By: Andrea Cipriano
“I am very proud to report to you… that today was the day.”
“There are many dates out of life that you’re going to remember,” Nicholas McLeland, the Carroll County Prosecutor, began to say during Monday’s Delphi, Indiana, press conference about the 2017 murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
Richard Allen official mugshot, 2022.
McLeland continued, saying that you’ll remember when you have children, when you get married, when you get your first house — and for everyone in Delphi and many people around the world, they’ll remember the day Abby and Libby went missing…2086 days ago.
Now, McLeland says, many will remember Monday, October 31, 2022, as the day that police confirmed that a man is in custody for the murders of Abby and Libby.
Delphi resident Richard M. Allen, 50, has been charged with two counts of murder.
Police arrested Allen last Wednesday, according to a news release, and formally charged him on Friday before transporting him to White County Jail.
“Today is not a day to celebrate, but the arrest … is sure a major step in leading to a conclusion of this long-term and complex investigation,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told reporters.
New Information, but Many Unanswered Questions
Law enforcement officers have been largely tight-lipped about nearly every aspect and angle of this investigation. The press conference was no different.
“If you’re looking for final details concerning this arrest, today is not that day,” Carter firmly said. “We will not risk [the case’s] integrity before the appropriate time. I am asking for your patience and understanding while our system of due process works.
“The next phase of the investigation continues in the coming months,” Carter added. “If you choose to be critical of our silence, be critical of me, not the front line.”
Abigail Williams (left), Liberty German (right).
Beyond Carter’s plea for patience and understanding, only a few pieces of new information were shared during the press conference.
The investigators shared that the probable cause affidavit that a local judge signed off on for Richard Allen’s arrest will remain sealed. The document detailing the evidence that led to his homicide charges will also stay sealed. With that, questions remain about what degree Allen’s homicide charges are. First Degree? Second Degree? Manslaughter?
We probably won’t know more until January 13th, 2023, when Allen has his preliminary hearing. With that, the trial against him for the murders of Abby and Libby won’t begin until March 20, 2023, at 9:00 am, according to McLeland.
McLeland also shared that Allen is being held without bond and that he has pleaded not guilty.
When asked about how the investigators feel about Richard Allen being a Delphi resident, and that his registered address and presumed place of residence is within 5 minutes of the Monon High Bridge Trail, the investigators were open about the fact that it’s been a difficult pill to swallow. Carter concluded by saying, “We are going to continue a very methodical and continued approach to ensure that if any other person had any other part in this murder, that person or persons will be held accountable.”
Carter let his guard down at the end of his prepared speech for the conference, concluding with a sense of hope about his experience during this investigation so far, and hope for what’s to come:
“I stand before you in this church — the very place where we held our first briefing nearly 6 years ago, just hours after the murders of Abby and Libby. Pulling in today, I wasn’t really sure what emotion I would experience, but peace came over me, and I didn’t expect that to happen, and I hope all of you, with all your different responsibilities you have around the planet today, feel some of that as well — but remember we’re not done. What we all have experienced proves that together, there is nothing we cannot do.”
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