Naman Shrestha
The entire community of Delphi, Indiana, received a shell-shocking news in February 2017 when the remains of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German surfaced in a wooded area near the Monon High Bridge Trail. The case and the investigation that ensued are covered extensively in ABC’s ‘Capturing Their Killer: The Girls on the High Bridge,’ a three-part documentary series that also features exclusive interviews with the victims’ loved ones. During the initial phase of investigation, the detectives suspected a man named Kegan Kline to be involved in the murders. However, upon further inspection, he had unrelated and other chargeable secrets, for which he was punished.
Kegan Kline Was Arrested For Child Pornography and Other Charges
Born in 1994, Kegan Anthony Kline reportedly created fake social media accounts by the names of Anthony Shots and Emily Ann, through which he catfished minor and teenage girls across the nation. As per reports, he had been talking to Liberty “Libby” German using his Anthony Shots account, which he created six months before the horrific murders of Libby and Abby. As the detectives connected the dots and learned that Kegan was running the fake account, they searched his Peru, Indiana, residence on February 25, 2017, suspecting that he could be responsible for the double homicide. Although they couldn’t find any evidence to charge him with the murders, the detectives found out about Kegan’s habit of soliciting images from underage girls using fake accounts.
Kegan claimed that his catfishing began when his real dating profile received no responses from women. Through his fake accounts, he interacted with girls he knew as well as those he didn’t. He reportedly had received and saved more than 100 sexual photos and videos from the girls he had talked with. As they investigated the child pornography case, the detectives seized a total of six devices from his property, including a tablet, an iPod touch, and smartphones. About 11 victims were identified, and most of them resided a few miles away from Miami County, Indiana. In August 2020, Kegan Kline was officially charged with 30 counts, including child exploitation, possession of child pornography, and obstruction of justice.
Kegan Kline is Currently Incarcerated at an Indiana Prison Facility
On March 30, 2023, Kegan Kline pleaded guilty to 25 of the criminal charges against him, including child exploitation, child solicitation, possession of child pornography, identity theft, and obstruction of justice. In court, he also admitted to receiving sexual pictures of minor girls. Moreover, he admitted that he had deleted social media applications from his devices in order to get away from his crimes. A few months after pleading guilty, on July 27, his sentencing hearing took place. Kegan took the stand and apologized to his victims, hoping to get a lower sentence. He stated, “I was depressed and lonely. I knew it was wrong, but I liked the attention. I’m truly sorry to each and every one of them.”
Claiming that he never intended to actually meet any of the girls he chatted with, he also apologized to the man whose images he used to create the fake profile of Anthony Shots. Ultimately, Kegan was sentenced to 43 years in prison on July 27, with him receiving credit for the 1,429 days he had already served behind bars. Three years of his prison sentence were also suspended, as he was ordered to serve those three years on probation after his release. Thus, his imprisonment sentence ended up being 40 years. In January 2024, he filed a motion against his sentencing.
In his appeal, he argued that it was “manifestly unreasonable” as it should be considered as one episode of criminal conduct instead of different. However, the state argued that the evidence was obtained from his house, but the images were received and saved at different times. Thus, the Indiana Court of Appeals sided with the state’s arguments and denied Kegan’s appeal, upholding the sentence in late June 2024. As of today, Kegan Kline is serving his sentence at Westville Correctional Facility in Westville, Indiana, with the earliest possible release date scheduled for August 2048.
