National

(DELPHI, Ind.) — A Delphi, Indiana, man, Richard Allen, has been arrested for the 2017 murders of eighth graders Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announced at a news conference Monday.

Best friends Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were on a hiking trail in rural Delphi when they were killed in the middle of the day on Feb. 13, 2017.

The shocking slayings cast fear across the small Indiana town and garnered national intrigue.

This marks the first time a suspect has been named in the mysterious double murder.

Police still ask anyone with information to submit a tip at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Oct 31, 10:22 AM EDT
Suspect enters not guilty plea

The man charged with the girls’ murders, Richard Allen, had his initial hearing and entered a not guilty plea, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said.

He’s being held without bond and is set to return to court in January, he said.

“Per the court order, we cannot talk about the evidence that’s in the probable cause” affidavit, McLeland said.

The prosecutor would not say when Allen became a suspect or if he knew Abby or Libby.

McLeland said it’s “concerning” to him that Allen is a local Delphi resident. He called the arrest a “step in the right direction.”

Oct 31, 10:13 AM EDT
Police ask for more tips

In the wake of the arrest, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said, “Peace came over me — and I didn’t expect that to happen.”

He said in a message to the families that he hopes they “have found some peace in this complicated world.”

Carter urged the public to “please continue offering tips,” as the investigation is ongoing.

Oct 31, 10:08 AM EDT
Man arrested in Delphi murders

A Delphi, Indiana, man, Richard Allen, has been arrested for the 2017 murders of eighth graders Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announced at a news conference Monday.

The 50-year-old was arrested Friday and has been charged with two counts of murder, Carter said.

If anyone else was involved, that person will be held accountable, Carter vowed.

Carter said “today is not a day to celebrate,” but called the arrest a “major step.”

“This investigation is far from complete,” Carter said.

The probable cause affidavit has been sealed, Carter said.

“The time will come when additional details can be released,” Carter added.

Oct 31, 5:57 AM EDT
The video, recording and sketch

In 2017, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls went missing. In 2019, police released a brief video clip — footage taken from Libby’s phone — showing a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.

Police also publicized the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “guys … down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.

Authorities in 2019 released a new suspect sketch that officials said was based on a witness’ recollection of what he or she saw.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(DELPHI, Ind.) — Indiana State Police and U.S. Marshals officials are headed to Delphi, Indiana, on Monday to join local investigators as they announce an update in a mysterious double murder that’s gone unsolved for more than five years.

Best friends Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were on a hiking trail in rural Delphi when they were killed in the middle of the day on Feb. 13, 2017.

The shocking slayings cast fear across the small Indiana town and garnered national intrigue.

No arrests have ever been made and police have never revealed how the girls were killed.

Monday’s press conference is set for 10 a.m.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Oct 31, 5:57 AM EDT
The video, recording and sketch

In 2017, authorities released a grainy image of the suspect, who they say was on the trail the day the girls went missing. In 2019, police released a brief video clip — footage taken from Libby’s phone — showing a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.

Police also publicized the suspect’s voice — a recording of him saying “guys … down the hill” — which was recovered from Libby’s phone.

Authorities in 2019 released a new suspect sketch that officials said was based on a witness’ recollection of what he or she saw.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) — Two people are dead after a shooting incident that took place at two locations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, police said.

“Right now, all we know is that we have two people who are shot and the investigation is ongoing,” Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy told reporters.

The shooting took place at two scenes, Murphy said, including a local post office, which was being searched.

“Right now the situation is contained,” Murphy said. “There’s no further threat to the public.”

ABC News’ Keith Harden contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Two men who were exonerated in the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X will receive a $36 million settlement after lawsuits were filed on their behalf against both the city and the state of New York last year.

New York City agreed to pay $26 million in settling a lawsuit filed on behalf of Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam, Islam was exonerated posthumously in the killing. Meanwhile, the state of New York also agreed to pay an additional $10 million.

