Delphi murder trial: Jurors begin deliberations after closing arguments in Richard Allen’s murder

DELPHI, Indiana — The fate of a Delphi, Indiana man accused of killing two girls on a hiking trail is now in the hands of a jury after a trial that revealed new details in the mysterious case.

Richard Allen has pleaded not guilty to the murders of best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14. Their bodies were left in the forest on February 13, 2017 and found the next day.

The crime drew national attention when police released an image of the suspect and a clip of his voice — a recording of him saying “down the hill” — that was found on Libby’s phone.

Allen admitted to being on the trail the day of the murder, but denied involvement.

Here is an overview of the main findings of the trial:

How the girls died

For more than seven years, investigators have remained silent on how the girls were killed, not saying whether their deaths were caused by a knife, gun or other weapon, or whether they were sexually assaulted.

Prosecutor Nick McClelland then said in his opening statement that the girls’ throats had been cut.

Pathologist Dr. Roland Corr, who performed the autopsy, testified that Abby had a slash wound to her neck 1 inch deep and 3 inches long.

Libby had several lacerations on the right side of her neck, the largest of which was approximately 3.5 inches long, Core said.

Corr said he initially thought a serrated knife was used to cut the girls’ necks, but during final court preparations he began to believe a box cutter may have been used.

Prosecutors said Libby’s body was found naked, but a forensic scientist said there was no DNA evidence in the rape kits to indicate the girls had been sexually assaulted.

Eyewitnesses remember the “bridge guy”

As Abby and Libby crossed the Monon High bridge, they saw the man behind them and Libby started recording on her phone, McClelland said. The man pulled out a gun and ordered the girls to get “off the mountain,” McClelland said. The girls complied, McClelland said, and then the video on Libby’s phone stopped recording.

This video from Libby’s phone, showing the “bridge guy,” was released early in the case when investigators asked the public for help identifying him.

During Allen’s trial, a couple of teenage girls who were on the trail that day shared their memories of the “bridge boy” with jurors.

Reilly Voorhees said the man she saw was overdressed for the weather, wearing dark clothing, wearing a hat and with his hands in his pockets.

Prosecutors pulled a photo of the “guy from the bridge,” and Voorhees said, “That was the man I waved to on the trail.”

Breanne Wilber, who was on the trail with Voorhees, testified that she also noticed a man who was overdressed for the warm weather.

She said the man walked with “a purpose,” didn’t respond when Voorhees said hello, and gave off “weird vibes.”

Wilber said that when she saw the photo of the “bridge guy,” “the first thing I thought of was that person I saw on the trail.”

During the cross-examination, the girls were asked how their description of the man changed over time.

Chronology of the crime

Data from Libby’s phone, which was found under Abby’s body, revealed the timeline of the crime.

Libby’s phone showed the girls were dropped off near the highway at about 1:40 p.m., and they were at the Monon High Bridge at 2:05 p.m., Indiana State Police Sgt. Christopher Cecil testified.

At 2:14 p.m., Cecil said Libby took the infamous “bridge guy” video.

The phone records recorded a change in longitude, elevation and altitude at 2:31 p.m., Cecil said, meaning Libby’s phone was moving. At 2:32 p.m., Cecil said the teenager’s phone stopped and stopped moving.

Cecil testified that Libby’s phone gradually went off during the night, went dead at 10:32 p.m., and then woke up with a sudden start at 4:33 a.m. Cecil said she then received between 15 and 20 text messages on her phone at once. One of the messages, sent nearly 12 hours earlier from Libby’s grandmother, said: “You need to call me now!!!”

Cecil said he didn’t know the reason for this gap in time.

Twenty-three devices were recovered from Allen’s home, but none tied Allen to the girls or the crime scene, Cecil said.

Allen’s Mental State, Confessions in Prison

Allen’s mental state during his numerous in-custody confessions became a major topic of the trial.

Allen was arrested in the fall of 2022. In the spring of 2023, his behavior changed. Allen’s strange behavior while incarcerated included banging his head against a wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, eating paper, smearing feces in his cell and smearing feces on his face for two hours, according to testimony from corrections officers.

In the spring of 2023, Allen also began confessing to the murders several times to his wife, a psychologist and corrections officers, according to testimony.

Psychologist Monica Vala testified that in one of his confessions, Allen told her he saw the girls on the trail and followed them to the bridge.

Allen said he told the girls to “get down” and intended to rape them, but then he saw something — either a person or a van — and was scared, Vala said. Allen told her he ordered the girls to cross a creek, cut their throats and cover their bodies with branches, Vala said.

