For years, the small town of Delphi, Indiana, lived in a cloud of paranoia. People looked at their neighbors and wondered. They looked at the local pharmacy tech and wondered. When Richard Allen was finally arrested in 2022 for the 2017 murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, the question shifted from "who" to a much more haunting "why." Everyone wanted to know: why did Richard Allen kill those two young girls on a cold February afternoon?
The trial in late 2024 finally pulled back the curtain on a case that had been defined by leaked documents and "Odinism" conspiracy theories. It wasn't nearly as cinematic as the internet sleuths hoped. It was grittier. Darker. It was about a man who, according to the prosecution, lived a double life until the weight of his own actions caused a total mental collapse.
The Monon High Bridge and the Moment of Choice
To understand the motive, or the lack of a traditional one, you have to look at the bridge. The Monon High Bridge isn't just a landmark; it’s a trap. When Libby German recorded that grainy video of a man in a blue jacket walking toward them, she captured the start of a nightmare.
Prosecutors argued that Allen didn't go there with a complex manifesto. He went there with a gun and a knife. They painted a picture of a man seeking control. Why did Richard Allen kill? In many ways, the prosecution suggested it was a crime of opportunity fueled by a dark, internal impulse. He forced them off the bridge, down the hill, and into the woods. There was no evidence of a prior relationship. No "reason" that makes sense to a rational mind. It was a predatory strike.
Defense attorneys, of course, fought this tooth and nail. They pointed toward ritualistic killings and other suspects. But the jury didn't buy the "Odinist" theory. They focused on the man in the blue jacket. They focused on the unspent round found at the scene that matched Allen's Sig Sauer P226.
The Confessions: A Window Into a Fractured Mind
The most damning evidence regarding the question of "why" came from Allen’s own mouth. While sitting in Westville Correctional Facility, Richard Allen made over 60 confessions. He didn't just tell the warden; he told his wife. He told his mother.
✨ Don't miss: Melissa Calhoun Satellite High Teacher Dismissal: What Really Happened
"I did it," he reportedly said during a recorded phone call.
These weren't just simple admissions of guilt. He provided details. He talked about the girls' necks. He talked about the knife. He talked about how he felt afterward. The defense tried to argue these were "involuntary" confessions brought on by "Bridgegate"—the psychological toll of being in solitary confinement. They said he was crazy. They said he was eating his own feces and marks on the wall were his only friends.
But the jury saw it differently. They saw a man who was finally cracking under the pressure of a secret he'd kept for five years. When people ask why did Richard Allen kill, they often look for a grand motive. Sometimes, the motive is buried in the pathology of the killer. The prosecution highlighted his "dark side," a side that his neighbors in Delphi never saw while he was bagging their prescriptions at CVS.
The Problem with "Why"
In criminal law, the state doesn't actually have to prove motive. They only have to prove intent. It sounds like a legal technicality, but it’s huge. You don't have to know why a man pulled the trigger to prove he's the one who did it.
However, humans hate that. We crave a narrative. We want to know if it was a botched kidnapping, a sexual assault gone wrong, or a random burst of psychopathic rage. The evidence at the trial suggested a sexual component, though the specifics were shielded from the public for a long time out of respect for the families. Libby and Abby were found partially undressed. The brutality of the scene suggested a level of anger or "overkill" that pointed toward a deeply disturbed individual.
🔗 Read more: Wisconsin Judicial Elections 2025: Why This Race Broke Every Record
The Evidence That Sealed the Verdict
It wasn't just the confessions. It was the "Bridge Man" video.
- The Audio: "Down the hill." Those three words became the haunting refrain of the Delphi investigation. Forensic experts compared the voice to Allen's. It matched the cadence. It matched the tone.
- The Ballistics: That unspent .40 caliber round. It was found between the bodies. Toolmark examiners testified that the markings on the brass matched Allen's handgun to the exclusion of all others.
- The Clothing: Witnesses saw a man matching Allen’s description—and wearing his specific style of clothing—walking away from the bridge, looking "muddy and bloody."
When you put all that together, the "why" starts to matter less than the "how." He was there. He had the gun. He had the opportunity.
Honestly, the defense did a decent job of creating doubt for a while. They brought up names like Brad Holder and talked about Nordic runes made of sticks at the crime scene. It was a wild theory that dominated true-crime podcasts for years. But when the trial actually happened, the "ritual" evidence was flimsy. The sticks weren't arranged in some ancient occult pattern; they were just sticks in a forest.
The Impact on Delphi and the Search for Closure
Delphi is a tiny place. You can't get coffee without seeing someone who knows the families. For years, Richard Allen lived among them. He even processed photos for the families. That is perhaps the most chilling part of the "why."
If he did it for the "thrill" or out of a sense of predatory entitlement, he spent the next half-decade watching the grief of his victims' families from behind a pharmacy counter. That level of compartmentalization is terrifying.
💡 You might also like: Casey Ramirez: The Small Town Benefactor Who Smuggled 400 Pounds of Cocaine
Some people still believe there were others involved. The "acting in concert" language used by prosecutors early on fueled this. But as the trial concluded, it became clear the state was focusing on Allen as the primary actor. Whether he had help or not, the jury was convinced he was the "Bridge Man."
How to Follow the Final Legal Steps
If you’re still trying to piece together the timeline or the psychological profile of the case, there are specific things you should look for in the official court transcripts rather than TikTok summaries.
- Read the Probable Cause Affidavit: It’s the foundational document that explains the initial link between the bullet and Allen’s gun.
- Review the "Confession" Transcripts: Look at the specific wording Allen used when speaking to his wife, Kathy. It's far more revealing than the news snippets.
- Examine the Timeline: The window for the murders was incredibly tight—less than two hours. Understanding how he moved from the bridge to the woods and back to his car is key to understanding the logistics of the crime.
The Delphi case changed how we look at "cold cases." It showed that a single piece of evidence—a video on a teenager's phone—can eventually bring down a killer, even if it takes years of silence to get there. Richard Allen’s conviction doesn't bring Abby and Libby back, but it finally stops the "why" from being a question of who is still walking free among the people of Delphi.
To stay informed on the remaining legal appeals and the final sentencing details, monitor the Indiana dual-court filing system and official press releases from the Carroll County Prosecutor's Office. Avoid speculative forums that continue to push the "Odinist" theories, as these were largely dismissed by the court for lack of forensic backing. Stick to the trial testimony from the forensic pathologists and the electronics experts who mapped the phone pings near the Monon High Bridge.