Richard Allen, the man charged with abducting and killing two young girls in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017, admitted to the crimes no less than 5 times in calls he made to his wife and mother while in prison awaiting trial, the district attorney said.

In documents publicly released for the first time Wednesday, authorities say that Allen admitted to killing 14-year-old Liberty Libby German and 13-year-old Abigail Abby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017. Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area about half a mile from the trail where the girls were last seen. Police said an unspent bullet found near Libbys body had been cycled through a Sig Sauer handgun they recovered from Allens home when executing a search warrant.

Allens attorneys had acknowledged he made incriminating statements while in custody at a June 16 hearing but described them as unreliable because of mental health issues he has developed while incarcerated. He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial is scheduled for January 2024.