DELPHI, Ind. — The grandmother of Libby German said the man arrested and accused of killing her granddaughter also was the man who printed off pictures for Libby’s funeral.
Richard Allen, 50, was charged with counts of murder in the 2017 slayings of Abby Williams and Libby German.
CVS confirmed that Allen was an employee at its Delphi store and state records show he was a licensed pharmacy technician.
Libby’s grandmother Becky Patty said Allen was the one who printed off pictures that were used at the girls’ funeral. Patty said Allen did not charge the families for the photos.
Becky said she doesn’t feel like she thought she would when she heard the news of an arrest.
“I’ve always said that I would be screaming at the rooftops but we’re not we’re not,” Becky said. “It’s sad.”
For more than five years the search for the killer has consumed the family. Now they’re left wondering what to do next.
“We are all just kind of feeling our way and figuring out what our purpose is now,” Becky said.
They’re now left to face the harsh reality that Allen has been living amongst them the whole time.
“I don’t know the gentleman personally at all so I’ve probably seen him,” Mike Patty, Libby’s grandpa, said. “It’s a small county, but definitely I don’t know him.”
When asked whether he thinks anyone in the small town knew about Allen and kept quiet, Patty said he wouldn’t speculate. However, he seemed to indicate that in this small of a community it’d be hard to imagine otherwise.
As for what they’d say to Allen if they talk to him.
“I’ll save those words when I see him face-to-face,” Mike Patty said.
Now that they have an arrest, the Patty family says the hard part begins. An arrest isn’t good enough, they want a conviction.
“I just know that there’s another job and another hill for us to climb ahead of us but we are up for the challenge,” Mike said. “We’re gonna keep after it.”
Anna Williams, the mother of Abby Williams, didn’t have any comment as she left the press conference.
The Patty family said they still want to help investigators as much as they can since this investigation is still ongoing. They’re asking anyone who has any relevant information to call the tip line at (765) 822-3535.
