Attorneys for the 50-year-old father of two named as a suspect in the 2017 murders of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, have released a lengthy statement firing back at the evidence presented by prosecutors earlier this week, saying their client is innocent and remains “confused” over why he has been targeted, adding that he “has nothing to hide.”
Obtained and posted by FOX59’s Angela Ganote, the statement from attorneys Brad Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin argues against the evidence prosecutors have cited—saying the unspent .40-caliber round discovered between the bodies of of Delphi teens Libby German and Abby Williams, which investigators say led them to the alleged killer, Richard Matthew Allen, is insufficient to prove he was involved in the murders.
“Rick is a 50-year-old man who has never been arrested nor accused of a crime in his entire life,” the statement read. “He is innocent and completely confused as to why he has been charged with these crimes.”
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Noting the national interest in the story over the course of the 5-year-investigation, the attorneys said they felt it appropriate releasing the statement, given Allen’s only chance to assert his innocence “has been reduced to only one short, post-hearing press conference.” Police have previously said they believed the killer was either a local, or familiar with the territory.
The girls went out for a walk the day before Valentine’s Day 2017 and never returned home. They were reported missing after their parents were unable to locate them at the pick-up location. Volunteers subsequently found their bodies near a creek in the woods the next day.
Video from German’s phone shows that at 2:13 p.m. the girls encountered a male subject on the southeast portion of the Monon High Bridge. The male ordered the girls “Guys, down the hill”. No witnesses saw them after this time.
A probable cause affidavit unsealed Tuesday said a forensic examination showed the still-live bullet had been “cycled through” a Sig Sauer P226 owned by Allen, who was charged last month with two counts of murder in the killings of German, 14, and Williams, 13. Allen purchased the gun in 2001 and told investigators that “he never allowed anyone to use or borrow” it.
Allen, who worked at a local CVS in Delphi, “did not have an explanation of why the bullet was found between the bodies of [German] and [Williams],” according to the 12-page affidavit.
However, Allen’s attorneys say the belief that “a single magic bullet is proof” the case had been solved was incorrect.
“It is a bit premature to engage in any detailed discussions regarding the veracity of this evidence until more discovery is received, but it is safe to say that the discipline of tool-mark identification (ballistics) is anything but a science,” they say.
“The entire discipline has been under attack in courtrooms across this country as being unreliable and lacking any scientific validity. We anticipate a vigorous legal and factual challenge to any claims by the prosecution as to the reliability of its conclusions concerning the single magic bullet.”
When the girls went missing, the statement says, Allen “contacted the police and voluntarily discussed being on the trail that day,” claiming he was a regular visitor to the area near the Monon High Bridge. They say being a member of the community, Allen “wanted to help any way he could.”
They say Allen met with a conservation officer and confirmed he had recalled seeing three younger girls on the trail that day but that contact was “brief” and of “little significance.” He didn’t hear from police for another five years, until October 22.
“Without Rick coming forward, the police probably would not have had any way of knowing that he was on the trail that day,” the attorneys said.
Allen’s attorneys spoke on other evidence presented in the affidavit; a 2016 Ford Focus owned by the pharmacy technician, which can look “similar in nature” to a PT Cruiser, small SUV, or Smart car, which witnesses claim to have seen on the day of the murder.
Allen’s attorneys pointed out that his Ford Focus is “not, in any way, similar to the distinctive look of the PT Cruiser or Smart Car that was described by witnesses.” They claimed “it seems that the CCSD is trying to bend facts to fit their narrative.”
“In the 5+ years since Rick volunteered to provide information to the police, Rick did not get rid of his vehicle or guns and did not throw out his clothing,” the statement reads. “He did not alter his appearance; he did not relocate himself to another community. He did what any innocent man would do and continue his normal routine.”
“Rick has nothing to hide,” they said, while appealing for the public’s help to prove their client’s innocence. However, they said they were already “inundated.”