A New York City Law Department spokesman told ABC News on Sunday evening that the settlement “brings some measure of justice to individuals who spent decades in prison and bore the stigma of being falsely accused of murdering an iconic figure.”

“Based on our review, this office stands by the opinion of former Manhattan District Attorney Vance who stated, based on his investigation, that ‘there is one ultimate conclusion: Mr. Aziz and Mr. Islam were wrongfully convicted of this crime,'” he added.

David Shanies, the attorney who represents Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, confirmed on Sunday evening the terms of the settlement to ABC News.

The settlement comes after Aziz and the estate of Islam sued New York City on July 14, seeking $40 million for malicious prosecution, denial of due process rights and government misconduct. Aziz and the estate of Khalil Islam also filed two multimillion-dollar civil lawsuits in December 2021 aimed at New York state government.

Then-Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance moved to vacate the convictions of Muhammad Aziz, 84, and co-defendant Khalil Islam in November 2021, citing “newly discovered evidence and the failure to disclose exculpatory evidence.”

“Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for decades – 42 years between them – as the result of outrageous government misconduct and violations of their constitutional rights,” Shanies said in July. “Justice delayed for far too long is justice denied. Mr. Aziz just turned 84 and Mr. Islam tragically died before seeing his name cleared.”

“These men and their families should not be delayed compensation for the gross injustices they suffered,” he added.

Aziz, a U.S. Navy veteran and the father of six children, was 26 when he was arrested for the 1965 murder of Malcolm X at the Audubon Ballroom. He spent 20 years in prison.

Aziz was released on parole in 1985. Two years later, Islam was released after serving 22 years. They each appealed their convictions and always maintained their innocence. Islam died in 2009 at the age of 74. His estate filed a related claim.

Aziz and Islam were members of the Nation of Islam and belonged to Malcolm X’s mosque #7 in Harlem.

Talmadge Hayer — the confessed assassin of Malcolm X who was caught at the scene — testified at trial that Aziz and Islam were not involved in the killing. In the late 1970s, Hayer signed an affidavit naming four other men who he said were involved in planning and carrying out the murder.

But the case was not reopened until interest in the case was renewed in 2020 following the release of “Who Killed Malcolm X?” – a Netflix documentary that follows the work of independent historian Abdur-Rahman Muhammad who spent decades investigating the killing.

“After I had watched the Netflix documentary. I thought there was enough to look at this,” Vance told ABC News’ “Soul of a Nation Presents: Xonerated – The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice,” which aired in February.

Vance apologized last year on behalf of the NYPD and the FBI for what he called “serious, unacceptable violations of the law and the public trust.”

In his first TV interview since his exoneration, Aziz opened up about the wrongful conviction and trauma of systemic racism to ABC News’ “Soul of a Nation.”

“If God is on your side. it doesn’t matter who’s against you. God’s on my side,” Aziz said in the interview that aired in February.

ABC News’ Melia Patria contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — An antisemitic message referencing the rapper formerly known as Kanye West appeared on an electronic video board at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, following Saturday’s college football rivalry game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia, sparking outrage and condemnation from local officials.

The offensive message was scrolled across a video board on the exterior of the 68,000-seat stadium, also home to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, officials confirmed after several people posted images of the message on social media.

The message on the TIAA Bank Field video board read, “Kanye was right about the Jews,” officials said. The message was an apparent reference to antisemitic posts the musician now known as Ye has made on social media and in interviews, leading to an onslaught of condemnation against him and causing multiple companies to cut ties with him, including sneaker giant Adidas and fashion powerhouse Balenciaga.

Similar messages appeared around Jacksonville over the weekend referencing West’s antisemitic comments, including banners displayed on an overpass and projected on a building in the city.

It was not immediately clear how and who was behind displaying the message on the stadium billboard. Neither the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department nor officials at TIAA Bank Field have commented on the incident.

