Richard Allen sentenced to 130 years for Indiana double murder

Richard Allen, an American man convicted last month of the murders of two teenagers in Indiana, has been sentenced to 130 years of imprisonment for their deaths. The remains of Liberty German, aged 14, and Abigail Williams, aged 13, were discovered in 2017 close to their hometown of Delphi. This case, which remained unsolved for years, drew significant interest from true-crime enthusiasts and garnered national attention, partly because one of the victims captured potential evidence on her phone, including audio and a Snapchat video depicting a possible suspect. Allen, 52, received a sentence of 65 years for each victim, as reported by various media outlets. On Friday, Mike Patty, Liberty German’s grandfather, conveyed his appreciation to the jurors, stating he would “forever be grateful for their work,” alongside that of the prosecutors and investigators. He also extended his thanks to the community, which he noted had supported the families of the young victims “from day one and continues to lift us up.” Speaking at a press conference following the sentencing hearing, Patty remarked, “It’s been almost eight years coming.” He added, “If I live to make it 80, almost 10% of my life has been spent working on this.” The bodies of the two girls, bearing cuts to their throats, were discovered in February 2017 near an abandoned railway bridge, close to where they had been left for a hike. Liberty German’s phone had captured audio of a male voice instructing the girls to go “down the hill” and had also taken a photograph of a man walking near the trail. Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett stated that the girls’ deaths had impacted the local community, expressing his hope that the conviction and sentencing would provide reassurance to residents regarding security. He remarked, “A form of justice was served, but it does not bring Abby or Libby back.” Liggett added, “These families will live every day without two of the most important people in their lives.” He also offered an apology to the families, saying, “that it took eight years for us to get to this point.” Richard Allen, a pharmacist from the area, was initially interviewed as a potential witness shortly after the crime occurred. He was re-interviewed five years later when law enforcement connected his firearm to an unspent bullet discovered at the crime scene. Despite receiving thousands of tips, police did not concentrate their investigation on Allen until 2022, following a re-evaluation of previous suspects. He was apprehended in the same year. During his trial, prosecutors asserted that Allen had confessed to the murders on multiple occasions while incarcerated and presented the jury with a recording in which he purportedly admitted to his wife that he had committed the offenses. Defense attorneys, however, argued that Allen was not mentally sound when he made these admissions of guilt.