Delphi murders - update: Richard Allen charged as victim’s family says killer was ‘hiding in plain sight’

The sister of one of the Delphi victims celebrated the announcement that Richard Allen had been charged with their murders more than five years on from the killings.

Kelsi German, sister of Libby German, tweeted on Monday after the police press conference: “We got him. October 28th was the day.”

She shared the mugshot of the man accused of killing her sister and the police press release.

In a followup tweet she added: “*innocent until proven guilty.*”

Richard Allen, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an initial hearing and is being held without bond at White County Jail.

He is due back in court in January 202 for a pre-trial hearing.

His trial date has been set for March.

The sister of one of the Delphi victims has welcomed the news that a suspect has finally been charged with the murders – more than five years after her sister and her best friend were found dead after going on a hike.

Libby German’s sister Kelsi German wrote “we got him” on Twitter on Monday, after police delivered a press conference announing charges had been filed against local man Richard Allen.

“We got him. October 28th was the day,” she tweeted.

Ms German shared Mr Allen’s mugshot and the police press release about the development, adding in a follow-up tweet: “*innocent until proven guilty.*”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

CVS has offered its condolences to the families of Libby German and Abby Williams after it emerged that suspected killer Richard Allen was a company employee.

Mr Allen is a trained pharmaceutical technician and worked at the local CVS store in the heart of Delphi, Indiana – where the two teenagers lived with their families before their brutal murders.

“As members of the Carroll County community, we remain devastated by these murders and our hearts go out to the German and Williams families,” the company said, per local outlet WRTV.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can.”

The man accused of killing teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams in a brutal double murder in 2017 served family members of his victims in his job at the local CVS, it has emerged.

According to WTHR journalist Emily Longnecker, Libby’s grandparents Mike and Becky Patty recall Mr Allen processing photos for them at the store.

The suspected killer didn’t charge them for the photos, they said.

Aside from that, the family members said they don’t know Mr Allen.

Indiana Lt Governor Suzanne Crouch has spoken out about the development in the Delphi case.

In a statement posted on her Facebook page, she wrote: “I want to thank the Indiana State Police and all the other law enforcement and community partners who have worked tirelessly to find closure for the families of Libby German and Abby Williams.

“Although the investigation continues, an arrest has been made.”

She continued to urge anyone with information about the case to submit a tip to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.

A photo has revealed how the local man charged with the 2017 Delphi murders posed for a smiling selfie in front of a police sketch of the suspected killer.

The photo shows Richard Allen, 50, smiling alongside his wife Kathy in a local bar in Delphi, Indiana – the small, closeknit community where he has lived for more than 15 years and where victims Libby German and Abby Williams lived with their families before their brutal killings.

On the wall behind him is a police sketch released by Indiana State Police in 2019 of the man suspected of murdering the teenage best friends. Mr Allen bears some likeness to the drawing.

The selfie was posted by Mr Allen’s wife on Facebook in December 2021 – the same month investigators issued a fresh appeal urging members of the public to come forward with information about an online catfishing account thought to be tied to the murders.

Now, 10 months later, Mr Allen has been arrested and charged with Libby and Abby’s murders.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Richard Allen lived less than a five-minute drive away from where the bodies of Libby and Abby were found, in a neighborhood southwest of the Monon High Bridge.

He has lived in Delphi since at least 2006 and in Indiana his entire adult life, records show.

Mr Allen, 50, is a trained pharmaceutical technician and worked at the local CVS store in the heart of the small town, home to only around 3,000 residents.

The grandfather of victim Libby German has spoken out about learning that his granddaughter’s suspected killer was “hiding in plain sight” in the close-knit Delphi community this whole time.

Mike Patty told reporters after Monday’s press conference that the family does not know suspect Richard Allen but most likely encountered him in their small town of 3,000 people.

“As [Indiana State Police Supt] Doug Carter said that earlier, if you recall. He said he’s hiding in plain sight,” he said.

“And that’s the case. Didn’t know, I don’t know the gentleman personally at all. I’ve probably seen him. It’s a small county. But definitely I don’t know him.”

It’s been more than five years since best friends Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, set off on a walk in their hometown of Delphi, Indiana – never to be seen alive again.

Since then, several local men have fallen under suspicion for their murders.

But no arrests were made, no suspects formally named and one promising lead after the next went cold. Until now.

For the first time, a man has been arrested and charged with the 2017 murders of the teenagers.

Richard Allen, a 50-year-old married Delphi man, was taken into custody on Wednesday (26 October) and booked into Carroll County Jail. He has since been moved to a state facility for his own safety.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story: