DELPHI, Ind. – Documents unsealed Wednesday in the 2017 Delphi murders provide new insight into the case against Richard Allen.
They also reveal for the first time publicly how investigators believe Abby Williams and Libby German were killed. Allen County Judge Frances Gull, assigned to oversee the high-profile case, unsealed nearly 120 documents Wednesday.
You can find the documents here.
The documents reveal, among other things, that Allen admitted to his wife during a phone call that he was responsible for killing the teens.
The state’s response to a defense motion to suppress evidence revealed for the first time publicly that investigators believed a knife was used to kill the girls. The document also includes the search warrant and search warrant return.
“Autopsies of the girls ruled their deaths as homicides and their wounds were caused by sharp object,” according to the documents.
Investigators also determined that “articles of clothing from the girls were missing from the scene, including a pair of underwear and a sock.”
The search warrant shows investigators were looking for firearms and knives at Allen’s home in Delphi, along with knives, electronic devices, clothing and a specific cell phone. Investigators wanted to search the property, including outbuildings, a shed and Allen’s car.
Law enforcement recovered numerous items from Allen’s property, including boots, multiple knives and sweatshirts, the Sig Sauer P226 that prosecutors believe link Allen to the case, multiple cell phones, an iPod, hard drive, laptop and other electronics.
A separate document revealed that Allen admitted to the murders on April 3, 2023, during a phone call with his wife. She ended the call abruptly, according to court documents.
“Investigators had the phone call transcribed and the transcription confirms that Richard Allen admits that he committed the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German,” the document said. “He admits several times within the phone call that he committed the offenses as charged.”
Allen’s attorneys argued that he’s under great physical and mental duress because of his time in captivity and don’t believe his admission is reliable. Prosecutors countered, however, that Allen’s behavior changed drastically after the April 3 admission. He hasn’t made a single phone call since then, and had to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
By April 14, according to court documents, Allen’s strange behavior began to subside and he was eating and sleeping regularly once more.
Allen first talked to investigators about the case in 2017, when he told a conservation officer he’d been on the trail on the day of the murders. That information resurfaced in October 2022, when investigators took a second look at Allen and interviewed him.
He told police he had guns and knives in his home. He also admitted he had clothing similar to the one worn by the infamous “Bridge Guy” in a video that is one of the key pieces of evidence released in the case. Libby German had recorded the video, investigators said.
His wife confirmed to police that Allen owned several guns and knives. He also had a blue Carhartt jacket similar to the one worn by “Bridge Guy.”
Based on statements from Allen and eyewitnesses, police applied for a search warrant. Law enforcement conducted a search of Allen’s home on Oct. 13, 2022.
An analysis from the Indiana State Police Laboratory determined that a bullet found next to the girls’ bodies had been cycled through Allen’s gun, although Allen’s defense attorneys are contesting that evidence.
