Delphi murders
Also known as: Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German
- Active
- 2017–2017
- Region
- Delphi, Carroll County, Indiana, USA
- State
- IN
- Kind
- Single
- Status
- Convicted
- Victims
- 2
On February 13, 2017, Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, and Liberty "Libby" German, 14, went for a walk on the Monon High Bridge Trail outside Delphi, Indiana, and did not come home. They were found dead in the woods nearby the next day. Libby had recorded a short video and audio of a man on the bridge, which police released in a years-long public appeal. In October 2022 police arrested Richard Allen, a Delphi pharmacy worker who had told investigators he was on the trail that day; a jury convicted him in November 2024 and he was sentenced to 130 years. His appeal was argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals in September 2026 and is pending.
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Victims
We remember the people whose lives were taken.
- Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13 · February 13, 2017
A student at Delphi Community Middle School.
- Liberty "Libby" German, 14 · February 13, 2017
A student at Delphi Community Middle School.
Timeline of locations
- December 2006Allen's home, Delphi (Killer's residence, approximate area)
Allen moved to Delphi in 2006 and worked at the town's CVS pharmacy. Police searched his home after identifying him.
- February 13, 2017Monon High Bridge (Abduction)
Libby's sister dropped the girls off at the trail in the early afternoon. Libby posted a photo of Abby on the abandoned railroad bridge at 2:07 p.m., and recorded a man walking toward them on the bridge. The girls were reported missing that evening.
- February 14, 2017Woods along Deer Creek (Recovery site, approximate area)
Searchers found both girls around noon the next day in the woods on the north bank of Deer Creek, about half a mile east of the bridge. An unfired .40-caliber round found near them was later matched to Allen's pistol.
- October 18, 2024Carroll County Courthouse, Delphi (Court / trial)
Allen's trial began October 18, 2024. The jury convicted him on all counts on November 11, and on December 20 he was sentenced to 130 years in prison.
Watch, listen, read
Listen
- Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders (2020, HLN (Barbara MacDonald and Andrew Iden))
Sources
- Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German (Wikipedia)
- Delphi murders: Convicted killer Richard Allen sentenced to 130 years (ABC News)
- Indiana court hears appeal in Richard Allen Delphi murders case (WNDU)
Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.