5 Years Later, an Arrest in Murder of 2 Girls

Libby German and Abigail Williams were killed while hiking in Indiana
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2022 9:52 AM CDT
5 Years Later, an Arrest in Murder of 2 Girls
Grandparents of victim Liberty German, Becky Patty, left, and her husband, Mike Patty, speak during a news conference in 2017.   (J. Kyle Keener/The Pharos-Tribune via AP, File)

Police in Indiana have made an arrest in the high-profile slaying of two girls out for a hike in Indiana five years ago. Richard Allen, 50, faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, reports FOX59. Before the girls were killed near their small hometown of Delphi, Liberty (known as Libby) recorded a man telling them to go "down the hill." She also captured photos of a man with her phone. The unsolved case had "haunted" Delphi, which has a population of about 3,000, per the AP.

The evidence against Allen is temporarily sealed, according to the Indiana State Police. He's currently being held without bond and entered a plea of not guilty on Friday. The girls went for a hike on the Delphi Historic Trails network on Feb. 13, 2017, and their bodies were discovered the next day. Allen hasn't previously been named publicly as a suspect, per FOX59, which adds that he's believed to have worked at a local CVS. His arrest is "a major step in leading to the conclusion of this long-term and complex investigation," said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, per CNN. (More Liberty German stories.)

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