I remember ISP Sgt Kim Riley saying something similar, but I didn't know the sheriff stated it as well. Yes, RL broke the law or the conditions of court agreement but those details only came to light during the Delphi murders. Very few, if any, outside LE and his family knew of his violation. I get that LE had to go after him, but the timing doesn't help their investigation. Anyone with a suspicion of who the killer is - NOT knowledge - would likely have a motivating factor to stay as far away from the case as possible. But this was a month into the investigation, with witnesses on the trails, video and audio from Liberty's phone, so LE was probably very confident this killer was going to be arrested very shortly. If LE had known that five years later they would be in the same spot with regard to an arrest I wonder if they would have handled things differently.
Found Deceased IN - Abigail (Abby) Williams, 13, & Liberty (Libby) German, 14, The Delphi Murders 13 Feb 2017 #141
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MistyWaters
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RL was drinking at a pizza place so anyone there who was aware of his past would know he was violating his probation and in small communities everyone knows everything. As for the other arrests, possibly someone calling in a tip may’ve based their suspicions on other known illegal activity. I don’t see how a local police force investigating a double homicide can be respected at the same time as deliberately turning a blind to those who have broken the law. Another example is KAK, the search of his devises revealed serious pedophilia. Should that been overlooked as well, albeit it took a long time for charges to be laid. Even if he wasn’t involved in the Delphi murders that tip was incredibly helpful to get him off the streets to prevent him from preying on other victims, . IIRC another tip led to a murder charge in another case, just can’t find a link at the moment. Regardless, police cannot be expected to not do their job and instead pick and choose who gets arrested, that’s when the possibility of corruption seeps into the realm.
JMO
The timing of the murders and the subsequent arrest and overkill IMO of RL’s charges and subsequent jail time is a red flag to me. I’m interested to know who was at the pizza place where he was throwing back a few cold ones and maybe even some pizza. Anyone who saw him there or knew he was absent from his property had knowledge and opportunity. In small towns people make others business and criminal
charges their own business sometimes to their detriment. I doubt he is in any way responsible but an individual knowing his location and more importantly his habits is high on my list of suspects. IMO
LE threw it hard at RL. Why? Anywhere else it would have been slight in comparison to what justice was dealt him. IMO they initially believed he knew the who and how. Idk I think he was someone’s scapegoat and I never forget the Flora fires and MS charges that may very well factor into the two murders. Lots can be explained and likewise much cannot be easily discarded. IMO
MistyWaters
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The drinking at the pizza place was a couple of weeks after the murders, not the day of, if that’s what you’re suggesting. His friend claimed he fell off the wagon due the stress associated with the discovery on his priority. LE did not sentence RL, the harsh sent sentence came from the Judge but iirc he was eventually released early.
I think it’s unlikely the Flora fires are connected to Delphi. The arsonist who was responsible probably didn’t know the house did not have working smoke detectors at the time. JMO
Awsi Dooger
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That's exactly what he is doing. The bridge condition improves dramatically after the second to last platform. I refreshed my memory of that today while looking at the handful of short videos I filmed while crossing the bridge in 2019. They aren't worth very much but I decided to post them to YouTube today. In every video until the second to last platform I am emphasizing bridge conditions, and especially the spongy planks. That aspect startled me most and led to two major whirlybird wobbles. Planks look perfectly fine then absorb your foot and you don't know if it will go straight through.
Not until the video filmed just beyond the bridge did I emphasize that the best tactic is to go fast and take two planks at a time while not looking down. I've had that video on YouTube for 2 years. Only when I looked at it in conjunction with the others did I realize that my memory was not fully reliable. I have been saying bridge conditions improve sharply in the middle section. While that is somewhat valid compared to the early awful area above Deer Creek, you don't reach mostly normal footing with ability to go fast until just beyond the second to last platform.
