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Richard Allen found guilty on all counts in Delphi double murder trial · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome back for another deep dive. And today
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  we're tackling a case that's been in the news a lot,
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  the Delphi murders. It's a tough one for sure, but
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  it's one that has so many layers to.
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  Speaker 2: Unpack, absolutely, and it's a case that really captivated the nation.
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  Back in twenty seventeen. We have two teenage girls, Abby
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  Williams and Libby Jerman. They're out hiking in Delphi, Indiana,
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  when they suddenly vanish.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and tragically their bodies are found the next day.
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  It's a story that just sends chills down your spine,
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  it really does.
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  Speaker 2: And what makes this case even more chilling is the
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  evidence that was recovered from Libby's phone. There's this video
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  that shows a man walking towards the girls on a bridge.
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  He became known as bridge Guy.
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  Speaker 1: Right, Bridge Guy. And there's even that unsettling audio clip
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  where he says, guys down the hill is just so
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  eerie it is.
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  Speaker 2: And for years, that video and that audio haunted the
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  community and really the whole nation. It was a mystery
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  that seemed impossible to solve.
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  Speaker 1: So we have this haunting video, a mysterious voice, and
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  then five years past with no arrests. Then suddenly there's
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  a break in the case. Yeah, and it came from
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  a really unexpected source. A CVS clerk was digitizing old tips,
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  you know, just doing their job, and they noticed something interesting.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, what did they notice?
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  Speaker 1: They noticed that Richard Allen, a local resident, had actually
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  told police that he'd been on the same trail the
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  very same day the girls disappeared.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, he volunteered that information. That's incredible that it took
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  so long for that to come to light, It really is.
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  Speaker 1: It just goes to show you how even the tiniest
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  detail can be crucial in an investigation. And this little detail, well,
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  it led police to match an unspent bullet found at
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  the crime scene to a gun that they later recovered
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  from Allan's home.
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  Speaker 2: So that unspent bullet becomes a major piece of the puzzle.
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  Speaker 1: It does. It links Allan to the scene, and it
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  becomes a corner stone of the prosecution's case.
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  Speaker 2: But then things take another turn, right because Richard Allen
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  confesses to the crime.
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  Speaker 1: He does, and not just once. She confesses over sixty
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  times to his wife, his mother, prison staff, even other inmates.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, so he's confessing to the murders over and over again.
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  You'd think at that point the case is closed, right,
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  you would.
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  Speaker 1: Think so, But there's a twist. The defense argued that
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  Allan's confessions weren't reliable. They said that he was struggling
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  with mental illness and that his confessions might have been
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  coerced or influenced by his mental state.
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  Speaker 2: So they're basically saying he wasn't in his right mind
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  when he.
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  Speaker 1: Confessed exactly, and there's documentation of his mental health struggles
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  in prison. He was on suicide watch, exhibited erratic behavior,
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  and was diagnosed with something called brief psychotic disorder.
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  Speaker 2: Brief psychotic disorder, I'm not familiar with that, what does
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  that mean?
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  Speaker 1: So it's basically a sudden and temporary episode of psychosis,
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  which can involve hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. It's like
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  experiencing a break from reality.
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  Speaker 2: That's intense. So the jury had to consider whether this diagnosis,
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  this break from reality, made his confessions unreliable.
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  Speaker 1: Right, and if so, how much weight should those confessions carry.
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  It's a really tough question for any jury to grapple with.
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  Speaker 2: It's a huge dilemma. You have these multiple confessions, but
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  then you have this serious mental health diagnosis. It feels
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  like a real moral and legal tug of war.
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  Speaker 1: It is, And then there's another layer to this whole
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  thing that we can't ignore.
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  Speaker 2: You're talking about the lack of physical evidence connecting Alan
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  directly to the crime scene.
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  Speaker 1: That's exactly what I'm talking about. No DNA evidence tied
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  him to the girls, and there was no trace of
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  their DNA found at his home.
