Delphi murder case: Libby German’s blood probably mixed with her tears, says expert in Richard Allen murder trial

DELPHI, Ind. — A pattern on the body of Delphi, Indiana, murder victim Libby German showed her blood was mixed with fluid, an officer testified at the trial of Richard Allen. The officer said he believes the fluid was Libby’s tears, which caused family members to watch his testimony in court and react audibly.

Libby, 14, and her best friend Abby Williams, 13, were walking along a hiking trail in rural Delphi when their throats were slit and they were left in the woods on February 13, 2017. Their bodies were found the next day.

Allen was arrested in 2022 and has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Maj. Pat Cicero of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department took the stand Monday. Cicero was not at the crime scene in 2017, but he said he reviewed photos of the scene and several reports.

Abby’s mother cried quietly in the courtroom as prosecutors showed close-up photos of the girls’ faces, bodies, hands, feet and legs.

Cicero showed the jury an image of a bloodstain on a tree. He explained that it was a transfer stain, meaning it was left behind when a bloody object touched it.

Cicero testified that the bloodstains and patterns on the tree led him to believe that the attack on Libby began at the tree, with swipes of a weapon possibly causing the splatter on the tree.

Libby died of her injuries in a large pool of blood as she leaned against the tree, Cicero said. He said he believes she was then dragged about 20 feet to where her body was found.

Abby was likely tied up or unconscious when she was killed, Cicero said, because there was no blood on her hands or arms and she was found with her hands raised vertically.

“Her last position is almost like she was boxing,” he said.

Cicero said he has visited hundreds of crime scenes and described the position of Abby’s body as very unusual. “I’ve never seen it,” he said.

He also said that Abby probably didn’t die right away. “This would have taken some time,” he said.

Allen has admitted he was on the trail the day the girls were killed, but he denies any involvement in the killings.

Also on Monday, Indiana State Police forensic scientist Stacy Bozinovski said there was no DNA tying Allen to the murder scene in Delphi, Indiana.

RELATED | Delphi murder case: Extensive video from victim’s phone played in court

Jurors hear Richard Allen’s interview tapes

Tuesday began with the jury seeing two interviews Allen did with police before his arrest.

This was the first time Allen’s voice was heard in court.

Judge Frances Gull told the jury that parts of the video were redacted because they did not relate to the investigation.

First, the state played the Oct. 13, 2022 interview with Carroll County Sheriff’s Office investigator Steve Mullin and chief deputy and now sheriff Tony Liggett. The video lasted about 90 minutes.

Allen described himself in the video. He explained that he is a husband and father. He grew up most of his life in Mexico, Indiana and served in the National Guard. Allen also told Mullin and Liggett that he suffered a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 37 and that he suffers from depression and anxiety.

Allen said he had worked at CVS since 2013, and before that at Walmart for 10 years.

The interview then moves to February 13, 2017, the day Libby and Abby went missing. Allen said he was with his mother in Peru, Indiana, while his wife was at work. He estimated he left his mother’s house around 11:15 a.m. and arrived at the Monon High Trail around noon.

Allen couldn’t remember exactly where he parked his car. When asked about his route, Allen told investigators, “The way it goes around.”

Mullin asked Allen if he would have driven a different way to get there. Allen said, “Maybe,” but he always took the same route through the center of Delphi.

Allen said he told his wife he was searching the day the girls went missing. After the killings, she said police were looking for people who may have information. Allen went to the sheriff’s office and arranged an interview with Department of Natural Resources official Dan Dulan. Allen spoke with Dulan just days after Libby and Abby were found dead.

The interview was ultimately misfiled and overlooked for almost five years.

During his videotaped interview, Allen told Liggett and Mullin that there were three girls he met along the way.

Allen said, “I don’t really remember seeing anyone else that day. If I did, they wouldn’t jump on me.’

Allen said he kept an eye on a stock quote on his phone along the way. After he left, he said he went home and continued watching the stock market to “try to get rich.” He said he considered it a hobby.

Allen described his time on the Monon High Bridge. He said he went to a platform to look at fish, then left the trail at 1:30 or 1:45 p.m.

Allen said he saw cars parked at the Mears entrance to the trail when he arrived. When he returned to his car after the walk, Allen said there were no more vehicles there.

Liggett and Mullin asked him what car he drove to the trail. He said he normally drove a gray Ford 500 but took a black car when he drove outside Delphi. Investigators believe he was driving his black 2016 Ford Focus.

Allen told investigators he was wearing jeans and a Carhartt jacket. He said he had a black and blue jacket at the time, but he thought he was wearing the black one. Liggett asked if he was wearing a hat. Allen said if so, it would have been the “skull cap” he kept in his jacket pockets. Allen said he was wearing tennis shoes or military-style boots.

