Richard Allen found guilty of double murder in teens’ 2017 deaths

The previous CVS clerk charged within the 2017 killings of two center college women was convicted of homicide Monday in a case that shook the small Indiana city of Delphi.

The jury reached its verdict after a four-week trial during which Richard Allen, 52, pleaded not responsible to homicide fees within the Feb. 13, 2017, slayings of shut pals Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.

Allen is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20.

A gag order remained in impact, NBC affiliate WTHR of Indianapolis reported. A spokesperson for Indiana State Police, which investigated the killings, declined to remark due to the order, in keeping with the station.

“This is not over in any respect,” Allen’s spouse tearfully instructed reporters, WTHR reported.

The jury heard from dozens of witnesses who testified over 17 days. It deliberated for 4 days.

Abigail and Liberty had been hanging out at Monon Excessive Bridge Path in Delphi, north of Indianapolis, when, prosecutors stated, Allen used “energy and concern” to pressure them down a hill and lower their throats.

In his closing argument Thursday, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland recognized Allen as “the bridge man” — a person seen in a Snapchat video strolling on a then-abandoned bridge alongside the path.

Authorities launched the video, which was captured on Liberty’s cellphone the day she died, in an effort to establish the person.

“Now all of the items are clear,” McLeland stated, in keeping with WTHR. “Richard Allen is the ‘bridge man.’ He kidnapped them and later murdered them. He slit their throats. He stole the youth and life away from Abby and Libby.” 

Protection legal professional Brad Rozzi challenged that conclusion, saying witnesses who testified that they noticed “the bridge man” gave bodily descriptions that didn’t match Allen, the station reported.

Rozzi additionally described Allen’s repeated confessions to the homicide as “false,” in keeping with the station.

In an interview with authorities earlier than his 2022 arrest, Allen acknowledged that he had been on the path the day of the women’ deaths, however he repeatedly denied having killed them.

Allen was held in solitary confinement in a maximum-security jail whereas he awaited trial. Rozzi attributed the confessions to a psychological well being disaster.

“When the mud settled, he was there for 13 months,” Rozzi stated, in keeping with WTHR. “How a lot can one human endure?” 

Along with the Snapchat video and witness accounts, prosecutors pointed to an unspent .40-caliber cartridge that was discovered close to the women’ our bodies, which authorities stated got here from Allen’s gun.

The protection referred to as the markings on the cartridge “inadequate” to hyperlink the bullet to Allen’s gun. In his closing argument, Rozzi referred to the cartridge as “a magic bullet,” WTHR reported.

Allen, a former CVS clerk, was not a suspect till a file clerk organizing 1000’s of suggestions found a mislabeled “lead sheet” in September 2022.

The doc, which had incorrectly been marked “clear,” confirmed that Allen reached out to investigators days after the killings and stated he had been on the identical location as the women on the day they disappeared.

Authorities introduced Allen’s arrest on Oct. 31, 2022, weeks after the invention.