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  Speaker 2: That's a big deal. How do you reconcile that with
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  all the confessions. It seems like a huge contradiction.
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  Speaker 1: It's a detail that makes you really question everything, Right,
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  Why would someone confess so many times if there's no
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  physical evidence linking them to the scene. Was he genuinely confessing?
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  Was it some kind of cry for help or something else? Entirely,
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  it's a puzzle, It.
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  Speaker 2: Really is a puzzle. And it's at this point that
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  the case takes yet another turn. We start to delve
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  deeper into the evidence surrounding Bridge Guy and that chilling video.
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  Speaker 1: Right, the prosecution brought in a voice recognition expert to
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  analyze the audio from.
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  Speaker 2: The video and what did their analysis you There, analysis
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  suggested that Allen's voice was a match to the voice.
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  Speaker 1: In the video.
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  Speaker 2: So they're saying it's him on the video.
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  Speaker 1: That's what they're saying. But there's a catch. Voice recognition
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  technology isn't fool proof, you know, It's not like a fingerprint.
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  There's room for error.
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  Speaker 2: So the defense jumps on that, right. They questioned the
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  reliability of the voice analysis.
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  Speaker 1: We absolutely did. They argued that it wasn't conclusive proof.
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  Then there's that unspent bullet again. Remember that the prosecution
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  presented it as a key piece of evidence, arguing that
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  it directly connected Alan to the murders.
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  Speaker 2: But the defense countered that argument, didn't they They did.
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  Speaker 1: They said that there weren't enough photographs of the bullet
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  to prove beyond a doubt that it came from Allan's gun.
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  They even suggested that it could have belonged to law enforcement.
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  Speaker 2: So we're left with this really complicated situation. We have confessions,
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  a mental health diagnosis, a questionable voice analysis, and a
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  bullet that's shrouded in uncertainty. It's a lot to untangle
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  it is.
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  Speaker 1: It's a tangled web of evidence, and it leaves a
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  with more questions than answers.
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  Speaker 2: It's enough to make your head spin. So where do
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  we go from here? What's the next chapter in this
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  gripping story.
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  Speaker 1: Well, after weeks of testimony and deliberation, the jury finally
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  reached a verdict, and that verdict was guilty on all accounts.
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  Speaker 2: Guilty on all counts. Wow, that must have been a
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  heavy moment in the courtroom, just the weight of that verdict.
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  Speaker 1: It was, and you could really sense the relief in
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  the community. After five years of living with this case
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  hanging over them, there was finally a sense of closure.
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  But it was definitely a bittersweet victory, especially for the
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  families of Abby and Libby.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's impossible to truly grasp the pain and grief
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  they've gone through. This whole case has been like riding
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  a roller coaster, so many twists and turns. It really
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  shows you just how complicated the justice system can be.
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  Speaker 1: It does, and it forces us to think critically about
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  how confessions are used in a trial, especially when you
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  factor in mental.
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  Speaker 2: Health exactly like we were talking about earlier. How do
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  you even begin to assess the validity of a confession
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  when the person confessing have a history of mental health struggles.
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  It's a question with no easy answers.
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  Speaker 1: No easy answers at all. And this case also shines
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  a light on how much we rely on technology now
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  in investigations, things like voice recognition software.
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  Speaker 2: Right, which sounds super high tech and advanced.
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  Speaker 1: It does. Yeah, but it's important to remember that it's
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  not perfect. Like, it's not one hundred percent guaranteed identifications, not.
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  Speaker 2: A magic bullet.
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  Speaker 1: Nope, not at all. And that's exactly what the defense argued.
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  They really went after the reliability of that voice analysis.
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  Speaker 2: And then you have the whole issue of the lack
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  of DNA evidence, no DNA connecting Allan to the girls,
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  and no trace of their DNA founded his home. Yet
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  he confessed over and over again. How do you make
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  sense of that.
