The town of Delphi is small. Kinda the place where everyone knows your business or at least recognizes your truck. So when two girls, Abby Williams and Libby German, didn't come home from their hike on the Monon High Bridge back in 2017, the silence that followed was heavy. It stayed heavy for five years. Then, police arrested Richard Allen, a guy who lived right there and worked at the local CVS.
People have been obsessed with one question ever since: did richard allen do it, or is he a convenient fall guy for a case the state was desperate to close?
Truth is, the answer depends on which part of the evidence you stare at longest. On November 11, 2024, a jury decided he did. They convicted him on all counts. By December 20, 2024, Judge Fran Gull handed down a 130-year sentence. But even with a man behind bars, the internet is still on fire with theories. Honestly, the case is a mess of contradictions.
The Bullet and the Bridge
Prosecutors basically bet the house on a single unspent .40-caliber round. Investigators found it in the dirt between the girls' bodies. They say it "cycled through" Allen’s Sig Sauer handgun. Now, forensics like this can be tricky. It's not like a fingerprint. It’s about tool marks left on the casing.
The defense team absolutely hammered this point. They called it "junk science." They argued that since the bullet wasn't actually fired, the markings were too subjective to prove it came from his specific gun. But the prosecution had a counter: Richard Allen himself admitted he was on the bridge that day. He even told police back in 2017—just days after the murders—that he was there. He said he wore a blue Carhartt-style jacket. That matches the "Bridge Guy" video Libby recorded on her phone right before things went south.
Why Did He Confess 60 Times?
This is where it gets really weird. While he was waiting for trial, Richard Allen reportedly confessed to the murders more than 60 times. He told his wife. He told his mom. He told the prison warden and even the staff psychologist.
"I killed Abby and Libby. I'm sorry."
That’s what the psychologist, Monica Wala, testified he said. She also mentioned he told her he planned to sexually assault them but got spooked by a van. Now, if you’re looking for a smoking gun, a confession to your own mother usually qualifies. But the defense says Allen was in a state of "total psychosis." They claim the months of solitary confinement broke his brain. He was eating his own feces. He was rubbing his head until he went bald. They say these weren't confessions; they were the ramblings of a man who had lost his grip on reality.
The "Odinism" Theory and the Missing DNA
One of the biggest reasons people still ask did richard allen do it is the complete lack of physical DNA. No hair, no skin, no blood from Allen was found on the girls. No DNA from the girls was found in his house or his car. In a double homicide involving a knife—which is a very "close quarters" way to kill—that’s pretty rare.
Then there’s the stuff the jury didn't even get to hear. The defense tried to argue that the girls were victims of a ritualistic sacrifice by "Odinists." They pointed to sticks placed on the bodies in specific patterns. They even named other suspects with ties to this group. The judge blocked most of that. She said there wasn't enough evidence to link those people to the crime scene. For some, this felt like a cover-up. For others, it was just a desperate "hail mary" by a defense team with no other options.
What the Jury Saw
The jurors spent 19 hours deliberating. That’s a long time to sit in a room and argue about a man’s life. They watched the video Libby took. They heard the "down the hill" audio over and over. They saw the photos of the crime scene.
You've got to wonder what tipped the scales. Was it the bullet? Or was it the sheer volume of confessions? To a lot of people, 60 confessions is hard to ignore, even if the person is acting "crazy." The prosecution argued he wasn't crazy; he was guilty and the weight of it finally broke him.
What Happens Now?
Richard Allen is currently serving his 130-year sentence at a facility in Oklahoma, moved there via an interstate compact. His lawyers are already working on an appeal. They’re focusing on the evidence the judge kept out and the way the confessions were handled.
If you’re following this case, here is what to look for next:
- The Appellate Briefs: These will outline exactly why the defense thinks the trial was unfair. They will likely lean hard on the "third-party suspect" evidence that was silenced.
- DNA Technology: As tech improves, there’s always a chance old samples from the scene could be re-tested with more sensitive methods.
- The "Van" Detail: Watch for more investigation into the van Allen mentioned in his confession. If that van can be definitively tied to someone else, the whole case flips.
The legal system says he’s guilty. The community is trying to heal. But until that appeal plays out, the question of whether the right man is in that cell will probably keep people talking for years.
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To stay informed, look for updates on the Indiana Court of Appeals docket. That’s where the real "next chapter" of this story is being written right now.