It was an unseasonably warm February afternoon in 2017 when Abigail Williams and Liberty German set out for a walk on the Monon High Bridge. They never came home. For years, the small town of Delphi, Indiana, was haunted by a grainy video and a haunting voice command: "Down the hill." But as the legal proceedings against Richard Allen have finally unraveled in court, the public has been forced to confront the brutal specifics of the crime. People often ask about the Delphi murders: how were they killed, and the reality is far more chilling than the early rumors suggested. It wasn't a quick or clean event. It was a targeted, violent encounter that left a community scarred and a legal system grappling with complex forensic evidence.
The girls were found on February 14, 2017, about 0.5 miles from the bridge where they were last seen.
The Cause of Death: What the Autopsy Confirms
For years, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department kept the cause of death under wraps to protect the integrity of the investigation. They didn't want "false confessions" or "copycat details" leaking out. However, court documents and testimony from the 2024 trial have shed light on the grim reality. Both Abby and Libby died from sharp force trauma. Essentially, their throats were cut.
The wounds were deep. Forensic experts testified that the weapon used was a sharp object, likely a knife, though the actual murder weapon has never been recovered by police despite extensive searches of the Wabash River. Libby German, who was found mostly nude, fought back. Her injuries suggested a struggle. Abby Williams, found wearing Libby's clothes, appeared to have succumbed to her injuries in a different manner, though the "how" remains tragically similar.
It's a heavy thing to process. This wasn't a shooting. It wasn't an accidental fall from the high bridge. It was an intentional, close-quarters act of violence. This level of brutality is what led investigators to believe early on that they might be looking for someone with a specific "signature" or someone who had lost control in a moment of extreme rage.
The Crime Scene and the "Signature" Elements
If you've followed the case, you know the rumors about "ritualistic" elements. This is where things get complicated. Richard Allen’s defense team, led by Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi, spent a significant amount of time pushing the "Odinism" theory. They claimed the girls were positioned in a way that mimicked Norse pagan rituals, with sticks and branches placed over their bodies in specific patterns.
The prosecution, however, tells a different story. They argue that the sticks weren't symbols, but a poor attempt to hide the bodies.
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- Libby was found lying on her left side.
- Abby was positioned on her back.
- Blood was found on trees nearby, specifically a "U" shape and what some interpreted as "F" markings.
- The placement of the clothing was erratic—Libby was missing her clothes, while Abby was dressed in some of Libby's items.
Honestly, the crime scene was a mess of contradictory clues. Was it a ritual? Or was it just a panicked killer trying to cover his tracks in the woods before someone spotted him? Dr. Roland Kohr, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies, noted that the lack of a large volume of blood at the scene suggested the girls might have been killed elsewhere or that the ground soaked up the evidence quickly. But the physical evidence—the cuts—remains the definitive answer to how they were killed.
The Bullet: The Smoking Gun or a Red Herring?
When we talk about how they were killed, we have to talk about the unspent .40 caliber round. This is the lynchpin of the case against Richard Allen. Investigators found an unspent bullet between the girls' bodies. Using tool-mark analysis, State Police technicians claimed the round had been "cycled" through Allen’s Sig Sauer P226.
Wait. A bullet? If they were killed with a knife, why the bullet?
The theory is that the killer used the gun to intimidate the girls—to force them "down the hill." At some point, he likely racked the slide to show them it was loaded, and an unspent round popped out into the leaves. He didn't stop to pick it up. He couldn't. He was busy.
This piece of evidence is controversial. Defense experts argue that tool-mark identification isn't a "hard science" like DNA. They say you can't definitively link a non-fired bullet to a specific gun with 100% certainty. But for the prosecution, it’s the bridge between Richard Allen and the specific spot where Abby and Libby took their last breaths.
Why the "How" Matters for the Conviction
Understanding the Delphi murders: how were they killed isn't just about morbid curiosity. It’s about the timeline. The prosecution argues that Allen had a very narrow window of time to commit these murders.
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Between 2:13 PM (when the video was taken) and 3:57 PM (when Libby’s father arrived), the killer had to:
- Corral two athletic teenagers across a creek.
- Subdue them.
- Commit the acts of violence.
- Stage the scene or attempt to hide the bodies.
- Exit the woods.
It’s a tight squeeze. Some skeptics say it’s almost impossible for one man to do this alone without more noise or more struggle. Yet, the state insists Allen is the man on the bridge. They point to his own "confessions" made during recorded jailhouse calls to his wife and mother. In those calls, Allen reportedly admitted to killing the girls, though his defense claims these were the ramblings of a man broken by solitary confinement and declining mental health.
Common Misconceptions About the Deaths
Social media has been a breeding ground for bad info on this case. You've probably seen the theories. Let's clear some up.
They weren't strangled. While there were marks on the necks, the primary cause of death was the sharp force trauma (the cuts).
They weren't "posed" in trees. They were on the ground. The sticks were on them, not holding them up.
There was no DNA "match" to Richard Allen. This is the big one. There was no hair, no skin under the fingernails, and no semen that linked Allen to the girls. The case is almost entirely circumstantial, built on the bullet, the video, and Allen's presence at the trails that day.
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Basically, the "how" was brutal and manual. It required a killer who was comfortable with a blade and willing to get close. It wasn't a distance crime. It was intimate and horrifying.
The Impact of the "Bridge Man" Video
We can't discuss the murders without Libby's bravery. She had the presence of mind to record her killer. The video shows a man in a blue jacket and jeans walking with a specific gait.
How did he kill them? He used the environment. The Monon High Bridge is sixty feet above the ground and has no railings. It’s a trap. Once you're out in the middle, there's nowhere to go but forward or back. By approaching from the end, the killer effectively cornered them.
The audio—"Guys... down the hill"—suggests a level of control. He wasn't screaming. He was commanding. This suggests he may have done this before, or at least had a plan. The transition from that calm command to the violent end in the woods is what makes this case particularly haunting for investigators.
How to Stay Informed and Act
The Delphi case is a masterclass in how modern forensics and old-school police work collide. If you want to understand the full scope of the evidence beyond the headlines, you should look into the unsealed "Franks Memo" filed by the defense. It contains the most granular (and graphic) details of the crime scene ever released to the public.
For those looking to support justice in cases like this, here are the best steps to take:
- Follow Official Court Transcripts: Avoid the "True Crime" TikTokers who monetize rumors. Read the actual testimony from the Carroll County Clerk's office.
- Support Cold Case Initiatives: The Delphi case took six years to see an arrest. Many others don't get that resources. Organizations like the Cold Case Foundation help provide forensic tools to small-town departments.
- Digital Safety Education: Libby German’s use of her phone was heroic. Teach the younger people in your life how to use emergency SOS features on their devices (like tapping the power button five times on an iPhone) to record audio or alert authorities discreetly.
The resolution of the Delphi case won't bring Abby and Libby back, but understanding the hard facts of what happened in those woods is the only way to ensure the right person is held accountable. The "how" is painful, but the "who" and the "why" are what the justice system is still fighting to finalize. Stay focused on the evidence. The truth usually hides in the details the public overlooks.