Bridge Guy was well beyond that second to last platform when Libby begins filming him. He is basically parallel to the final platform. Bridge conditions are superb in that section compared to earlier. He could have been running or doing an impression of Fred Astaire. It is beyond laughable to assign that segment as troubling, or that hands in pockets means anything at all. Julie Melvin filmed a video three weeks after the murders in which she emphasized it was easy to go fast near the end.
Since Bridge Guy didn't want to alarm the girls he was walking much slower than he could have been approaching the end. He wasn't even thinking much about bridge conditions, given everything else he was contemplating. Since the second to last platform the footing has been fine anyway. His mind is occupied and he didn't notice the rare problematic plank until nearly on top of it. That caused him to do the last second crossover step from right to left.
Charlot123
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I think it was altered. The voice sounds dull and hollow, as if all upper register was cut off, but perhaps it is the inevitable effect of “clearing” the recording?
AC4RD
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THANK YOU! I'm looking forward to seeing your videos but I'm particularly grateful for the 'in-person' evaluation of the bridge surface. That's the sort of thing we can never know just from reading messages. Thank you! --ken
AC4RD
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That's exactly the sort of thing I was wondering about. I've got NO experience with that sort of audio processing but your suggestion ("inevitable effect") certainly sounds very likely. I was amazed at how much intelligibility the sound lab (FBI's?) managed to pull out of the noise, but whether vocal clues (timbre, pronounciation, whatever) were lost is another question. It's still an amazing job, IMO, of pulling the voice out of the noise.
I vaguely remember the pizza incident. I've heard it was the day of and I've heard it was later. But he was in violation of his probation the day of the murders. It was his alibi. His trip to the dump was a probation violation.
Owner of Delphi murder site admits to driving to county dump on day of teens’ killings | Fox 59
I get that they had to do something. Still the timing was not good for the entire situation.
I found this article interesting for those who didn't follow it from the beginning. It includes a timeline of some of the events related to the case up until Dec 2021.
Delphi murders: Abby and Libby killed by 'Bridge Guy'
Delphi murders: Abby and Libby killed by 'Bridge Guy'
MistyWaters
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Yes, that’s right. He eventually spent about 9 months in jail.
https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-new...i-teens-were-found-released-on-home-detention
AC4RD
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Agree, 100% yes! Habitual DUI is not treated lightly these days. News story:
https://www.yournewslocal.com/delph...r-years-in-prison-on-illegal-driving-charges/
Ron Logan, age 77, pleaded guilty to being a habitual traffic violator and violating probation ,,, following his most recent 2014 drunk driving arrest. [...] Between 2010 and 2014, Logan was arrested for drunk driving four times, resulting in three convictions.
Thanks. For those of us much farther away (AND with possibly NO desire to walk across the bridge) that helps us understand much better.
iamnotagolem
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When i worked in probation & parole, DUI cases were never moved to minimum supervision because they pose the biggest threat to the public and are likely to reoffend. I’m not sure about Indiana but in my state it’s not even a felony until the 3rd dui conviction, so it’s clearly a problem long before they even get to being on probation or parole.
MistyWaters
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While we’re solely focused on LE solving the murders of Abby and Libby, I admit I’m somewhat shocked at insinuations LE should’ve announced they would totally ignore other criminality because it might discourage tips. In the example of repeat DUI offenders, I really doubt families of any future victims who were killed during drunk driving incidents would agree. While apprehending this killer is significant, that’s not reason enough for other law breakers to be given a free pass.
What would be an example of someone so fearful of arrest not submitting a tip, other than having an outstanding arrest warrant? Nothing to say inmates can’t tip information, happens all the time and often it results in a lighter sentence. I think it’s highly unlikely unlikely anyone would be so stupid to invite LE over to talk about it while cooking up meth in the kitchen or drive drunk to the police station.
