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(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 and Abby 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 have still not released how the girls were killed.

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

Latest headlines:
-‘Right here among us’
-Suspect enters not guilty plea
-Police ask for more tips
-Man arrested in Delphi murders

Here’s how the news developed. All times Eastern.

Oct 31, 12:55 PM EDT
‘Right here among us’

Libby German’s grandmother and guardian, Becky Patty, was surprised to learn the man arrested for the murders of Libby and Abby Williams was a Delphi resident.

“It’s a small community,” she told ABC News hours after Richard Allen’s arrest was announced. “For it to be one of us, it’s hard.”

“How can somebody do that and then just go on living life like nothing happened?” Libby’s grandfather, Mike Patty, added.

Libby’s sister, Kelsi German, said she always felt the girls’ killer must be someone familiar with the Delphi area, but she said she didn’t want to believe the suspect “was right here among us.”

Mike Patty commended the police officers who he said were diligent and “sacrificed their own family time” to work on his granddaughter’s case.

“They never let up,” he said.

“There’s a lot of questions we have that are unanswered,” he added, “but all in due time that will come.”

For Libby’s sister, the arrest brings “new obstacles and emotions that we have to learn how to deal with.”

German said she visited her sister’s grave on Sunday to talk to her about the updates in the case.

Oct 31, 12:36 PM EDT
More than 70,000 tips submitted

More than 70,000 tips have been submitted since the murders in 2017, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told ABC News.

“The eyes of America were on this” case, Carter said, because Delphi — a “wonderful community” — is like so many other American towns.

“We committed a long time ago this day would come,” he said of the arrest.

“Evil never wins,” he added.

As for the girls’ families, Carter said, “I wish I could take their hurt away, but I can’t.”

Carter would not talk about the suspect, Richard Allen, or what led police to him.

Oct 31, 10:25 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.

Allen was taken into custody on Oct. 26 and is being held at the White County Jail, officials said.

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

 

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(NEW YORK) — The suspect accused of attacking Paul Pelosi told authorities he wanted to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps to show members of Congress that there are “consequences to actions,” according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Monday.

The new revelation came Monday as the Department of Justice filed federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping against the man suspected of attacking Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, last week.

David DePape, 42, is accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer in the couple’s San Francisco home just before 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to San Francisco police.

While San Francisco prosecutors have yet to announce charges against DePape, federal charges were always a possibility due to early evidence suggesting the suspect appeared to be motivated to allegedly break into the home, at least in part, to reach the speaker, sources told ABC News.

DePape was charged with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a United States official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He is also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

DePape is expected to be charged locally with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and elderly abuse, authorities said following the attack.

The attack was intentional, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said Friday, describing a chaotic scene at the home once police arrived.

Paul Pelosi and DePape each had one hand on a hammer when officers from the San Francisco Police Department arrived before DePape was allegedly able to wrestle the hammer away and begin “violently” attacking Paul Pelosi with it, Scott said.

Officers then tackled DePape and disarmed him, Scott said.

Paul Pelosi called 911 after DePape entered the home, allowing the dispatcher to hear what was happening during the altercation with DePape, police said. Paul Pelosi later told police that he had been asleep when DePape, whom he had never seen before, entered his bedroom, according to the complaint.

DePape allegedly later told officers “that he was going to hold Nancy hostage and talk to her” and that he wanted to use the House speaker to lure another unnamed individual, the affidavit states.

The suspect also allegedly told investigators that he intended to break Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps if she didn’t tell him the “truth” about “lies told by the Democratic Party” and said she would have to be wheeled into Congress, therefore showing other members of Congress that there are “consequences to actions,” according to the criminal complaint.

Paul Pelosi was struck at least twice with the hammer, sources told ABC News. He underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, the speaker’s spokesperson, Drew Hammill, said in a statement. Although his injuries are significant, he is expected to make a full recovery, Hammill said.

DePape allegedly shouted “Where’s Nancy?” repeatedly after entering the home through a sliding glass door and moving about the house, law enforcement officers familiar with the investigation told ABC News. The speaker was in Washington, D.C., at the time, according to Capitol Police.

The suspect was carrying a bag that contained duct tape and zip ties, two law enforcement officials briefed on the probe told ABC News on Sunday.

DePape was hospitalized with injuries following the attack. While police are still investigating the motive, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank dedicated to researching extremism and disinformation, said DePape “likely was motivated by a wide range of conspiratorial beliefs.”

“In the last two months, DePape has posted dozens of articles and videos to his blogs spreading conspiracies and hateful rhetoric related to COVID-19, women, Hillary Clinton, the Jewish community, federal law enforcement (e.g., FBI), government censorship, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the climate crisis, QAnon, the 2020 election, the transgender community, and ‘grooming’ in schools,” the ISD said in a statement, though no posts were found specifically mentioning Nancy Pelosi.

Among the number of social media posts being examined by investigators include some in which DePape allegedly espouses conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines, 2020 false election theories, frustration with the Jan. 6 congressional hearings and anger over the conviction of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

DePape is expected to be arraigned Tuesday. It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney.

ABC News’ Alex Mallin, Luke Barr, Meredith Deliso, Mike Levine and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

 

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(BOSTON) — The oldest unidentified homicide victim in Massachusetts, known as the “Lady of the Dunes,” was officially identified on Monday almost 50 years after she was found dead.

FBI investigators in Boston said the victim was Ruth Marie Terry, 37, of Tennessee.

Terry’s cause of death was a blow to the head, the FBI said. Her hands were missing, “presumably removed by her killer so she could not be identified through fingerprints, and her head was nearly severed from her body,” said Joe Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division.

On July 26, 1974, her dismembered body was found in the dunes in Provincetown.

Investigators said investigative genealogy helped them identify the body.

“This is a unique method that can generate new leads for unsolved homicides, as well as help identify unknown victims,” Bonavolonta said. “This is, without a doubt, a major break in the investigation that will, hopefully, bring all of us closer to identifying her killer.”

The news has been delivered to the victim’s family, he added.

“At this point in time, we can tell you she was born in Tennessee in 1936,” Bonavolonta said. “Ruth was a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, and mother. Investigators have also determined that in addition to Tennessee, she had ties to California, Massachusetts, and Michigan.”

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.”
 

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(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.”  

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(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.

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