Seven years after the disappearance of Abby Williams and Libby German in Indiana, suspected murderer Richard Allen is on trial

When Liberty German noticed a strange man following her and her best friend, she did what any 14-year-old would do.

She took out her phone and started recording.

Liberty, called Libby by her loved ones, and 13-year-old Abigail Williams disappeared on February 13, 2017, while hiking near their hometown in Indiana, USA.

Their bodies were found a day later.

The video and audio recorded of Libby in the moments before her death would provide the impetus for a five-year hunt for her killer.

Now, seven years after their disappearance, the man accused of murdering the two girls is on trial.

“I remember we were just so happy in the car”

Libby and Abby were both eighth graders at Delphi Community Middle School enjoying a four-day winter break.

Libby had played on softball, soccer, volleyball and swimming teams. She was a member of the school band and participated in academic competitions.

Her sister, Kelsi German, said she and her little sister were excited to start swimming together when Libby started high school the following year.

Abby played saxophone in the school band and was a member of the volleyball team.

She loved reading, photography, animals and nature.

February 13th was an unseasonably warm winter day – the last day of their short winter break – and the girls decided to take advantage of it.

Kelsi German said the girls had a sleepover the night before and “laid awake all night laughing.”

“It was like midnight the night before and they were still awake and I was about to pass out,” she said in a 2022 interview.

“I was upstairs [that day] In the bathroom getting ready when Libby barged in… we were so close we had no privacy, it wasn’t for us.

“She says, ‘Hey, do you want to go to High Bridge today?’ [and] depend’.

“Unfortunately… I had plans [but] A short time later she asked if I could bring her over [and] I said I would if she could find a ride home.

The Monon High Bridge was an abandoned bridge that spanned Deer Creek and was part of historic trails in the girls’ town of Delphi, Indiana.

Abby and Libby agreed to meet back at the trailhead at 3 p.m. so Libby’s father could pick her up.

“I remember we were just so happy sitting in the car listening to Twenty-One Pilots and the windows were open and it was just so warm,” Kelsi said.

At 2:07 p.m., Libby posted a photo on Snapchat showing Abby on the bridge.

When Derrick German arrived at 3:15 p.m., the girls weren’t waiting for him.

Calls to Libby’s phone went unanswered.

Instructions from a Murderer: “Guys…down the hill.”

Police were called and the search for the girls began in the afternoon but was called off around midnight.

The next morning it started again.

According to Indiana State Police, at 12:15 p.m. on Feb. 14, a search team found the bodies of both girls about a half-mile upriver from the bridge.

Her cause of death has not been released.

Days later, police released an image and a three-word audio clip that they said came from Libby’s phone.

In the recording, a man’s voice could be heard saying, “Get down the hill.”

The image was a screenshot of a man walking with his head bowed and his hands in his pockets.

In the months that followed, police received tens of thousands of tips from the public.

They also released a composite sketch of their potential suspect.

At this point, local police, the local sheriff’s department, state police and the FBI were involved in the investigation.

Despite the amount of information and a continually increasing reward, no arrests were made.

In 2019, Indiana State Police announced they were taking the investigation in a new direction.

They released a new sketch, a new clip and a slightly expanded audio – with the word “Guys” before the original, “Down the Hill”.

Superintendent Doug Carter used the announcement to speak directly to the killer “who may be in this room.”

“For more than two years, you never thought we would move to a different investigative strategy, but we did.”

“We probably interviewed you or someone close to you. We know it’s about power for you.”

“And you want to know what we know. Well, one day you will.

“A question for you: What will those close to you think of you when they find out that you brutally murdered two little girls?

“Two children. Only a coward would do something like that.”

Man allegedly seen wearing “muddy and bloody” clothing

On October 31, 2022, more than five years after Libby and Abby were murdered, police announced they had made an arrest.

Richard Matthew Allen, 50, lived in Delphi with his wife and worked at a local CVS Pharmacy.

Libby’s aunt told CNN that Mr. Allen once helped her print photos for Libby’s funeral.

“I was completely confused trying to get the pictures off my phone,” Tara German said.

Mr. Allen pleaded not guilty. In a statement, his lawyers said he had “nothing to hide.”

An arrest warrant quashed by a judge in December 2022 revealed that others on the trail had said they encountered a man dressed similarly to the man in Libby’s video.

The warrant also included a statement from a man who interviewed Mr. Allen in 2017, in which he allegedly admitted to being “on the trail between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.”

“On October 13, 2022, Richard Allen was again interviewed by investigators,” the warrant states.

“He told investigators he was wearing blue jeans and a blue or black Carhartt jacket with a hood [and] He may also have been wearing some kind of head covering.”

A search of Mr. Allen’s home allegedly found “jackets, boots, knives and firearms, including a Sig Sauer Model P226.”

Although police said the girls were killed with a “sharp object,” an unused cartridge found near the crime scene allegedly matched the gun found in Mr. Allen’s home.

“Investigators believe he was seen walking back to his vehicle [with] Clothing that was muddy and bloody,” the arrest warrant continues.

According to court documents released in June 2023, Mr. Allen allegedly confessed to killing the girls during a phone call to his wife from prison on April 3.

Mr. Allen’s lawyers attribute his statements to his deteriorating mental health and the stressful environment in the correctional facility.

The judge overseeing the trial has decided that the statements will be heard by the jury.

Photos and videos from Richard Allen’s trial excluded

Many details of the case were kept secret before the trial.

Anyone who may have information, including Abby and Libby’s families, is prohibited from speaking publicly under a strict confidentiality policy in place since 2022.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin on October 14 and is expected to last three days.

Once selected, the trial is expected to last about a month.

It will not be broadcast live and photography, video and audio recording devices have been banned from the courtroom.

In the now seven years since Abby and Libby’s murders, the case has garnered worldwide attention – inspiring podcasts and documentaries.

Each year, the girls’ families join a local church to host a food drive in their honor.

In 2021, the Delphi community came together for the opening of the Abby & Libby Memorial Park.

The park, built with an estimated $400,000 ($590,000) in donations, has since hosted concerts, softball games and other events.

Mike Patty, Libby’s grandfather, told local media he hopes it will be a gathering place for the community.

“I want [it] to make a positive impact,” he said.

Anna Williams, Abby’s mother, told WRTV she received calls from people offering to help.

“The amphitheater, that was my only thing [I thought] “That would be the coolest thing,” she said.

“Give kids a place to play their music. [Abby] Constantly prancing around the house. Now she would have a stage for it.

“It’s a beautiful place. I think if the girls had been physically with us they would have had fun.”