IMO the only good thing about an unsolved crime is it leads to arrests not associated to the case because it gives people a good reason to tip about unrelated situations they might’ve otherwise kept quiet about. KAK may be a perfect example. JMO
What would be an example of someone so fearful of arrest not submitting a tip, other than having an outstanding arrest warrant? Nothing to say inmates can’t tip information, happens all the time and often it results in a lighter sentence. I think it’s highly unlikely unlikely anyone would be so stupid to invite LE over to talk about it while cooking up meth in the kitchen or drive drunk to the police station.
IMO the only good thing about an unsolved crime is it leads to arrests not associated to the case because it gives people a good reason to tip about unrelated situations they might’ve otherwise kept quiet about. KAK may be a perfect example. JMO
Silver_produce0
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Wow, thanks for linking that. It definitely looks like it could be a concealed carry jacket!
Charlot123
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Trying to understand why certain parts of the bridge were more damaged than others (wondering if any partial repair works were done at the edges of MHB, and if so, by whom? - a bridge repairer is another "invisible" figure), I ran into this site/blog. I think it is peculiar.
Industrial History: Monon Bridge over Deer Creek east of Delphi, IN
(This is not Bridge Hunters, a different site).
The date of the entry is interesting. Notwithstanding that a blog with photos is not prepared in one day, of course...
I also hope one might enjoy the accompanying Flickr photos. (I thought MHB was a truss bridge, btw, but it was rebuilt.)
P.S. it just hit me. The bridge part of the railroad was closed in 1987 and "abandoned soon".
But maybe, not that soon? What happens to people working at the railroad when part of it is closed? Do they typically stay around, do they move? What kind of jobs do they look for?
Were there people working at the railroad living in Delphi in 1987? A kid who was 10 at that time would be 40 in 2017. Has the railroad part of the bridge story been looked into? Railroads, for sure, give jobs. It would be interesting to know if CSX, the former owner, was contacted about the people working at this part of the bridge (connected with MHB) and whether they were laid off or relocated?
Industrial History: Monon Bridge over Deer Creek east of Delphi, IN
(This is not Bridge Hunters, a different site).
The date of the entry is interesting. Notwithstanding that a blog with photos is not prepared in one day, of course...
I also hope one might enjoy the accompanying Flickr photos. (I thought MHB was a truss bridge, btw, but it was rebuilt.)
P.S. it just hit me. The bridge part of the railroad was closed in 1987 and "abandoned soon".
But maybe, not that soon? What happens to people working at the railroad when part of it is closed? Do they typically stay around, do they move? What kind of jobs do they look for?
Were there people working at the railroad living in Delphi in 1987? A kid who was 10 at that time would be 40 in 2017. Has the railroad part of the bridge story been looked into? Railroads, for sure, give jobs. It would be interesting to know if CSX, the former owner, was contacted about the people working at this part of the bridge (connected with MHB) and whether they were laid off or relocated?
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bbm
Not linking, but I remember early in the search for Kyron Horman, LE asked for cooperation in searching. LE asked to enter & cross properties, and the wording wasn't that all criminal activity would be ignored, but that LE would only be looking for information relating to Kyron's disappearance.
The interpretation on that thread was this: people in that area tend to grown their own marijuana which is/was not legal. Essentially LE was saying "please, please let us check your sheds and yards, we will ignore your homegrow, we are looking for a missing child and evidence of kidnappers only."
Did LE send messages like this after these girls were murdered?
jmho ymmv lrr
After justice for the girls, I’ll be most happy when this case is solved because we will get an answer about this dang jacket.
MOO
Quite the contrary, as I remember it. (I don’t know the exact wording.)
I was absolutely appalled, and thought that they showed a great lack of seriousness of purpose. I’d always assumed that LE would take the sort of attitude that you describe in the Kyron Horman case.
Obviously, they DID take these murders extremely seriously, but WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!
MOO
P.S. I’m sternly against marijuana use, too, so it’s not as though I’m saying this because it’s one of my ‘awww, not really a crime,’ beliefs.
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