Allen also allegedly admitted to making several phone calls to his wife in prison.

Allen told his wife, Kathy, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

“No, I didn’t,” she said. Allen replied, “Yes, I am.”

“Why do you say that?” Katie said. “I know you didn’t. Something wrong”.

Allen spent 13 months in solitary confinement, and a neuropsychologist who testified for the defense said it could change the inmate’s brain chemistry.

A neuropsychologist said Allen experienced hallucinations, psychosis and suicidal thoughts.

One corrections officer, Michael Clemons, testified for the prosecution that Allen told him, “I, Richard Matthew Allen, killed Abby and Libby myself. No one helped me.” Clemons said Allen yelled at other inmates, “I’m not crazy, I’m just acting like I’m crazy.”

Another corrections officer, Michael Roberts, testified that on April 23, 2023, Allen said, “I killed Abby & Libby. My wife did not participate. I want to confess.”

A few days later, Roberts said, Allen said, “Can I talk? You can listen, I killed Abby and Libby? How do I prove I’m crazy?’

Dr. John Martin, who treats prisoners, was called as a rebuttal witness.

Martin said he met Allen in November 2022, shortly after he was arrested. Martin said Allen arrived at the jail with a prescription for Prozac because of a history of depression, but Martin said he believed he was stable.

According to the doctor, it was only in April 2023 that Allen began to show signs of psychosis.

Martin said he got a call on April 13 to see Allen. Martin said he found Allen naked on a mattress covered in feces and was told he had been eating it.

Martin said he prescribed Allen antipsychotic medication; he said it took until April 25 to figure out the medication and Allen to show signs of improvement.

According to Martin, until May 18, 2023, Allen showed no signs of psychosis.

On June 20, 2023, Allen, despite showing no signs of psychosis, told Martin that he “wanted to apologize to the families and his victims,” Martin testified.

Martin said Allen had not shown any symptoms of psychosis for several weeks and was under no pressure to say anything.

Pistol

A key piece of evidence for the prosecution is a police analysis of Allen’s gun, which determined that an unused .40-caliber round found on the girls’ bodies had been fired through Allen’s P226 Sig Sauer.

But a defense witness, Dr. Erin Warren, cast doubt on that.

The defense asked Warren to review the work of Melissa Oberg, a former Indiana State Police crime lab technician who examined the spent cartridge found at the scene and compared it to Allen’s gun.

Warren called it an “apples-to-oranges” comparison, saying Oberg compared the initial shot — which was cycled, not fired — to a bullet fired from Allen’s gun.

Oberg previously said on the stand that “an ejector mark is an ejector mark,” regardless of whether the round was cycled or fired.

Warren disputed that testimony, saying the lab needed to identify the tool marks under the same conditions in which the bullet was found.

Jurors asked Warren 15 questions about the method of testing the cartridge, which was far more than most witnesses got from the jury.

Final arguments

In closing arguments, defense attorney Brad Rozzi argued his client’s innocence, noting that Allen continued to live in Delphi for years after the crime, although he had the option to leave at any time.

Rozzi reminded jurors that Allen himself came forward in 2017 to tell police he was on the trail the day of the murder. Rozzi said Allen cooperated during his first questioning in October 2022 and returned for questioning a second time, even though he knew he was likely a suspect at the time.

Rozzi stressed that hours of video interviews from 2017 were lost.

He also referred to the 13 months Allen spent in solitary confinement, saying the state wanted to focus only on what Allen said, not his condition.

Rozzi argued that the Indiana State Police Laboratory could not rule out that the gun owned by local resident Brad Weber was the one that used the cartridges found on the girls’ bodies, and he said Weber changed his story about going straight home on the day of the attack. murders

In closing arguments, McLeland said the state had proven Allen was a “bridge guy,” and he reminded jurors that the black 2016 Ford Focus seen at the track that day was the only one registered in the county — and it belonged to Allen.

Despite the defense’s doubts, McClelland said the state proved the unexpended round found between the girls’ bodies went through Allen’s gun, and he said testing was confirmed three times by a technician’s boss.

McLeland also went into detail about Allen’s numerous confessions, playing for the jury Allen’s telephone confessions to his wife. McClelland said Allen’s confessions were “unprovoked, no pressure.” (and) of his own free will,” and he said Allen showed no signs of psychosis during many of his statements.

The prosecutor highlighted the fact that Allen mentioned seeing the van at the scene in one of his alleged confessions. McClelland reminded jurors that Weber is believed to have been driving his van home from work around the time of the murders. McClelland said it was “something only a killer would know.”