Dozens of Richard Allen documents released, cause of death of girls revealed
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The special judge in Richard Allen‘s murders case in Carroll County, Indiana, has released 118 documents related to the case that were previously sealed.
Richard Allen, 50, of Delphi, was arrested on Oct. 28 for the February 2017 murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.
The documents in the Delphi murders case contain some surprises, including more details about what was found in Allen’s home and what another prison inmate says is happening to Allen behind bars.
For the first time, a cause of death is referred to in court documents. Investigators say the teen girls were killed by “wounds caused by a sharp object”
Investigators also say Allen confessed to the crimes multiple times to family members, including his wife.
Included in the hundreds of pages of documents is a letter from an inmate being housed in the same unit as Allen. The letter claims that Allen is being abused by prison staff and fellow inmates. The inmate claims Allen has been threatened with death and told to kill himself.
In a motion to suppress, Allen’s attorneys request that items found in Allen’s house during a search be disregarded by the court. The request says in part, “The affidavit submitted in support of the search warrant failed to provide particular information that particular items related to the particular crime would be found in the Accused’s home, but rather provided generic information concerning generic items that could be found in the Accused’s home, or any other home, potentially, in Indiana.”
In a document listing the evidence taken from Allen’s home, investigators list dozens of knives, a handgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, dozens of pieces of clothing and shoes, and various computer equipment including laptops, flash drives and cellphones.
Dozens of other documents deal with court procedure such as subpoenas and motions to quash, or cancel subpoenas.
In other new court records, prosecutors claim Allen has admitted to the killings at least five times while in prison, including conversations with his mother, and an April 3 phone call with his wife.
Prosecutors claim he admitted his guilt several times during the one call, and that his wife abruptly ended the call.
Another document is a letter from a fellow inmate at the maximum-security prison in Westville, where Allen has been held since late in 2022. In the letter, the inmate claims Allen is being abused and mistreated, that “corrupt officers and ranking officers are calling him a kid killer,” and that other inmates have threatened to kill Allen and told him to kill himself.
The letter claims the threats have been recorded on camera, and that Indiana Department of Correction has done nothing to stop them.
Allen’s attorneys have argued his mental and physical condition have rapidly deteriorated rapidly and asked a judge to move him out of the facility. We’re also seeing new details from a search warrant for Allen’s house, in October 2022, more than five years after the killings.
The warrant reveals police believe Allen was the voice in a cellphone video heard saying “down the hill,” forcing the girls off the Monon High Bridge.
That same video includes the sound of someone “cycling” a gun, and one of the girls mentioning a gun.
Court documents show police took from Allen’s home during the search: a 40-caliber handgun, ammunition, clothing including a Carhartt jacket, sweatshirts, and hats, plus multiple knives.
State police say ballistics tests match an unspent bullet found near the girl’s bodies to the gun found in Allen’s home.
The documents also had newly released details on why Allen’s attorneys want some, or all of that evidence, tossed out of court.
The newly revealed motion to suppress says that, among other things, the search warrant failed to provide particular information that items would be found in the home, and that the warrant failed to connect the generic items for which it was seeking to the actual items possibly used in the crimes.
The newly revealed motion also calls the search unreasonable under both the state and federal constitutions.
In several request to keep the records sealed, the prosecutor claimed the records could potentially damage an ongoing murder investigation.
Allen remains in custody, his lawyers have asked for bail. The trial is set for January 2024.