Last week, demonstrators unfurled similar banners from a Los Angeles freeway overpass and appeared to display Nazi salutes.

The University of Georgia and the University of Florida released a joint statement on Sunday denouncing the commandeering of the Jacksonville stadium’s video board to spread hate.

“The University of Florida and the University of Georgia together denounce these and all acts of antisemitism and other forms of hatred and intolerance,” the schools wrote the statement. “We are proud to be home to strong and thriving Jewish communities at UGA and UF, and we stand together against hate.”

Jaguars owner Shad Khan also issued a statement Sunday, decrying the acts of hate, saying the messages marred the experience of those who attended the college football game, which Georgia won 42-20.

“I am really distressed on all this antisemitic rhetoric around Florida-Georgia. It’s hurtful,” Khan told Jacksonville station WJXT prior to the Jaguars-Denver Broncos game in London on Sunday. “I mean, it’s not the Jacksonville I know and love and all of us have to work together to absolutely put an end to it. So, let’s stop it.”

Jacksonville’s Mayor Lenny Curry also took to Twitter on Sunday, writing that his city is “made better” by diversity.

“Those who spread messages of hate, racism and antisemitism will not be able to change the heart of this city or her people,” Curry said. “I condemn these cowards and their cowardly messages.”
 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(UVALDE, Texas) — Whenever tragedy strikes, people around the world often seek out ways to help victims as they watch the news unfold on their screens.

When 19 children and two teachers were killed in a May 24 school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, millions of dollars began to flood into a city with no preexisting plan on how to manage or disperse the donations. That’s when the National Compassion Fund, an organization dedicated to giving 100% of donations to victims of tragedies, stepped in to assist in collecting and distributing the money from the many fundraisers that popped up following the shooting.

Jeff Dion, executive director of the National Compassion Fund, which has administered funds in a number of other cases, said that many city agencies don’t have a plan for how to manage this kind of influx of money in the case of an emergency. Uvalde was one of them, Susan Anderson, Uvalde director of planning and city development, told ABC News.

This leaves them vulnerable to a host of issues, including scammers trying to take advantage of the tragedy.

“In their emergency management plan, every community has a plan about how to deal with a mass casualty event, but they don’t have something in there about how you deal with these donations,” said Dion. “We know this happens, because it happens every time.”

Anita Busch, co-founder of the National Compassion Fund, said that scammers and the mismanagement of funds by charitable organizations can leave victims with less money in their pockets than was raised. She said VictimsFirst and the National Compassion Fund have clawed back at least $20,000 in donations just by reaching out to people who had raised money in the name of Uvalde and questioning them about their fundraising activities.

“We call them up and we say ‘we understand you collected funds, and where are those funds? Where did you donate those funds? How much did you collect?'” Busch said. “For the most part, people are pretty good. But there’s like four or five that I’ll be turning into the Attorney General’s office because their numbers are suddenly non-existent or the account is suddenly non-existent.”

“In some mass shootings, where there were fundraisers, people didn’t see even a penny of it,” said Busch referring to instances of scams in Newtown, Connecticut, the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting, and more where scammers have taken advantage of the chaos.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton put out a warning against scammers within just a few days of the Uvalde school shooting.

A spokesperson for his office said they have not heard of any official reports or complaints out of Uvalde themselves, but urged people who may be aware of such scams to report them to the Attorney General’s office by calling 1-800-621-0508 or filing an online complaint.

It urges donors to give via established charitable funding platforms that verify legitimate fundraisers and remove fundraisers that are misleading or false.

His office also urges donors to research organizations on Charity Watch, or Guidestar, which gathers data on millions of IRS-recognized non-profits.

“Texans have come together in the wake of the tragic killings at Robb Elementary, to comfort and aid one another in this time of unspeakable grief,” said Paxton in a May press release.

He added, “Unfortunately, there are some individuals who may try to take advantage of tragedy to perpetrate scams. We caution all charitable givers to be aware and informed, and we warn any would-be scammers that the Texas Attorney General will not tolerate anyone taking advantage of the goodwill and large-heartedness of our fellow Texans.”  

