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Richard Allen has since been charged with the girls' murders, and in Junehe allegedly confessed to their killingsin a jail call with his wife, authorities have said.
The case gained national media attention as investigators stumbled upon another child solicitor while looking for the girls’ murderer. While under investigation for the Delphi murders, law enforcement uncovered evidence of Kline’s child-related crimes, leading to more than a dozen charges, Fox59 reported. By the time investigators were done, PEOPLE previously reported, Klinefaced 30 criminal chargesunrelated to the best friends.
In addition to his “anthony_shots” account, Kline catfished girls all over the country, ages 12 to 18, with the social media account “Emily Ann.”
Kegan Anthony Kline.miami county sheriff’s office
miami county sheriff’s office
Kline began catfishing young girls because he was upset that women did not respond to his actual dating profile, Miami County Probation Officer Cathy Knight testified,according to 13WTHR.
“Would you have sex with my dad?” he would ask young girls through Emily Ann, sharing his actual social media page, the outlet reported. Kline amassed more than 100 sexual images, and investigators identified a handful of underage victims among them, according to the outlet.
Kline pleaded guilty to 25 criminal charges, among them child exploitation, child solicitation, possession of child pornography, identity theft and obstruction of justice, Fox59 reported.
Because Kline pleaded guilty to the charges, he cannot appeal his conviction, but he told the judge he does plan to appeal his sentence, 13 WTHR reported.
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In court Thursday, Kline wept as he read aloud a prepared apology designed to get a lower sentence from the judge, the outlet reported. “I was in a deep state of depression and shut in my house,” he told the judge, adding: “I made fake profiles because of my loneliness.”
Saying he never planned to meet up with any of the girls, he apologized to “each and every victim,” including the man whose image he had used for the anthony_shots profile. He lamented other bad life choices, including that he had never bothered to get a high school diploma or a driver’s license.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
