Terrifying new evidence on Delphi victim's last moments pins trial on phone (2024)

A CELL phone belonging to one of the Delphi murder victims will likely play a key role in their accused killer's forthcoming trial, two experts say.

Richard Allen, a 51-year-old married father, was arrested and charged with the murders of Liberty German, 14, andAbigail Williams, 13, in November 2022.

Libby and Abby were abducted and murdered while hiking along a trail in Delphi, Indiana, in February 2017.

While limited information has been shared about the girls' manners of death, both of their throats were cut and their bodies were found covered with branches.

Allen was snared by police more than five years later when an unspent .40 caliber bullet discovered between Libby and Abby's bodies was allegedly traced back to a pistol he owns.

In police interviews, Allen admitted to being in the same area as the girls when they were killed, wearing an outfit nearly identical to that of a man captured by Libby on video, warning her and Abby to go "down the hill."

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Much of the evidence in the case remains under seal and a strict gag order is in place, barring lawyers and family members from speaking to the press.

But during a three-day pretrial hearing last week, an abundance of new evidence and shocking details were shared for the first time.

Investigators shared their belief that Libby and Abby were abducted at 2:14 pm on February 13, 2017, and killed somewhere between 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm.

The timeline, in part, was put together by data gleaned from Libby's iPhone 6s – the same device she used to capture the chilling footage of her killer.

Indiana State Police Sergeant Chris Ceciltestified that all movement on Libby's phone stopped at 2:32 pm.

It never moved again, Cecil testified, nor did any text messages to German’s phone come through.

However, Allen's defense team argued that German's phone "turned on" at 4:33 am, pinged a nearby tower, and received more than a dozen text messages.

The defense argued this was due to the phone – and possibly the girls themselves – being moved to another location and then brought back to where they were ultimately found dead later on February 14.

Investigators discovered Libby's phone beneath her body and under one of her shoes.

Allen's attorneys said the evidence supports their theory that a group of men with ties to the pagan Norse cult of Odinism killed Libby and Abby – and not Allen.

They suggested the girls may have been killed elsewhere and the crime scene staged, which would've been too difficult for Allen to pull off alone.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued that Libby's phone data is not so clear cut.

How the phone suddenly began receiving messages again more than 12 hours after the girls were killed is currently under investigation and the device is being subject to new tests.

Cecil said data extraction technology is better now than it was in 2019, which was the last time Libby's phone was forensically examined.

Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee, the journalist-lawyer couple behind The Murder Sheet podcast, told The U.S. Sun the phone could play a central role in Allen's trial, which is slated to begin on October 14.

Describing testimony about the phone so far as "confusing," Greenlee said the data debate will come down to a "battle of the witnesses."

Cain, meanwhile, described the defense's version of events as farfetched.

She said, "What the defense is contending sort of speaks to someone turning the phone back on hours after the girls were abducted.

"But what was interesting was Cecil mentioning there's a new report coming out because phone data extraction techniques improve all the time, so you can keep going back to check for more information.

"He's working on that report now, so I imagine the difference is going to be that the defense will claim the phone was turned back on, and that's the only way the messages could've come through, and the prosecution will be saying it wasn't turned on, and this can happen for several reasons.

"I can't speak for any side in this, but it's probably going to come down to whose expert is more convincing."

DARK, SOBERING TESTIMONY

Patrick Cicero, a blood specialist and forensics expert from the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office, sought to dispel the defense's claims the girls may have been killed elsewhere and brought back to where they were found.

Cicero spoke in detailed and disturbing testimony about the blood found at the crime scene and what it showed about the girls' final terrifying moments of life.

Having reviewed crime scene photos and other documents, Cicero testified that Abby Williams likely was murdered while lying down.

Libby, meanwhile, was cut while standing and eventually sat down, Cicero's analysis of blood patterns purportedly showed.

He further testified that the position of Libby’s body suggested she’d been dragged by one arm to where the killer eventually left her.

Cicero said he didn't believe her body positioning was staged, more so the result of how Libby was moved.

The specialist also pushed back on arguments made by the defense that blood smeared on a tree near the girls was purposely painted to form the letter F, which holds significance in Odinism.

Instead of an Odinist rune, Cicero said the smear was more likely a transfer stain from Libby's bloodied hand.

Purposely painting a symbol on the tree would have involved the killer repeatedly dipping their hand in blood, he said, which would've been almost "impossible."

While upsetting to listen to, Cain said Cicero's testimony clearly established the girls were most likely killed where they were found.

Cain and Greenlee described Allen's attorneys' performance during the pretrial hearing as embarrassing and suggested their Odinist argument lacks any real substance.

The Odinism theory was first introduced by Allen's lawyers in a bombshell filing last year, in which it was sensationally claimed the group had killed Libby and Abby in aritual sacrifice.

Allen's attorneys claimed the crime scene was staged and various Odinist iconography was left behind, including runes made out of sticks and the girls' blood.

However, the defense hasn't been able to place any of the four alleged Odinists they accused of murder in Delphi on the day of the killings.

CULT THEORY COLLAPSE

Prosecutors have asked Judge Gull to throw out all testimony regarding Odinism because they say the defense lacks evidence to support their claims and the testimony will confuse the jury.

Cain and Greenlee believe there's a good chance Gull will honor that request.

"I would say that based on what we heard in court, the defense team does not only not have a smoking gun with this Odinism theory, but they don't have a gun at all –perhaps only a faint whiff of gunpowder in the air," said Cain, an investigative journalist.

"I don't think the defense did a good job at all of presenting the theory, and it was essentially a retread of everything we've heard before in various defense filings.