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  Speaker 1: It's one of the big mysteries of this case, right,
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  Why confess if there's no physical evidence? Was it a
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  genuine confession? Was it something else? It's a question that lingers.
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  Speaker 2: Yea, it really does. So we're trying to piece together
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  this puzzle. We have the confessions, the mental health diagnosis,
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  the voice analysis that may or may not be accurate,
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  and then that unspent bullet, right.
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  Speaker 1: That unspent bullet, which the prosecution presented this crucial link
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  between Allen and the crime scene.
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  Speaker 2: But the defense had a different interpretation of that evidence, right, Oh.
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  Speaker 1: They definitely did. They argued that they're just want enough
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  pictures taken of that bullet to definitively say it came
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  from Alan's gun. They even suggested it could have belonged
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  to someone in law enforcement.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a tangled web of evidence and it leaves
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  us with more questions than answers.
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  Speaker 1: It does, and it makes you wonder what really convinced
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  the jury, what tipped the scales in their minds. Was
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  it purely the number of confessions or something else.
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  Speaker 2: It's like having a puzzle with some pieces missing. You
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  have all this information, but there are still gaps in
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  the story, and.
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  Speaker 1: That's what makes this case so fascinating, right. It challenges
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  you to think critically, to look at the evidence from
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  different angles and try to understand how the jury reached
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  their decision.
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  Speaker 2: It really does highlight how seemingly small details can have
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  a huge ripple effect. Like if that CVS clerk hadn't
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  been so diligent in reviewing those old tips, who knows
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  how much longer this case would have gone unsolved.
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  Speaker 1: It's true It shows how important it is to pay
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  attention to the details, even the ones that seem insignificant
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  at first.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Now there was something else I wanted to ask
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  you about. The defense try to introduce something called the
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  Odinism defense. What was that all about?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was interesting. Odinism is a branch of Norse paganism,
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  and the defense basically theorized that followers of this religion
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  might have been involved in the murders. They even hinted
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  at possible connections to white supremacist groups.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, that's a pretty unexpected angle. Did they have any
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  evidence to back up that theory?
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  Speaker 1: They didn't, and the judge ended up dismissing their motions
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  to even bring it up in court, ruling that it
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  wasn't relevant to the case.
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  Speaker 2: It sounds like they were grasping its.
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  Speaker 1: Straws maybe, but it does raise an interesting point about
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  the kind of evidence that's admissible in the trial. The
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  focus should always be on the facts, on tangible evidence,
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  not on theories or speculation.
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  Speaker 2: Right, It's about finding justice, not chasing shadows exactly.
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  Speaker 1: And even though the verdict brings some sense of closure
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  for the Delphi community, there's still unanswered questions what motivated
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  Richard Allen to do this. We may never fully understand
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  the why behind his actions.
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  Speaker 2: And if there wasn't any DNA evidence directly linking him
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  to the scene, what exactly convinced the jury that he
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  was guilty? What was the tipping point for them? These
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  are questions that may never have definitive answers.
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  Speaker 1: And that's what makes this case and cases like it
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  so thought provoking. They force us to confront complex issues,
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  to really examine the evidence, and to come to our
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  own conclusions.
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  Speaker 2: This has been a heavy, deep dive, that's for sure,
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  but it's also shed light on a case that's had
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  a grip on the nation for years. The Delphi murders
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  are a stark reminder of how fragile life is and
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  how important it is to keep seeking justice even in
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  the face of tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: This case also makes you think about the impact something
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  like this has on a community. The fear, the suspicion,
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  the constant wondering. The verdict brings closure in a way,
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  but it also marks the start of a long healing
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  process for everyone involved.
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  Speaker 2: It makes you realize how connected we all are. A
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  crime like this doesn't just affect the victims and their families.
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  It ripples outward, impacting the whole community and even the
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  whole country.
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  Speaker 1: And it reminds us how important compassion and understanding are
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  not just for the victims, but for everyone who's been
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  touched by this tragedy.