The interview started to get tense when Liggett and Mullin asked to see Allen’s phone. Allen asked how long they would need it and said he was using Verizon’s Ting for cell phone service. Allen said he didn’t think he still had his 2017 phone and believed his wife had recycled it.

Liggett asked if they could confirm some of the information by searching Allen’s home and getting data from his current phone.

Allen then said, “It sounds like I’m going to be someone’s cheater.”

Mullin read Allen a warrant to which he replied, “From the conversation we’re having, it sounds like you think I might have done it.”

Liggett then assured Allen that they were just “crossing the dots and the dots” while speaking to people who were out and about on February 13, 2017.

Allen responded by saying, “I’m not letting the police go through my house and stuff.”

Allen initially gave police the passcode for his phone, but then changed his mind.

He told investigators, “You know what. Let me talk to my wife before we do anything.”

Mullin told Allen they wanted to search his house so they could rule him out.

Allen replied, “I had nothing to do with it. I don’t want to be more involved than necessary.’

The interview becomes more and more tense when the investigators ask Allen if he is ‘Bridge Guy’.

Allen said, “I’ve never met them,” meaning the girls.

Allen continued to deny any involvement in the crime as they continued to show him a photo of ‘Bridge Guy’.

“That’s not me. If the photo was taken on the girl’s phone, that’s not me,” he said.

Liggett said, “He’s wearing the same clothes you told us. Just tell us what happened.”

Then Allen began to close the interview.

He said, “We’re all done here. Your attitude towards me has changed. I feel like I’m being interrogated.’

Allen went on to say, “You won’t find anything linking me to the murders; so I’m not worried about it. So either arrest me or take me home.”

Allen then became furious and said, “Are you arresting me? Are you arresting me?” He added: “You have lost my trust. This is stupid. Now you’re making me angry.’

After the interview ended, Allen was taken home. A few hours later, police arrived with a warrant and searched his property.

The jury then saw Allen’s interview with Indiana State Police investigator Jerry Holeman. It happened on October 26, 2022.

The video begins with Holeman telling Allen what they took from his home during their police investigation and what is being tested. Holeman asked if Allen had ever lent any of his property, such as his gun, to anyone. He responded by saying ‘no’.

Holeman asked Allen if he had his gun with him while walking on Feb. 13, 2017. He said he didn’t have it.

In the video, Holeman tells Allen that his SIG SAUER matched the unused cartridge from the crime scene. Allen laughs and says, “That’s impossible.”

Holeman told Allen that the media would portray him as a monster, and that the only way out was to tell the truth. Holeman then pressed Allen, saying, “Why did you say ‘it’s over’ during the search warrant?”

Allen responded, “You’ve talked to people I’ve worked with. You talked to my neighbors.” Holeman then told Allen, “The evidence shows that you are involved.” Allen went on to say, “There’s no way a bullet from my gun was anywhere near the girls. You’re trying to say I killed two girls. I’m done. The damage is already done. Do it just what you’re going to do.” Doing.”

Holeman went on to say, “I don’t think you’re the one who killed them. Or do you?’ Allen said, “Anyone who knows me knows I could never do something like that. I didn’t kill two little girls. You’re trying to convince me to confess to something I didn’t do.”

In the video, Holeman goes on to ask a technician to swab Allen’s mouth for a DNA sample.

Holeman goes on to say, “The ball is in your court. I’m trying to help you. Why does all this evidence point to you?’

“I can’t tell you that,” Allen said.

Holeman then tells Allen that he has five witnesses who identified Allen on the bridge with the girls on the day of the murders. Holeman testified Saturday that he lied about it as an interview tactic. Allen responded to Holeman by saying, “It didn’t happen. They didn’t see me with the girls because I wasn’t with them. I’m not going to admit that I didn’t do something.”

Holeman continued to pressure Allen, with Allen becoming increasingly irritated.

Allen said, “I’m not going to admit that I didn’t do something. I’m done. If you’re going to arrest me, arrest me. I’m done. I’m not talking anymore. This is ridiculous.”

He went on to say, “I don’t think anything you have will show me the murder of two little girls.”

Holeman then went back to the unused cartridge found among the girls’ bodies. He explained to Allen how it connected to his gun during the tests. Allen then responded, “There’s no way a bullet from my gun was found at a murder scene.”

Holeman gives him several other opportunities to confess to the crime, to which Allen replied, “I didn’t kill two little girls.” Holeman then asked, “What did you do?” Allen replied, “I went for a walk on the trail and went home.”

Janel Klein of ABC News contributed to this report.