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(PITTSBURGH) — Five people were shot and a sixth person was injured trying to escape the shooting outside a Pittsburgh church on Friday afternoon during a funeral for a man who was fatally shot nearly two weeks ago, police said.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the shooting and face charges including criminal attempt homicide, police said Saturday.

A video of the service captured mourners inside the Destiny of Faith Church on Brighton Street scrambling for safety as the gunshots erupted. They were attending a funeral Mass for John James Hornezes Jr., one of the three people killed in a shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Oct. 15, police said.

ShotSpotter alerts detected 20 rounds just before noon, police said.

Pittsburgh Police Commander Richard Ford told reporters that it wasn’t immediately known if the earlier shooting was linked to the funeral shooting.

Ford said six victims were hospitalized. One victim was in critical condition but later upgraded to stable condition, police said. The other five victims were also listed in stable condition, police said.

One of the victims was found with gunshot wounds near the church and transported to the hospital, police said. Of the four others shot in the incident, one victim was found in the area and transported by EMS, while three others brought themselves to local hospitals, police said.

Police had initially said that six victims had been shot, but later clarified that one of the victims was injured trying to escape.

Shawn Davis, 19, and a 16-year-old boy have been arrested and face multiple charges, including criminal attempt homicide, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault and firearms charges, police said. Both are in the Allegheny County Jail. It is unclear if they have an attorney.

“I just pray to God, whoever it is, whatever it is, they’re going to repent,” Page Davis, Hornezes Jr.’s godmother, who was inside the church during the incident, told ABC affiliate WTAE.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — State officials seeking to combat a rise in voter intimidation during the midterm elections can find protection in a 57-year-old anti-discrimination law, according to voting rights experts.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is, along with the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, the strongest civil voting protection on the books, says Sean Morales-Doyle of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice, which on Friday released a new multi-part guide outlining key anti-intimidation laws as a resource for states.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 doesn’t require intent to intimidate in order to prove violation of that law,” said Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center’s voting rights and election program. “So the person who’s doing the intimidating doesn’t have to mean to be intimidating.”

The release of the guide comes as baseless claims of 2020 election fraud have led to an increase in threats against voters and election workers in several states. In the last week, 10 cases of alleged voter intimidation at drop box locations in Arizona were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution, after witnesses reported numerous individuals, some armed and in “camo-clad gear,” filming and photographing voters as they returned their ballots.

“Part of what makes what we’re seeing in Arizona that’s different than what we’ve seen is in the past is … usually in previous elections, when you hear about instances of voter intimidation it tends to be a lone actor behaving badly at a polling place. It’s not an organized recruitment campaign, and that’s what’s happening in Arizona,” Morales-Doyle told ABC News.

Even though the alleged intimidation in Arizona didn’t occur at a polling location, Morales-Doyle said the voters are still protected under the law.

“You can violate voter intimidation laws at the polling place, you can violate it nowhere near a polling place; if you’re intimidating people and scaring them away from exercising the right to vote, then you are violating federal law,” he said.

The new Brennan Center offering, which it calls “The Voter Intimidation and Election Worker Intimidation Resource Guide,” outlines the common federal and state legal protections for voters and voting, as well as an overview of applicable federal laws and information about laws specific to Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

“While these are not new concerns, the sources and the targets of these threats have shifted in 2022,” Brennan Center counsel Jasleen Singh and fellow Katie Friel said in announcing the resource guide.

In the aftermath of the alleged voter intimidation in Arizona, the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino filed a lawsuit this week accusing the alleged perpetrators, as well as Clean Elections USA and the group’s founder, Melody Jennings, of conducting a “coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign” with the “express purpose of deterring voters … from depositing their ballots.”

