conviction.
Indianapolis news station WTHR reported the verdict Monday around 2:45 p.m. local time.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks during a news conference on the Delphi murders investigation on April 22, 2019. Richard Allen was found guilty on November 11, 2024, of murdering two teenage girls.
AP Photo
A WTHR reporter captured the attorneys and family members of the victims heading back into the courthouse Monday shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time.
Allen’s wife, Kathy Allen, told WTHR, “This isn’t over at all,” as she left the courtroom.
The outlet reports the prosecution hugged as the verdict was read. Allen’s legal team reportedly comforted him before he was handcuffed and taken back into custody.
No cameras or cell phones were allowed in the courtroom.
Comprised of five men and seven women, the jury deliberated for roughly 18 hours over four days.
The jury was selected in Fort Wayne, 100 miles from where the crimes occurred, in an attempt to level the mass media attention surrounding this case that’s been picked up by true crime enthusiasts.
Prosecutors argued Allen is the “bridge guy” captured walking along the trial in a Snapchat video recovered from German’s phone. The video included audio of a man saying, “Guys, down the hill.”
The teenagers’ bodies were found at the bottom of the hill the next day. They had been stabbed.
L-: Abigail Williams, Richard Allen, and Liberty German. Allen was found guilty of murdering Williams and German in 2017.
Indiana State Police
The prosecution says an unspent bullet from a .40-caliber pistol belonging to a gun owned by Allen was found in between the victims’ bodies.
They said Allen has confessed to the murders over 60 times after his arrest and in jail to prison guards, family members and friends.
Allen’s defense argued his confessions were made because he had a psychotic break. They said his confessions were unreliable and included inaccurate crime details as well as admissions to crimes that never occurred, including killing his own family.
It took five years for police to arrest Allen, who worked at a CVS Pharmacy in Delphi in 2022. The families of the victims said Allen even helped them print photos for the funeral free of charge.
The trial is estimated to cost the state over $4 million.
Update 11/11/24, 3:16 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com