Delphi Murders Verdict

Image credits: Macy Sinreich / NBC News; AP; Journal & Courier

The Delphi murders case has finally seen a verdict, with Richard Allen being found guilty of murdering 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams in Delphi, Indiana. The case drew nationwide attention due to the grim evidence uncovered, including a brief, grainy Snapchat video recorded on Libby's cellphone, which showed a possible suspect known as "the bridge guy." The murders remained unsolved until 2022, when a volunteer helping organize thousands of tips in the case discovered a mislabeled "lead sheet" from years earlier with Allen's name on it.

At trial, the prosecution argued that Allen used power and fear to force Abby and Libby down a hill near a then-abandoned rail bridge and cut their throats on February 13, 2017. The girls had the day off from school and had gone to hang out at Monon High Bridge Trail, where they disappeared that afternoon, and their bodies were found the next day. The prosecution pointed to dozens of murder confessions Allen made during his pretrial detention to prison officials, a prison psychologist, and his wife, as well as a .40-caliber bullet found at the crime scene that was matched to a gun belonging to Allen through a ballistics analysis.

The defense lawyers described Allen as an innocent man who denied having killed the girls and provided a false confession only after being held in an environment compared to solitary confinement. They also disputed the results of the ballistics analysis and sought to present an alternative theory to the crime, suggesting that the girls were killed as part of a ritual sacrifice linked to a pagan Norse religion known as "Odinism." However, the judge overseeing the trial barred the lawyers from presenting this evidence, and Allen was ultimately sentenced to 130 years in prison.

The case has been extensively covered by Dateline, with the team spending years researching and investigating the murders. In an interview, Dateline Producer Marianne O'Donnell described the case as "heartfelt" and unique in many ways, with many twists and turns. The team spent about two weeks shooting interviews in Indiana and worked tirelessly to write and edit the show, a process that took weeks. The episode, "A Walk Through the Woods," aired on February 21, providing an in-depth look at the investigation and the events surrounding the murders.

The reaction of Richard Allen when confronted with the evidence was telling, with Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett revealing that Allen bristled and became nervous when shown the image of Bridge Guy. The search of Allen's home revealed a "Bridge Guy starter kit" including blue jeans and a Carhartt jacket matching the outfit seen on the man in the video, as well as a Sig Sauer Model P226 pistol that Allen said only he had access to. The case has brought some sense of peace to the victims' families, but they acknowledge that it does not bring closure, and the pain of losing their loved ones will always remain.