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Awaiting decisionAllen v. State (Delphi murders appeal)
Will the Indiana Court of Appeals uphold Richard Allen's Delphi murder convictions?
Where the case stands
Direct appeal fully briefed; the Court of Appeals granted oral argument, set for Sept. 21, 2026 at 10 a.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the Indiana Statehouse, webcast live on the state's argument portal.
Background
Richard Allen, a Delphi, Indiana CVS worker, was convicted Nov. 11, 2024 of the 2017 murders of teenagers Abigail Williams and Liberty German — the 'Bridge Guy' case, one of the most followed murder cases in the country — and sentenced to 130 years.
Charges
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of felony murder (killings in the course of kidnapping)
The arguments
Prosecution/State: The convictions rest on Allen's presence on the Monon High Bridge, an unspent round cycled through his pistol found between the victims, and his own repeated confessions, including to his wife and mother; the search and interrogations were lawful.
Defense: The search-warrant affidavit contained deliberate falsehoods and material omissions by the lead investigator; Allen's dozens of confessions came while psychotic in prolonged solitary confinement and should have been excluded; the trial court unconstitutionally barred a third-party defense that the killings were a ritual act by others.
The record
- Oral-argument webcast. Live and archived video of the Sept. 21, 2026 argument on Indiana's public appellate webcast portal.
- Bridge Guy recording. Libby German's cellphone video/audio of the suspect — publicly released in part during the investigation and central at trial.
- Ballistics exhibit. Unspent .40-caliber round found between the victims, tied at trial to Allen's Sig Sauer P226.
- Recorded confessions. Prison phone calls and statements — their admissibility is a core appellate issue.
The line-setting read at the time this market opened
Most direct appeals fail, and the State calls the evidence overwhelming; but the confession-coercion and search-affidavit claims drew a full oral argument grant, and reversal on the excluded-defense issue would force a retrial rather than release.
Awaiting decision — The panel's opinion after the Sept. 21, 2026 argument — affirm, or reverse/remand on any count. The ruling is posted here, and on the board, the moment it's confirmed by two or more independent news organizations.
Sources
Public record
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