Cops arrest Richard Allen in double murder of two Indiana teens

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After five agonizing years, cops have announced the arrest of a man suspected of murdering two young Indiana teens outside their small hometown.

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Cops say they arrested Richard Matthew Allen, 50, on Friday for two murders in the 2017 murders of Liberty « Libby » German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, in Little Delphi.

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« Peace has washed over me – and I never expected that to happen, » Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told reporters, adding that he hopes that the families of the victims « have found some peace in this complicated world ».

The double murder has caught the world’s attention largely because brave Libby may have helped solve the crimes from beyond the grave.

On February 14, 2017, the two girls hiked a popular trail outside of town. Their bodies were discovered the next day in a rough part of the trail.

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Police have yet to reveal how the two girls were murdered or any other details regarding the shocking case. The murders were immediately ruled a double homicide, but detectives also never said what evidence they had.

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But chilling footage taken from Libby’s mobile phone showed a man walking across the bridge near where the girls were last spotted.

The two 8th graders recorded part of their hike on Snapchat. Investigators released the phone footage early in the investigation.

Later, an audio recording was released of the man believed to be the girls’ killer ordering them to « go down the hill ». The evidence was surreptitiously recorded by Libby whom the cops called a « hero ».

The murders caught local law enforcement off guard and the investigation was fraught with difficulty and left little Delphi (population 3,000) in the northern part of the state living in terror.

It turns out that Richard Matthew Allen, the accused killer, is from the area.

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« It’s concerning that he’s a local guy, » Carroll County District Attorney Nicholas McLeland said at a Monday news conference.

He pleaded not guilty in his first hearing, authorities said.

But an Indiana judge found probable cause to arrest and hold Allen without bail, cops said, but the evidence against him remains sealed.

Officials said Monday that Allen’s arrest on Friday did not « close the door to the investigation, » suggesting Allen may have had accomplices in the heinous killings.

With the investigation « far from over », police are still asking the public to provide all the information they have.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun