In February 2017, the small town of Delphi was jarred to its core when two young girls, Abby Williams and Libby German, were found dead a day after they went missing on the Monon High Bridge Trail.
In mere hours, the sleepy community in Carroll County became famous — for all the wrong reasons.
There were feelings of fear throughout not just the county, but the state.
Who could do this? And why? Where was the killer, far from Delphi or still among residents? Was it just one killer?
Rumors swirled about suspects and, as the years went by, everyone wondered if an arrest would be made. That finally happened in October 2022, when investigators announced they had arrested Delphi resident Richard Allen in connection to the girls’ deaths.
And while the news should have ended years of speculation, it only fueled the flames of doubt that investigators had gotten it right.
Did police successfully identify the man now known on podcasts and documentaries from around the world as “Bridge Guy” when they arrested Allen?
Allen’s trial kicked off last month, and jurors in Carroll County viewed hundreds of pieces of evidence, heard testimony from more than 60 witnesses and had to endure graphic videos and photographs. It certainly couldn’t have been easy to be a member of the jury and have to view images of the girls’ bodies taken at the crime scene and autopsies.
This in addition to the fact that jurors, who were brought into Carroll County from Allen County, had to spend time away from their jobs, families and homes for a month before they reached a guilty verdict Monday.
And it wasn’t just images of the victims that visibly affected jurors, but also those of Allen, who was housed in solitary confinement for 13 months of his incarceration.
This case has been grueling for everyone involved, as evidenced by Kokomo Tribune reporter Kim Dunlap, who noted in several of her stories about the trial that some jurors appeared emotional witnessing the gruesome photos of the girls, including one male juror who shook his head repeatedly while viewing them.
Both the families of the defendant and victims were in the courtroom throughout the trial, including when the images were shown. Allen’s family members became emotional upon viewing videos of him in his cell, Dunlap reported. Not surprising, the girls’ families reacted each time investigators showed the court images or discussed the crime scene and autopsies.
It’s been a long and difficult seven years for both investigators working the case and the community of Delphi, which, from the time the girls were found dead, has been a place filled with fear and doubt.
And through all of the chaos surrounding this case, the fact remains that two young girls are gone. They will never graduate from high school or college; they will never get married or have children.
While there are so many heartbreaking aspects of the Delphi murders, and the devastation that has affected numerous people, we all need to remember that in the end, it is of the utmost importance to honor the memories of Abby and Libby moving forward.
Kokomo Tribune
