Five years before Richard Allen was charged with the killings of two middle school students in Indiana, he reached out to authorities about the murders. This information was inadvertently marked clear and wasn’t discovered until 2022, leading to his arrest. The investigation into the killings of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in 2017 has involved various testimonies and challenges to the prosecution’s timeline and witness accounts. Allen’s legal team has claimed he is innocent and suggested the killings may have been part of a ritual sacrifice.
The investigator who spoke with Allen in 2017 testified that Allen was in the area where the girls were killed and passed by them shortly before the murders. It wasn’t until a volunteer clerk named Kathy Shank uncovered the overlooked tip that the investigation was reignited. The lead sheet with Allen’s information was flagged and led to further investigation. Witnesses who saw a man on the trail where the girls were found provided descriptions that matched Allen, leading to his arrest.
Ballistics experts testified that a bullet found near the girls’ bodies matched a handgun belonging to Allen, which played a crucial role in his arrest. The case turned on witness testimonies and the rediscovery of Allen’s initial contact with authorities. The investigation has been ongoing for several years and has involved numerous individuals working to bring justice for the young victims.
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