Former CVS clerk Richard Allen was convicted of murder on Monday in a case that devastated the small Indiana town of Delphi. Allen, 52, was found guilty after a four-week trial on charges related to the brutal 2017 killings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges but now faces sentencing on Dec. 20.
A gag order is still in place, and Indiana State Police, who led the investigation, declined to comment. Allen’s wife, visibly shaken, told reporters, “This isn’t over at all.”
Jury Deliberated for Four Days Before Convicting Richard Allen
The trial brought dozens of witnesses to the stand over 17 days, and the jury deliberated for four days before delivering the verdict. Prosecutors said Allen used “power and fear” to force the two friends off the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, north of Indianapolis, before killing them.
In closing arguments, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland identified Allen as “the bridge guy”—a man seen in a chilling Snapchat video walking on an old bridge along the trail. Liberty had captured the footage on her phone, a piece of evidence that authorities released in hopes of identifying the suspect.
“Now all the pieces are clear,” McLeland said. “Richard Allen is the ‘bridge guy.’ He kidnapped and murdered Abby and Libby, taking their young lives in a horrific act of violence.”
Allen’s defense attorney, Brad Rozzi, countered that conclusion, arguing that witnesses who had seen “the bridge guy” described physical traits that didn’t match Allen. Rozzi also claimed that Allen’s repeated confessions to the murders were “false,” stemming from a mental health crisis during his confinement in a maximum-security prison. Allen, who had initially told authorities he was at the trail the day of the murders, denied killing the girls.
Allen was not Originally a Suspect
Among the key evidence was a .40-caliber unspent cartridge found near the girls’ bodies, which prosecutors linked to Allen’s firearm. The defense, however, argued that markings on the cartridge were “insufficient” and dismissed it as a “magic bullet.”
For years, Allen hadn’t been on investigators’ radar until a misfiled tip sheet from 2017 was rediscovered in 2022. In that tip, Allen had reported being at the trail the day of the murders—a detail initially marked as “clear” in error. Following this discovery, Allen was arrested on October 31, 2022, nearly five years after the killings.
This case has left a profound impact on Delphi, with both the victims’ families and the community grappling for closure. The conviction brings a measure of justice, but questions around Allen’s true role—and his wife’s steadfast defense—linger in the air as his sentencing date approaches.
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