close
close

Richard Allen was convicted of the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams

play

DELPHI, Ind. – A jury of five men and seven women found Richard Allen guilty Monday on all four counts in connection with the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.

The jury convicted the 52-year-old Delphi man of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder in the girls' abduction. The long-awaited decision in one of Indiana's most high-profile murder cases comes after more than seven years of investigation, nearly three weeks of testimony and approximately 18 hours of deliberations spread over four days.

The verdict is a vindication of law enforcement's years-long and sometimes criticized investigation into the girls' deaths on February 13, 2017. While it could bring some closure to their families, the jury's decision is unlikely to spell the end of the case has created a circus-like atmosphere, created deep divisions in the public and become the subject of widespread misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Guilty in every way: The jury convicted Richard Allen of murdering Abby and Libby

As special judge Frances Gull made clear before the verdict was announced shortly after 2 p.m., the result is unlikely to calm the long-troubled times.

“No matter what the verdict is,” she said, “people are not going to be happy.”

Members of Libby's family gasped, followed by quiet sobs, after the guilty verdict on the first murder charge was announced. Libby's mother, Carrie German Timmons, hugged the woman sitting next to her. After everyone was allowed to leave, Libby's relatives stayed to hug and thank Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland.

Members of Allen's family stood in a corner near the courtroom door, surrounding his wife, Kathy Allen, and comforting her.

Outside the courthouse, people began chanting “guilty.” Several burst into cheers.

What's next?

Allen, who will most likely appeal, will be back in court at 9 a.m. Dec. 20 to announce his verdict. All face 90 to 130 years in prison. If he loses his appeal, he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Gull had previously issued a gag order barring law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the families from speaking publicly about the case. Capt. Ron Galaviz, chief public information officer for the Indiana State Police, told reporters Monday that the gag order will remain in effect until it is lifted by a judge.

Victims' families are permitted to provide impact statements at sentencing hearings. Most of Abby and Libby's relatives have remained silent since Allen was arrested just over two years ago.

“It's not over yet… There's more waiting, but ultimately it was a good day for the families… It's not like there's any real justice or anything like that. The girls are still gone. And now there's another family that's devastated.” “Forever,” said Aspen Conner, a North Carolina man who followed the case from the beginning and traveled to Delphi to attend the trial. “It's a good day for the families, but also a sad day. My greatest hope is that families can close this chapter and at least begin to find a path to see what comes next in their healing process.”

In the “bizarre” Delphi murder case: Evidence leak, suicide, Odinists and legal chaos

Sarah Ausbrook was sitting on a ledge on the east side of the courthouse when she got the call that the jury had reached a verdict.

“I hope this means the community can begin to heal,” said Ausbrook, a friend of the girls’ family. “For a while we thought every man here was a 'bridge guy'.”

Kelsi German Siebert, Libby's older sister, later posted a picture of the two teens smiling and wearing neon glasses. The caption reads: “Almost 8 years, today was the day.” She ended the Instagram post with two heart emojis in the girls' favorite colors.

“Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. “We really wouldn’t have gotten here without them,” Siebert posted in a separate Instagram story. “I will share my thoughts once the lockdown is lifted and the December holidays are over.”

A summary of the case

Abby, 13, and her best friend Libby, 14, went for a hike on the Monon High Bridge Trail that afternoon. According to prosecutors, Allen chased the girls on the high bridge, forced them down a hill and into a nearby forest, where he killed them by slitting their throats.

The case against Allen relied largely on an unspent cartridge found among the girls' bodies, which investigators claimed passed through Allen's Sig Sauer Model P226 .40 caliber, and the dozens of confessions , which Allen made while he was in prison awaiting trial.

In a confession to Dr. Monica Wala, his therapist at Westville Correctional Facility, told Allen that he forced the girls into the woods and planned to rape them, but was startled by a van driving on a private drive nearby and forced them , to say goodbye According to Wala's notes, he caught Deer Creek and killed her. That vehicle belonged to Brad Weber, who testified that he drove to his home near the trail around 2:30 p.m., minutes after the girls were believed to have been abducted.

That van, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said in his closing argument Thursday, was a detail “only the killer would know.”

Another key piece of evidence prosecutors have focused on is the 43-second video Libby recorded shortly after she and Abby disappeared from the trail. The video showed a man named “Bridge Guy” chasing Abby as she crossed the high bridge. Towards the end of the video, the man asked the girls to “go down the hill.”

“The state has shown that Richard Allen is a bridge guy,” McLeland told jurors, citing the testimony of Indiana State Police Detective Brian Harshman, who said he became familiar with Allen's voice after hearing 700 overheard calls he made in prison. “Bridge Guy’s voice is Allen’s voice,” Harshman told jurors.

The Burden of Justice: The jury in the Delphi murder case is under unimaginable pressure and must make a life-changing decision

Defense attorneys have countered that Allen was an innocent and mentally fragile man whose months of isolation in Westville drove him into psychosis and false confessions. In his closing argument, Bradley Rozzi urged the jury to recognize the dubiousness of the years-long investigation into the girls' deaths.

“You should question the credibility of this investigation because of the things they didn't tell you,” Rozzi told jurors.

Rozzi repeatedly pointed to what the defense saw as a crucial flaw in the state's account of events: a gaping five-hour hole in which someone had plugged a headphone jack into Libby's phone. The testimony from the defense's digital forensics expert casts doubt on the prosecution's theory that the girls were killed earlier in the afternoon and their bodies were left untouched in the woods for hours until first responders found them the next day.

Defense attorneys also called several experts to refute Wala's testimony that Allen was faking psychosis. A neuropsychologist told jurors that months of solitary confinement worsened Allen's depression and dependent personality disorder and drove him into psychosis. A psychiatrist and a solitary confinement expert told jurors that Allen's behavior and mental state in Westville were “fully consistent with the effects of prolonged isolation.”

“When is someone going to say something is wrong here? “Where is the moral compass?” Rozzi told the jury in his closing argument. “You are the moral compass.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or [email protected].

You may also like...