An Indiana courtroom is set to host a sentencing hearing for Richard Allen, who was recently convicted of the 2017 killings of two teenage girls, Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14. The jury found Allen guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder and he faces up to 130 years in prison.
During his trial, prosecutors presented evidence including an unspent bullet at the crime scene matching a firearm recovered from Allen’s home, as well as his confessions in prison. The defense argued that Allen’s mental state was declining at the time of his confessions and that he made false statements.
One key piece of evidence was a video recorded by Libby on her phone, which showed her and Abby walking with an unknown man wearing a hat and blue utility jacket. Prosecutors argued that Allen is the man in the video, known as “Bridge Guy.” Allen has maintained his innocence and his lawyers have filed a motion indicating they will not present evidence at the sentencing and will focus on an appeal.
The jury was shown 43 seconds of the video, which showed Libby and Abby walking with the man at 2:13 p.m., less than 25 minutes after they were dropped off at the trail. The man in the video can be heard saying “Guys, down the hill.” Prosecutors also presented testimony from witnesses who saw Allen on the trail around the same time the girls disappeared, and recovered a similar blue utility jacket from Allen’s home.
Allen confessed to killing the girls in one jailhouse confession, saying he wanted to rape them but was spooked by a van driving nearby, at which point he decided to kill them. His lawyers argued that his declining mental stability led him to make false statements. The sentencing hearing is set to take place on Friday.