Gasps were heard in an Indiana courtroom Monday morning as police showed graphic photos of two Delphi girls, as defendant Richard Allen stands accused of their murders.
Sgt. Jason Page from the Indiana State Police arrived at the crime scene on February 14, 2017, and described the roped-off area as about the size of a football field. He called the space around the bodies “ground zero,” Indy Star reports.
As CrineOnline previously reported, Allen, from Delphi, faces murder charges in connection with the girls’ murders: They vanished on February 13, 2017, and their bodies were found the next day near the Monon High Bridge in Carroll County.
Page noted that Libby had her left hand stretched above her head and her right hand at her side. Blood covered her neck, face, and right leg. Having investigated about 1,000 crime scenes, including roughly 100 involving homicides, Page shared his observations.
Branches covered both girls’ bodies, but a large limb stretched across Libby, from her left shoulder down her torso. Abby, fully clothed, wore a dark blue sweatshirt and lay on her back with her right knee bent slightly, and her right foot tucked under her left leg, Page testified.
Prosecutors showed 40 crime scene photos, including a close-up of Libby’s bloodied face, which accidentally appeared on the screen, prompting gasps from the gallery and family members.
On February 13, 2017, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Darron Giancola, though off duty, joined the search for the missing teens after seeing reports online. He searched until 2 a.m.
Giancola testified that they concentrated on the southeast side of the bridge, where he noticed disturbed leaves, indicating someone may have slipped. He returned the next day and was sent to a nearby cemetery, just north of where the girls’ bodies were found.
Upon arriving at the cemetery, Giancola recalled, “everyone pointed toward the water,” where he spotted “a multi-colored shirt and a tennis shoe.”
“One of the searchers on our side of the creek believed the bodies were back behind us,” Giancola testified.
“One (Libby) was nude, the other (Abby) was fully clothed. Both had a substantial amount of blood on their person and under them.”
“It was apparent they were deceased.”
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Abby and Libby/Handout]