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  Speaker 2: So, as we wrap up this deep dive into the
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  Delphi murders, what are the key takeaways you hope our
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  listeners will walk away with.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's crucial to remember that every case is
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  different and there are always multiple layers to peel back.
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  We've seen how powerful confessions can be, but also how
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  tricky they become when mental health is part of the equation.
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  We've explored how technology is being used in investigations and
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  how important it is to scrutinize every single piece of evidence,
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  no matter how small it seems.
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  Speaker 2: I agree, and for me, one of the most striking
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  things about this case is the absence of DNA evidence.
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  It really underscores how vital a thorough investigation is and
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  how important it is to consider all the.
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  Speaker 1: Angles absolutely, and it reinforces the fact that justice isn't
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  always a straight line. It's often a winding road with
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  unexpected detours, but in the end, it's about searching for
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  the truth, holding people accountable, and working towards a world
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  where everyone is safer.
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  Speaker 2: Well said, and to our listeners, we encourage you to
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  keep digging into this case, read the articles, listen to
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  other podcasts, form your own opinions. This case brings up
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  so many important questions about the justice system, the role
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  of technology, and the complexities of mental health.
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  Speaker 1: It does, and as you learn more, ask yourself what
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  evidence would you find most convincing, what factors would sway
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  your opinion. Engaging with these questions helps us become more
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  informed and helps us better understand the world around us.
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  Speaker 2: This deep dive has been quite a journey. We've delved
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  into the darkest parts of human behavior, wrestled with the
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  intricacies of the legal system, and witnessed the strength of
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  a community fighting for justice.
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  Speaker 1: It's been a reminder that even in the face of
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  immense tragedy, there's still hope and healing, and that pursuing
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  truth and justice is a journey worth taking, no matter
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  how challenging it may be.
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  Speaker 2: Those are powerful words, and on that note, I think
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  it's time to wrap up our deep dive into the
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  Delphi murders.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you all for joining us. We'll be back soon
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  with another deep dive into a new and captivating topic.
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  Until then, keep those minds curious.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it really has been, and it makes you think
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  about how we handle cases where mental health is a factor.
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  Speaker 1: That's so true. It's such a tough issue to navigate.
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  How do you balance holding someone accountable for their actions
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  with making sure they get the help they need if
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  they're struggling with mental illness exactly.
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  Speaker 2: It's a conversation that we need to be having more
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  openly and honestly, there are no simple solutions, but cases
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  like this one force us to confront these really difficult
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  questions they do.
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  Speaker 1: This deep dive has taken us on quite a journey.
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  We started with a shock of those murders and the
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  long wait for answers, and then the arrest and finally
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  the conviction of Richard Allen.
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  Speaker 2: It really has been a journey. It's been fascinating to
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  look at how forensic science works and how human psychology
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  plays into all of this, and how evidence is weighed
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  in court.
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  Speaker 1: We've seen how confessions can be powerful, but also how
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  they could be complicated by mental health issues. We've looked
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  at the role of technology and investigations and how crucial
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  it is to examine every piece of evidence. And throughout
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  this whole case, we've seen a community that was determined
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  to find justice and the incredible efforts of law enforcement
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  to bring the person responsible to account.
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  Speaker 2: The Delphi murders are a tragic reminder that there's darkness
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  in the world, but they also show us the resilience
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  of the human spirit. Even in the face of tragedy,
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  people can come together and seek justice.
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  Speaker 1: And as we wrap up this deep dive, we want
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  to encourage everyone to keep learning about this case, keep
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  asking questions and thinking critically about the issues it raises.
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  Speaker 2: Have those tough conversations, because understanding cases like this helps
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  us learn and grow. It helps us understand the world
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  around us better and work towards making it a safer
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  and more just place for everyone.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us on this journey into the Delphi murders.
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  We'll be back soon with another deep dive into a
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  fascinating topic.
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  Speaker 2: See you then until next time, Stay curious, everyone,