Delphi murders trial: DNA evidence shows no ties to suspect Richard Allen, expert testifies

DELPHI, Ind. -- The prosecution focused on DNA evidence as testimony resumed Monday morning in the double murder trial of Richard Allen.

Best friends Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were walking along a Delphi hiking trail when they were killed on the afternoon of Feb. 13, 2017.

Richard Allen, a Delphi resident, was arrested in October 2022 and has pleaded not guilty to murder.

The prosecution called Stacy Bozinovski, an Indiana State Police forensic scientist to the stand.

Bozinovski worked on DNA evidence in the Delphi case and wrote the report on the case in March 2017. It included an analysis of the rape kits performed on both girls.

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Bozinovski testified that there was no evidence the girls were sexually assaulted.

She said there was a possible presence of male DNA detected but the amount was insufficient. She added that male DNA could have come from shared clothing and yielded very little DNA.

Bozinovski said hair found in Abby's hand came from Libby's sister.

The forensic scientist also tested the unspent round found at the murder scene, which has been a key factor in this case.

Bozinovski said she attempted to collect skin cells from the cartridge, but it was difficult because they are so small. The DNA found on the cartridge was insufficient for further testing.

Other tests shows that most of the DNA found at the crime scene came from one or both girls.

Bozinovski told the court there was no DNA evidence tying Allen or any other person to the crime scene.

Richard Allen's Interrogations

The jury has been cleared to hear interrogation tapes of the suspect being questioned about the killings of two eighth grade girls.

Allen's defense team requested the jury hear tapes from two interrogations.

He became a suspect five years after the murders, when a volunteer clerk who entered more than 14,000 tips into a database discovered a misfiled tip sheet.

The tip came three days after the murders by Allen.

The suspect went to police self-reporting that he was on the trail the day of the murders.

The sheriff told the jury on Friday that the report "fell in the cracks." And Allen was "hiding in plain sight."

"From the defense's perspective, the fact that this tip was there and that it was miscategorized and not discovered until five years later, really is strengthening their case, because every instance that they can find that this was not handled correctly always leads to reasonable doubts for the jury," ABC News legal contributor Channa Lloyd said.

Indiana State Police Lieutenant Jerry Holeman took the stand on Saturday. Holeman questioned the suspect during a home search.

Holeman told the jury he questioned Allen about an unspent cartridge found near the girls' bodies, which has been a key piece of evidence in the case.

"There's no way that round cycled through my gun. I don't know how it got there," Allen reportedly told Holeman at the time.

Holeman testified that Allen became increasingly agitated but denied any involvement despite being asked more than 20 times.

Allen's wife, Kathy, was there for the interview, according to the lieutenant's testimony. She allegedly told him, "All you have to do is ask for a lawyer, and they will let you go."

According to Holeman, Allen responded, "Don't worry about me."

The lieutenant said at one point that he told Allen and his wife that "he believed he was a good man."

RELATED | Delphi suspect went to police 3 days after murders, but 'fell in the cracks' for years, sheriff says

Allen allegedly responding: "what kind of good person would kill two girls?"

The defense pushed back on Holeman as that conversation was not recorded.

Defense Attorney Andrew Baldwin questioned his interrogation methods; why no Miranda Rights were recorded, and how evidence was gathered at the crime scene.

The defense also asked Holeman about multiple sticks left at the scene of the murder.

Baldwin pressed if it was a mistake for them to have been left behind. Holeman answered, "No", but did admit on the stand that, "mistakes were made."

Allen was interviewed by police on October 13th and 26th of 2022.

Baldwin wants the videos of those interviews to be played in court. The judge ruled that will happen next week.