“The people who are doing it are making references to this Clean Elections USA when they do it,” said Morales-Doyle. “I think it’s exactly why what we’re seeing is so concerning right now, that there is actually this organization going on.”

On Friday, a federal judge denied the advocacy groups’ motion for a temporary restraining order against CEUSA, Jennings, and the ten unnamed accused perpetrators — but did not close the case.

Neither Jennings nor Clean Elections USA immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge in Arizona Friday declined to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to keep several people accused of voter intimidation from gathering near ballot boxes and surveilling voters.

In the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, the nonprofit advocacy groups Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino accused ten unnamed individuals — as well as Clean Elections USA and the group’s founder, Melody Jennings — of carrying out surveillance in a “coordinated vigilante intimidation campaign” at ballot drop box locations, “with the express purpose of deterring voters … from depositing their ballots.”

The suit accused them of violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.

In his ruling, the judge said he found that “defendants’ conduct does not fall into any traditionally recognized category of voter intimidation” and that the plaintiffs lacked “evidence that Defendants’ conduct constitutes a true threat.”

Voto Latino and Arizona Alliance also filed motions asking the court to grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to bar the defendants from “gathering within sight of drop boxes; from following, taking photos of, or otherwise recording voters or prospective voters, those assisting voters or prospective voters, or their vehicles at or around a drop box; and from training, organizing, or directing others to do the same.”

In his order denying both motions, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi said he “acknowledge[d] that Plaintiffs and many voters are legitimately alarmed by the observers,” but ultimately ruled that the requested preliminary injunctive relief “implicates serious First Amendment considerations.”

“An individual’s right to vote is fundamental. But so too is an individual’s right to engage in political speech, assemble peacefully, and associate with others,” Liburdi wrote, adding that the defendants were not acting with the intention of discouraging people from voting, but by a desire “to prevent what [the defendants] perceive to be widespread illegal voting and ballot harvesting” so “that persons who attempt to break Arizona’s anti-ballot harvesting law will be exposed.”

“On this record, therefore, the Court finds that a reasonable observer could interpret the conduct as conveying some sort of message, regardless of whether the message has any objective merit,” which falls under the protection of the First Amendment, the judge said.

Following the ruling, attorneys for the plaintiffs appealed the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Neither Jennings nor Clean Elections USA immediately responded to ABC News’ request for comment.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(MILWAUKEE) — A Wisconsin man is facing a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after a video circulated online that appeared to show him grabbing a Black man around his neck after a dispute about an alleged bicycle theft, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

The Milwaukee Police Department told ABC News on Friday that Robert Walczykowski, 62, was charged in connection with the altercation seen in the video.

In the video, Walczykowsk, who is white, accuses 24-year-old Trevon Burks, who is Black, of stealing a bike from his friend’s yard.

“I didn’t touch it,” Burks says in the video, denying Walczykowski’s accusations.

A bystander filmed the video of the incident which took place earlier this month. In the video, the bystander lets Walczykowski know that he’s recording.

“Go ahead, record me,” Walczykowski says in the video as he appears to hold Burks by the neck.

“Let go of his neck, he’s not going anywhere,” the bystander says in the video.

Walczykowski eventually let Burks go, and Burks left the scene before police officers arrived, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, citing the criminal complaint.

Milwaukee police did not comment on whether Burks is suspected of stealing the bicycle or whether he will face any charges in connection with the dispute.

Burks’ family told Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN that he has developmental delays. “My son didn’t do anything wrong and, if I was to get justice, I would want [Walczykowsk] to pay for what he did,” Burks’ mother, Tracey, said during a news conference, according to WISN.

Walczykowski and his attorney did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

Outraged by the incident, community members have protested in front of Walczykowski’s house since the video appeared online, waving “Black Lives Matter” flags. Other videos show people donating bicycles and other gifts to Burks.

Walczykowski will make his first court appearance Nov. 2, according to court records.

The police department told ABC News that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office will handle the case from here. The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.