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    • Richard Allen was found guilty of the murders of Libby German, Abby Williams
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    Richard Allen was found guilty of the murders of Libby German, Abby Williams

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    DELPHI, Ind. “Monday, a jury of five men and seven women.” found Richard Allen guilty of all four charges of death a Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.

    The jury convicted the 52-year-old Delphi man of two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping the girls. The long-awaited decision in one of the most important murder cases in Indiana it comes after more than seven years of investigation, nearly three weeks of testimony and about 18 hours of deliberations spread over four days.

    The verdict is an affirmation of the years-long and sometimes criticized inquest into the girls’ deaths on February 13, 2017. While it may provide some closure for their families, the jury’s decision is unlikely to be the end of the case that it generated a circus-like atmosphere, created deep divisions among members of the public, and became the subject of widespread misinformation and conspiracy theories.

    Guilty in every way: Jurors convicted Richard Allen of murdering Abby and Libby

    That Special Judge Frances Gull clear before the verdicts are announced just after 2pm, the result is unlikely to calm the long-troubled waters.

    “No matter what the verdict is,” she said, “people are not going to be happy.”

    There was a gasp, followed by quiet sobs, from Libby’s family members after the guilty verdict on the first count of murder was announced. Libby’s mother, Carrie German Timmons, hugged the woman sitting next to her. After everyone was allowed to leave, Libby’s relatives stayed to hug and thank Carroll County District Attorney Nicholas McLeland.

    Allen’s family members stood in a corner near the courtroom door, surrounding and comforting his wife, Kathy Allen.

    Outside the court, people started shouting “guilty”. A few burst into cheers.

    What’s next?

    Allen, who is certain to appeal, will return to court for sentencing at 9 a.m. on Dec. 20. Allen faces 90 to 130 years in prison. If he loses his appeal, he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

    Gull previously issued an order barring law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys and families from speaking publicly about the case. Capt. Ron Galaviz, chief public information officer for the Indiana State Police, told reporters Monday that the gag order will remain in effect until the judge lifts it.

    Victims’ families are allowed to issue impact statements during sentencing hearings. Most of Abby and Libby’s relatives have remained silent since Allen was arrested just over two years ago.

    “It’s not over… There’s still waiting, but in the end it was a good day for families… It’s not like there’s real justice or anything. The girls are still out. And now, there’s another family that is devastated. forever,” said Aspen Conner, a North Carolina man who has followed the case from the beginning and traveled to Delphi to watch the trial. “It’s a good day for the families, but it’s also a day sad my biggest hope is that families to be able to close this chapter and at least begin to find a way to see what’s next in their healing process.”

    In the “bizarre” case of the Delphi murders: Leaked evidence, suicide, odinists and legal mayhem

    Sarah Ausbrook was sitting on a windowsill on the east side of the courthouse when she got a call that the jury had reached a verdict.

    “I hope this means the community can start to heal,” said Ausbrook, a family friend of the girls. “For a while, I thought every man here was a ‘Bridge Guy.’

    Kelsi German Siebert, Libby’s older sister, later posted a picture of the two teenagers smiling and wearing neon glasses. The caption reads: “Almost 8 years today was the day.” She ended the Instagram post with two heart emojis in the girls’ favorite colors.

    “Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. We really couldn’t have gotten here without them,” Siebert posted in a separate Instagram story. “I’ll share my thoughts once the gag order is lifted and the Holidays roll into December.”

    A recap of the case

    Abby, 13, and her best friend, Libby, 14, took a hike on the Monon High Bridge Trail that afternoon. Allen, prosecutors alleged, followed the girls onto the high bridge, forced them down a hill and into a nearby forest, where he killed them by slitting their throats.

    The case against Allen rested largely on a unspent round found among the bodies of the girls that investigators claimed had been cycled Allen’s Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40 caliber pistol and on dozens of confessions Allen did awaiting trial in prison.

    In a confession at Dr. Monica Walahis therapist at Westville Correctional Center, Allen said he forced it the girls went into the woods and he planned to rape them, but was spooked by a van driving into a nearby private facility, so he drove them across Deer Creek and killed them. according to Wala’s notes. That vehicle belonged to him Brad Weber who testified he was driving to his home by the footpath around 2:30 p.m., minutes after the girls were believed to have been abducted.

    That van, Carroll County Attorney Nicholas McLeland he said in closing arguments Thursdayit was a “only the killer would know” detail.

    Another key piece of evidence prosecutors focused on is 43 second video that Libby took a few moments after she and Abby disappeared from the trail. The video showed a man known as “Bridge type” following Abby as she crossed the high bridge. Towards the end of the video, the man told the girls, “Go down the hill.”

    “The state has shown that Richard Allen is Bridge Guy,” McLeland told jurors, citing testimony from Indiana State Police Commander Brian Harshman, who testified became familiar with Allen’s voice after listening to 700 calls he made in prison. Bridge Guy’s voice is Allen’s voice, Harshman told jurors.

    Burden of justice: Jurors in the Delphi murder case will face unimaginable pressure, a life-changing decision

    Defense attorneys countered that Allen is an innocent and mentally fragile man whose months of isolation at Westville led him to psychosis and false confessions. In his closing argumentBradley Rozzi urged jurors to acknowledge the dubiousness of the years-long investigation into the girls’ deaths.

    “You would have to question the credibility of this investigation because of the things they didn’t tell you,” Rozzi told jurors.

    Rozzi repeatedly pointed out what the defense considered a critical flaw in the state’s version of events: a gaping hole for five hours while someone had plugged a headphone jack into Libby’s phone. Defense testimony digital forensics expert casts doubt on the prosecution’s theory that the girls were killed earlier that afternoon and their bodies were left in the woods, untouched for hours until first responders found them the next day.

    Defense attorneys called even more experts to rebut Wala’s testimony that Allen was faking psychosis. A neuropsychologist he told the jurors that the months of isolation exacerbated Allen’s depression and dependent personality disorder and drove him to psychosis. A psychiatrist and expert on isolation he told the jurors that Allen’s behavior and mental state at Westville are “perfectly consistent” with the effects of prolonged solitary confinement.

    “When is someone going to say something is wrong here? Where is the moral compass? Rozzi he told the jurors in his closing argument. “You are the moral compass.”

    Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or at [email protected].

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