5 chilling details about the Delphi murders
The upcoming episode of Dateline, one of the most famed true crime shows of all time, is set to cover the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, also known as the Delphi murders, which took place in February 2017. Especially because it was the first of its kind in the region and because of the age of the victims, this became a national case and was widely covered.
This is now set to be the subject of Dateline season 33, episode 15, which premieres at 9.00 PM EST on NBC on Friday, February 21, 2025. The synopsis for the episode reads:
"The murders of teenagers Abby and Libby in their close-knit hometown of Delphi, Indiana spark worldwide headlines. The high-profile case takes a stunning twist after detectives reveal Libby captured a video of the killer shortly before her death — a crucial piece of evidence that helps police track down the murderer."
The case saw the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German, two eighth graders who were killed when they took a hike near the Monon High Bridge Trail, part of the Delphi Historic Trails.
This case is filled with many intriguing details that make it all the more interesting for true crime fanatics.
5 chilling details about the Delphi Murders
1) Abigail Williams and Liberty German were found a day after the murder
When Abigail Williams and Liberty German, the victims of the Delphi murders, went missing on February 13, 2017, the police did not believe foul play was involved. But this illusion did not even last a day as the bodies of the two teenagers were found half a mile east of the abandoned Monon High Bridge the next noon.
The police initially did not reveal a cause of death, but it was later confirmed that their throats were slashed.
2) Liberty German took a video on her phone that played a crucial part in solving the Delphi murders
It took a long while to solve the case, but one thing that helped the investigation significantly was a video that Liberty German had taken on her phone just before they were attacked. This grainy footage allegedly contained the killer's picture and his voice, which proved to be crucial in implicating the murderer.
3) A misfiled tip led to Richard Allen, who was ultimately sentenced for the Delphi murders
While there have been many suspects in this case, including Kegan Kline, the police turned their attention to Richard Allen after they discovered a misfiled tip in September 2022. Upon searching his house, they found a gun that matched the unspent bullet round found near the crime scene.
He was ultimately arrested and charged with the murder.
4) Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen suggested that Paganists killed the two girls
In a bizarre turn of events, Allen's defense attorneys, Andrew Baldwin, and Bradley Rozzi, put forth a theory that members of a Norse religion that worships Odin killed the two girls in a ritual sacrifice. They claimed that the way the bodies were dumped, including the arrangement of twigs around them, resembled a case of ritual sacrifice.
This was dismissed in court.
5) Richard Allen allegedly planned to assault the two kids but ran away after nearly being spotted
Richard Allen had a downward spiral after being taken into custody. Not only did he allegedly confess to the killings multiple times to multiple people, but a clinical psychologist who worked for the Indiana Department of Corrections Behavioral Health testified that he had planned to assault the kids, but when he saw a van nearby, he escaped after killing the girls and covering their bodies in twigs.
He was ultimately sentenced to a total of 130 years for the Delphi murders.
The upcoming episode of Dateline will cover the Delphi murders in more detail.
