Appeal filed in Delphi Murders case as ‘bridge guy’ video released
DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — A video from one of the two teen girls killed in February 2017 near the Monon High Bridge was released Wednesday as defense attorneys filed a formal appeal in the Delphi Murders case.
Richard Allen, at age 52, was found guilty in November of two counts of murder and two counts for felony murder for the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German. The girls’ bodies were found near the bridge near Delphi on Feb. 14, 2017, a day after they went missing.
Libby captured the 43-second video at 2:13 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017, while on the former railroad bridge that’s now a pedestrian bridge in Carroll County. The video was played during Allen’s weekslong trial in October and November before a jury of Allen County residents, but the recording had not previously been released for wider view beyond the courtroom. Allen’s defense team said Wednesday on X that it had shared the video on the website rickallenjustice.com.
Indiana State Police, while searching for a suspect in April 2019, had played a portion of what became known as the “bridge guy” video. A voice in the video ordered, “guys, down the hill,” investigators said.
During the trial, an audio expert testified on what was said in the video. It shows the girls are walking along the bridge, and Libby says, “See, this is the path. There’s no path there, so we have to go down there.”
Twelve seconds later, “bridge guy” said, “Guys.”
Abby says, “Hi,” very timidly.
The “bridge guy” says, “Down the hill.”
Then the video is sort of thrown around and cuts off.
Gull sentenced Allen in December to 130 years in prison for the murders.
An autopsy found the girls’ throats had been slit.
Allen’s attorneys filed an appeal with the Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday, and the appeal was posted online Wednesday. The attorneys say they are awaiting a notice of completion from the Carroll County Clerk’s Office, and the trial court retains jurisdiction until that time. The notice of completion should be filed within the next 30 days.
Since Allen’s sentencing, defense attorney Andrew Baldwin has said false testimony allowed during the trial and newly discovered evidence could upend their client’s conviction.
The hosts of The Murder Sheet podcast have followed the Delphi Murders case closely. They said Wednesday night that they were disappointed this video was leaked with no regard to the girls’ families.
Host and journalist Áine Cain said of the video, “You hear the fear in the voices of these children. You see an adult male staggering toward them prepared to kidnap them. It’s horrible. It’s not entertainment. It’s not something for people to sleuth out. I think this case has gotten out of control with the social media speculation. I think this will only fuel that.”
The other podcast host, attorney Kevin Greenlee, said of the video, “I expected it to come out through the courts where the families would have gotten more notice and been able to prepare for it.”
News 8’s Danielle Zulkosky contributed to this story.
