Richard Allen found guilty on all counts in Delphi double murder trial

A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls and leaving their bodies near a hiking path in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017, according to CNN affiliate WISH. Allen has pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder and two charges of felony murder.

Richard Allen has been found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder in the highly publicized Delphi murder trial, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. Prosecutors say Allen killed 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German in 2017, cutting their throats and leaving their bodies near a trail in Delphi, Indiana. The case went cold for more than five years until Allen was arrested in 2022. The jury spent about 19 hours deliberating before reaching a verdict. “Regardless of what the verdict is, people aren’t going to be happy,” said Special Judge Frances Gull ahead of the verdict, WTHR reported. Richard Allen sat emotionless as the guilty verdict was read, WTHR reported. His lawyers comforted him before he was handcuffed and led away from the courtroom. The judge left the gag order restricting involved parties from speaking on the case in place until Allen is sentenced December 20. Allen could be sentenced to up to 130 years in prison, The Associated Press reported. Crying as she left the courthouse, Libby’s grandmother, Becky Patty, hugged family members, WTHR reported. The crowd outside erupted into applause and cheers outside the courtroom after the guilty verdict was announced, according to WTHR. Some spectators held signs showing their support for Allen, while others expressed their desire for a guilty verdict, according to CNN affiliate WISH.