Jury deliberations will resume on Saturday in the high-profile double murder trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, more than seven years ago. Allen is charged with the murders of Liberty “Libby” German, 14, and Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, whose bodies were found near a hiking path in February 2017.
Allen, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder, faces up to 130 years in prison if convicted. The 12-person jury began deliberations on Thursday and will reconvene at the Carroll County Courthouse on Saturday morning. Deliberations will continue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday until a verdict is reached, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. The jury was selected from Allen County, with 16 residents chosen, including four alternates.
On Thursday, Allen County Superior Court Judge Frances Gull provided the jury with final instructions, urging them to carefully consider the evidence. Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland then delivered the prosecution’s closing arguments, presenting what he described as overwhelming evidence against Allen.
“I believe the evidence is firmly convincing that Richard Allen is Bridge Guy and he killed Abby and Libby,” McLeland told the jury. He showed jurors graphic photos of the victims’ bodies, along with a video from Libby’s smartphone that he claimed captured the final moments of the girls’ lives. McLeland also presented a recording of a phone call in which Allen allegedly confessed to his wife, saying, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”
In contrast, defense attorney Brad Rozzi argued that the prosecution’s case lacked physical evidence linking Allen to the murders. He pointed to a broken timeline, false confessions, and the absence of DNA or weapons evidence, suggesting that the case against Allen was flawed.
“The defense trusts what you’ve heard over the past several weeks is more important than what you’re hearing today,” Rozzi told the jury. He further argued that any confessions made by Allen were “involuntary” and resulted from months of solitary confinement, questioning their validity.
The tragic case dates back to February 13, 2017, when Libby and Abby went on a hike on the Monon High Bridge near Delphi. The girls were reported missing after they failed to meet Libby’s father that afternoon. The following day, their bodies were discovered, both having died from apparent throat wounds and partially covered with sticks.
The case garnered significant attention due to a photo and audio recording from Libby’s phone. The photo shows a man walking on the bridge, his hands in his pockets, and the audio includes a muffled voice saying, “Guys, down the hill.” Although the photo and audio were circulated shortly after the murders, the case remained unsolved for more than five years. The suspect, dubbed the “Bridge Guy,” remained unidentified until Richard Allen’s arrest in 2022.
Allen, a local resident and CVS pharmacy worker, was not initially considered a suspect. However, in September 2022, a clerk reviewing tips in the case noticed that Allen had placed himself at the scene during the time of the murders. Despite this, Allen had managed to evade police detection until the tip was rediscovered. Around a month later, investigators matched an unspent cartridge found near the girls’ bodies to a pistol recovered from Allen’s home, leading to his arrest on October 26, 2022.
Allen was originally charged with two counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping. Prosecutors later amended the charges to include two additional counts of murder. As jury deliberations continue, the case remains a deeply emotional and significant moment for the small town of Delphi, which has been awaiting justice for more than seven years.