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Richard Allen killed teenagers Liberty German and Abigail Williams on Feb. 13, 2017
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It’s been nearly a decade since Liberty “Libby” German and Abigail “Abby” Williams, who were 14 and 13 years old, were killed in a double homicide.
The best friends were on a hike together near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Ind., on Feb. 13, 2017, but when they failed to meet up with their parents, they were reported missing. The following day, Libby and Abby were found dead near an adjacent creek.
Before the girls were killed, Libby took a grainy video of a man who was following them closely on the bridge. However, even with the video of the primary suspect — later called the “Bridge Guy” — the case still went unsolved for nearly five years.
In October 2022, though, Allen was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and he pleaded not guilty. Nearly two years later, he was found guilty and sentenced to 130 years in prison.
So, where is Richard Allen now? Here’s everything to know about the Delphi murderer’s life in prison.
Who is Richard Allen?
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Allen is a former Delphi resident who was found guilty in November 2024, at 50 years old, of murdering two teenage girls — Libby and Abby — years earlier in his hometown.
Following his arrest, Libby’s grandparents, Mike and Becky Patty, told reporters that while they did not know Allen, he worked at a CVS in Delphi and once processed photos for the family.
What happened to Liberty German and Abigail Williams?
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On Feb. 13, 2017, Libby and Abby were dropped off near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi for a day of hiking and were expected to be picked up by family later that afternoon. When they didn’t appear at the designated pickup spot, they were reported missing.
The next day, the young girls were found dead near the edge of a creek, with their throats slit and an unspent 40 caliber bullet lying between them.
Officials discovered that there was a video taken on one of the girls’ phones that showed a man following them on the bridge and saying “down the hill” to the two of them.
At a press conference days later, police deemed Libby a “hero” for having taken the video moments before her death.
“This young lady’s a hero, there’s no doubt about it,” Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Tony Slocum said. “To activate the video system on her cell phone to record criminal behavior that’s about to occur … there’s no doubt in our minds that [this] young lady is a hero.”
How was Richard Allen caught?
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For the five years that the case sat unsolved, Libby and Abby’s killer was known as “Bridge Guy.” However, in 2022, a tip that had been reviewed and cleared in 2017 was resurfaced, bringing new focus on Allen’s connection to the case.
Per reports from WLFI, Fox 59 and the Journal & Courier, volunteer receptionist Kathy Shank testified that she found the tip, which consisted of Allen reporting that he was on the trail at the time of the murders.
Though it had been previously cleared, the tip caught Shank’s attention, given that three girls had reported seeing a man on the trail. After searching his home, authorities then matched a gun in Allen’s possession with the bullet found on the scene, leading to his arrest.
What was Richard Allen charged with?
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In October 2022, Allen was arrested and charged with two counts of murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. Per CNN, prosecutors later added two additional charges for murder while committing or attempting to commit kidnapping.
While he was in prison, a state trooper listened to 700 of Allen’s calls, later testifying that the voice of the “Bridge Guy” belonged to him, per CNN. Prosecutors also claimed that among those calls was a confession from Allen to his wife.
“I did it,” he reportedly said, per WTHR. “I killed Abby and Libby.”
According to Fox 59, Allen’s defense team attempted to have the alleged confession tossed, claiming that he was in a declining mental state at the time of the phone call. Previous defense motions have also claimed that Libby and Abby’s murders were actually a ritual sacrifice committed by Odinists, members of a pagan religion linked with White nationalism, per CNN.
In December 2024, Allen was sentenced to 130 years in prison, one month after he was found guilty of all four counts in connection with Libby and Abby’s deaths. Per The New York Times, Allen received the maximum sentence possible.
Where is Richard Allen now?
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Following Allen’s sentencing, his defense team planned to appeal the verdict, according to The New York Times. Per the outlet, they noted in a memo that Allen maintained his innocence and hoped to be able to “present a full defense at a second trial.”
As of July 2025, Allen had been moved to The Lexington Assessment and Reception Center, a maximum-security prison, in Oklahoma, per local news outlet WRTV. According to the outlet, his defense team filed their appeal in March 2025, detailing four alleged missteps that they feel are significant enough to warrant an overturning of the jury’s verdict.
The August 2025 Hulu documentary Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge features interviews with Libby and Abby’s family members, investigators and Allen’s defense attorneys. In it, Allen’s wife, Kathy, spoke out for the first time and maintained her husband’s innocence, per the trailer.
“He’s not the monster that people think he is,” she said, according to ABC.