Richard Allen has been charged with the murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German, two best friends who were found slain in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017. The investigation is ongoing.
It took five years, but cops say they've finally cracked the case of two young teens found dead near a railroad bridge in Delphi, Indiana.
Officials have arrested 50-year-old Richard Allen and charged him with the 2017 murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German.
At a news conference Monday, Abby's grandfather wiped away tears. Becky Patty, Libby’s grandmother, was also there and spoke to reporters.
“I don't feel like I thought I would. I've always said that I would be screaming from the rooftops, but we’re not. It’s sad,” Patty said.
Authorities revealed that Allen is being held without bond, but they were tight-lipped about the details of the murder case that America has followed for more than five years.
Allen lives two miles from the spot where the girls were found slain.
“It’s concerning that he’s a local guy,” Carroll County prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said.
Allen worked at a local CVS drug store and even processed photos that Libby's family had picked out for her funeral. Becky Patty said he didn’t charge the family when they came into the store to claim the photos.
“People who we've talked to from this town, who interacted with him, had nothing but pleasant things to say about him — just being a nice, quiet individual,” said Aine Cain, cohost of true crime podcast “The Murder Sheet.”
One photo reportedly shows Allen's daughter at the same railway tracks the girls went to the day they were slain and took a grainy video of their alleged killer saying, “Down the Hill.” The photo of Allen's daughter at the tracks was posted to Facebook a year later. There is no suggestion she has any connection to the slayings.
An extraordinary photo of Allen has a police sketch of the suspect hanging in the background.
Retired high school teacher Joe Saurynck is Allen's neighbor and also knows Libby and Abby's families.
“I'm sure that it brings some solace to them,” Saurynck said.
Allen has pleaded not guilty, and police say the investigation is far from over.
