Richard Allen, a CVS worker, was found guilty on Monday, November 11th, of killing two teenage girls, Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, in Delphi, Indiana, back in 2017.
"Allen was found guilty on two counts of murder and two additional counts of murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping," Associated Press reported.
NBC affiliate WTHR stated that Allen remained indifferent as the verdict was read. However, Allen's wife, Kathy, vowed, "This isn't over at all," as she left the courtroom. After his arrest, Allen reportedly confessed to killing the two teens over 60 times. He confessed to killing the girls to his wife several times over phone calls.
Richard Allen allegedly confessed to his wife about killing two teenage girls
In February 2017, two best friends, Libby and Abby, went missing while hiking on the Monon High Bridge. A day later, their bodies were found near the woods. After several years of investigation, the Indiana state police arrested Richard Allen, the prime suspect in the Delphi murders case.
Allen and his wife Kathy lived less than a five-minute drive away from where the bodies of Libby and Abby were found. The video and audio recordings found from the girl's phone also indicated Allen as the prime suspect in this case. Even though he initially pleaded "not guilty," there were several occasions where he allegedly admitted to killing the girls.
Indiana State Police Detective Brian Harshman testified against Allen and claimed that he had made the confessions mainly to phone calls to his wife and mother. "The confessions first began in March 2023," Harshman explained to The Independent. "He spoke very specifically about the details of the crime," he added.
In one call, Allen reportedly told his wife:
"I did it. I killed Abby and Libby." To which Kathy replied, "No, you didn't." Allen said, "Yes, I did," ABC News reported.
In another call, Allen told Kathy:
"I think maybe I've lost my mind. ... I need you to know I did this." She replied, "No, you haven't. You're unwell."
In a separate call, Allen confessed to his wife:
"If I get the electric chair or the death penalty, will you be there for me? I killed Abby and Libby," added the outlet.
Allen also reportedly confessed to both the corrections officers and a prison psychologist, according to their testimonies. However, Allen's mental state while in custody has come into question. According to testimony from corrections officers:
"Allen's strange behavior in custody included hitting his head on the wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, and eating paper," among other things.
Allen’s half-sister, Jamie Jones, and his daughter, Brittany Zapanta, both testified at the trial, as per WTHR:
Both were asked, "Did Richard Allen ever molest you?" To which both answered "No."
They were also asked:
"Would you lie for him?" Both answered "No."
Attorney James Luttrell asked Zapanta if Allen ever took her out on the trails where Lobby and Abby went missing, to which she said yes.
Allen was connected to the case by a bullet found at the crime scene. However, his attorneys offered up various new suspects, including the belief that the crime was a "ritual murder" by four local individuals, members of the Norse religion, Odinism. However, the judge dismissed the Ordinism theory.
At the time of his arrest, Allen was an employee at the local CVS store. CVS offered its condolences:
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"As members of the Carroll County community, we remain devastated by these murders, and our hearts go out to the German and Williams families," the company said in a statement following his arrest. "We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can."
Allen is going to be sentenced on December 20th and he faces up to 130 years in prison.
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