Delphi Murders: For many years the case went unnoticed. Then the volunteer found a file with interesting information.

CNN
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For five years after two teenage girls were murdered and their bodies dumped along a trail in Indiana, Richard Allen’s name went unnoticed in a box with thousands of other tips about the mystery until it was accidentally rediscovered.

Allen’s note, hidden in a public tip box, said he saw three girls while walking along the Monon High Bridge Trail between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017.

In September 2022, when volunteer recorder Kathy Shank put the information into an online database, she realized the time Allen said he was on the trail coincided with the time the girls were believed to have gone missing. according to CNN affiliate WLFI.

Shank passed the tip on to the detective in charge of the investigation because she thought it was worth looking into. She testified last week at Allen’s trial for the murders of Abigail “Abbie” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, in Delphi, Indiana.

Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett said despite the tip, Allen “fell through the cracks.” According to CNN affiliate WLFI. The suspect never left the small town. working at a local CVS pharmacy until he was arrested.

The revelation about the clue box is one of many facts that have surfaced in the so-called Delphi murder case. Many details of the case, including exactly how the girls died, remained unknown to the public for many years. In December 2022, Judge issued a gag order prevent lawyers, law enforcement officials, court officials, the coroner and the girls’ relatives from publicly commenting on the case.

But as the trial gets underway, details of the story are beginning to come to light. Here’s what we’ve learned about the case in the first full week of trial.

The pathologist who performed the autopsies on the girls testified that both had wounds on their necks that appeared to be from a jagged edge, although he could not determine exactly what or how many instruments were used to make the cuts. according to CNN affiliate WLFI.

According to pathologist Roland Core, Abby had one wound, seven inches long, on the side of her neck. According to WLFI, Libby had four or five wounds to her neck and three major blood vessels in her neck were cut.

Fourteen autopsy photographs of the girls were shown in court, WLFI reported. Family members cried and other spectators were visibly shocked. According to CNN affiliate WRTV.

According to WRTV, Libby would have bled to death from her wounds within five to 10 minutes.

Core said there were no signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds on any of the victims’ bodies, WRTV reported.

While Abby’s body was found fully clothed – wearing Libby’s clothes – Libby was discovered naked, Core testified. according to WRTV. Abby’s T-shirt, jeans and jacket were found in a nearby river, the station reported.

The court was shown more than 50 photographs from the crime scene, which caused an emotional reaction, WRTV reported.

Prosecutors worked to link Allen to the crime scene using an unspent bullet found between the girls’ bodies that investigators said was fired from Allen’s gun.

Former Indiana State Police firearms inspector Melissa Oberg testified that a .40-caliber cartridge found between the bodies matched a gun recovered from Allen’s home. according to CNN affiliate WTHR. She explained that she matched the cartridge to the gun based on the “quality and quantity of markings” on the cartridge.

The defense attempted to cast doubt on evidence of the bullet, questioning why additional images of the cartridge were not taken and suggesting the bullet could have been fired from a law enforcement officer’s weapon. according to CNN affiliate WRTV.

The gun is one of several weapons found in Allen’s home in 2022, prosecutors said. Police also found several knives and ammunition in his home. according to WLFI. He was arrested shortly after authorities said they identified the unspent cartridge as a match to his gun.

Meanwhile, the defense raised questions about the lack of DNA evidence linking Allen to the murders. When asked whether any DNA evidence taken from Libby’s wrist swab matched Allen, Indiana State Police Investigator Brian Olehi said no: According to CNN affiliate WTHR.

Video footage taken on Libby’s cell phone was also shown at trial. Authorities previously released only a screenshot from the “Bridge Guy” video, which shows a man in a blue jacket and jeans walking across the Monon High Bridge, as well as a short audio clip of a man’s muffled voice saying, “Down the hill.” ”

Authorities have long believed the man in the video, nicknamed “Bridge Guy,” was responsible for the girls’ deaths.

In the 43-second video played in court and enhanced by investigator Jeremy Chapman, Libby records the trail before turning the camera to film Abby. Then “Bridge Guy” comes into view according to CNN affiliate WNDU. In the video, Libby can be heard telling Abby, “The trail ends here, we need to get down,” WNDU reported.

One witness, Sarah Carbaugh, testified that on Feb. 13, 2017, while returning from the Monon High Bridge Trail, she saw a man who appeared “dirty, bloody and unfriendly” whom she identified as the man on the bridge shown in the video. according to CNN affiliate WLFI.

While the trial has revealed a wealth of new information about the case, one aspect remains unclear: the motive for the horrific crime.

The victims’ bodies were found partially covered with sticks, Indiana State Police Investigator Brian Olehi said Oct. 22. according to CNN affiliate WTHR.

Olegy suggested that the sticks could have been used in a “concealment attempt”, but the bodies of the victims were not completely covered.

The defense, meanwhile, hopes to use the arrangement of the sticks as evidence for its theory that the girls were not killed by Allen, but rather in a ritual murder, perhaps as part of Odinism, a far-right branch of Norse paganism. voltage.

On October 23, Allen’s lawyers filed a new motion demanding that their alternative version of the killer be considered in court. according to CNN affiliate WTHR. In the petition, according to the lawyers, “the sticks on the girls are arranged in a certain order.” A judge previously blocked a similar attempt to resolve the Odinism theory in court.