Additional Coverage:
- ‘I thought they were mannequins’: Jury hears emotional testimony from searchers who found Delphi teens’ bodies (newsbreak.com)
Testimony in Delphi Murders Trial
In Indiana, the trial for Richard Allen, charged with the murders of two teenage girls in 2017, began on Friday.
Pat Brown, who discovered the victims’ bodies, testified on Saturday. Brown was out searching for Libby German and Abby Williams when he made the grim discovery.
Brown described seeing the girls’ bodies and calling out to other searchers. He recalled the tragic realization that they were not mannequins, but the missing teens.
Evidence Presented
Jake Johns, another search party member, testified that he and a colleague spotted footprints and disturbed soil near the bridge where the girls disappeared.
Libby German managed to capture footage of a man on her phone before her death. In the video, the man can be heard telling the girls to go down the hill.
Prosecutor’s Claims
Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland alleged that Allen marched the girls from the bridge with a gun and killed them. He stated that Libby was found nude and Abby was wearing some of Libby’s clothing.
A bullet was found near the victims’ bodies, suggesting the involvement of a firearm.
Defense’s Argument
Allen’s attorney, Andrew Baldwin, argued that there is reasonable doubt in the case. The defense has suggested that the teens died at the hands of a pagan cult as part of a “ritualistic sacrifice.”
Judge Frances Gull denied the defense’s request to present this theory to the jury due to insufficient evidence.
The trial is ongoing and testimony will continue on Monday.