A Delphi, Indiana, man, Richard Allen, has been arrested for the 2017 murders of eighth-graders Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announced at a news conference Monday.
Best friends Libby and Abby were hiking in rural Delphi when they were killed in broad daylight on February 13, 2017.
The shocking murders struck fear in a small Indiana town and fueled a national conspiracy.
This is the first time that the name of the suspect in the mysterious double murder has been released. The police have not yet revealed how the girl was killed.
Police still ask anyone with information to submit a tip to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.
Delphi murders News Conference
The accused enters a plea of not guilty
The man accused of killing the girls, Richard Allen, had a preliminary hearing and entered a not-guilty plea, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McClelland said.
Allen was taken into custody on Oct. 26 and is being held in the White County Jail, officials said.
He is being held without bond and is due back in court in January, McClelland said.
“Per court order, we cannot talk about the evidence in the probable cause” affidavit, McClelland said.
Prosecutors did not say when Allen became a suspect or whether he knew Abby or Libby.
McClelland said it was “concerning” to him that Allen is a local Delphi resident. He called the arrests “a step in the right direction.”
Police are asking for more information
After the arrest, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said, “I was relieved — and I didn’t expect it to happen.”
He said in a message to the families that he hoped they had “found some peace in this complicated world.”
Carter asked the public to “please keep the tips coming” as the investigation continues.
Videos, recordings, and sketches
In 2017, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls disappeared. In 2019, police released a short video clip – footage taken from Libby’s phone – showing a grainy image of the suspect walking across a bridge near where the girls were last seen.
Police also released the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “guy … down the hill” — that was recovered from Libby’s phone.
In 2019, authorities released a new suspect sketch that authorities said was based on a witness’s recollection of what he saw.