"There were detectives who specifically worked on the Odinism angle in the investigation and really tried to run it down, and were very dedicated, and they still couldn't stand it up.

"One by one, detectives came up on the stand and said they were not able to prove [any of the accused Odinists] they were, let alone at the crime scene, but connected to this whatsoever.

"We heard alibis from some of the accused and the defense's arguments just seemed to fall apart under their own weight.

Cain continued, "I think we saw what was possibly the death knell of the Odinist theory in this case.

"It's possible Judge Gull may still allow it in, but I think she would be well within her rights, based on evidentiary rules, either to not allow it or to severely limit it."

Greenlee agreed with Cain's remarks, adding the defense's cause was not helped by the fact their star witness was "staggeringly bad."

Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin called multiple witnesses to speak to their Odinist theory, including Dr. Dawn Perlmutter, an author who identified herself as an expert in ritualist crime scenes.

After reviewing a small sample of crime scenephotosand other evidence in the case, Perlmutter told the court, "In my opinion, this was a textbook ritual murder.”

Perlmutter said the way the girls were killed, how their bodies were positioned, where they were found, and the symbolism present at the crime scene had "all the elements" of sacrificial murder.

Libby and Abby were found in the woods near a body of water, and their throats were slit ― both of which, Perlmutter said, are typical of killings perpetrated by people with magical beliefs.

I think we saw what was possibly the death knell of the Odinist theory in this case.

Áine CainThe Murder Sheet

Perlmutter also argued blood smeared on a tree in one leaked crime scene photo was painted to form the letter F, which holds significance inNorse mythology.

She also said branches left atop the girls' bodies appeared to have been placed to form runic symbols.

When asked if she had any doubts Libby and Abby were sacrificed by Odinists, Perlmutter replied, "None at all."

Under intense questioning from Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, however, Perlmutter admitted her findings were based on a limited set of evidence.

McLeland sought to discredit Perlmutter by highlighting she shared the same opinions about the case on Court TV last year – even before she'd seen or reviewed any crime scene evidence.

McLeland further pressed what Perlmutter's response would be if she learned the defendant “said that the intent was a sexual assault,” and “said that the branches were there to cover the girls’ bodies,” not an example of symbolic runes.

Greenlee, a practicing attorney, called McLeland's cross-examination of Perlmutter among the most devastating he's ever seen.

"I was shocked by what a poor witness Ms. Perlmutter was for the defense, and the cross-examination of her by Nick McLeland is one of the most devastating I've ever seen –and I'm including episodes of Perry Mason that I've seen," said Greenlee, referencing the famed attorney from Erle Stanley Gardner'snovels.

"He completely tore her apart [...] He established on his cross-examination that she was basing her conclusions based only on a handful of materials that were supplied to her by the defense.

"She [also] did not seek out any additional information, she did not go to the crime scene or anything of that nature, and he established that some of her criteria for ritual murder were highly questionable at best."

CONFESSIONS CONTESTED

An additional issue facing the defense is the fact that Allen has allegedly confessed to killing Libby and Abby more than 60 times since his arrest.

Many of the confessions were made to his wife and mother, and some contained details only the killer would know, prosecutors said.

In one alleged confession, Allen claimed he killed Libby and Abby with a box cutter and later disposed of the murder weapon in a dumpster outside ofhis work, per the prosecution.

Brian Harshman, a state police detective, testified to hearing Allen make dozens of confessions to family members during more than 150 hours of conversation.

According to Harshman, those confessions began in March 2023 after Allen had a "come to Jesus moment" and started reading a bible in his prison cell, proclaiming to have found God.

Harshman said Allen expressed a wish to atone for what he'd done to the two girls so he could one day be reunited with his family in Heaven.

The most recent confession was recorded earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Allen'swifeand mother reacted with disbelief, anger, and shock, at his confessions, Harshman said, telling Allen, "They're messing with your mind," or, "Stop talking about it."

Harshman testified that Allen expressed fears his family would no longer love him after the trial, particularly after seeing graphic images of the girls' bodies.

Indiana State Police Lieutenant Jerry Holeman also testified that Allen had confessed directly to him, as well as to other fellow inmates.

A lead investigator at the prison where Allen was being housed, and Dr. Monica Wala, a prison psychologist who met regularly with Allen, both testified about Allen confessing to the murders.

Allen's defense team, meanwhile, contends that their client's confessions were false and the result of an apparent steep decline in his mental health.

MIND GAMES

The defense claimed Allen was suffering from a case of stress-induced psychosis that was triggered by being unjustly locked in solitary confinement for months on end and treated like a "prisoner of war."

Dr. Wala testified that Allen's mental health began to deteriorate in April 2023, days after his first reported confession.

According to Wala, Allen started expressing suicidal thoughts and feelings of hopelessness.

Guards reported seeing Allen banging his head on the wall to the point that his face was severely bruised, Wala testified.

Allen was also reported to have consumed his own feces.

Allen's attorneyspointed to Wala's testimony as evidence their client was in the throes of a mental health crisis when he confessed to killing Libby and Abby.

They claimed Allen was "coerced" into falsely confessing due to the extreme conditions of his pre-trial incarceration.

Allen's attorneys have asked Gull to dismiss hisself-incriminating wordsas evidence in his forthcoming trial, which the judge is currently mulling.

However, prosecutors argued that the confessions should be allowed to remain because there had been no attempts to force Allen into confession.

Stacey Diener, a member of the prosecution, said Allen's remarks were not made during "custodial interrogations" and he was "fully aware that his statements were unsolicited."

Further, Dr. Wala also expressed concerns that Allen may have been faking some of his psychotic symptoms.

Diener pointed to Wala's notes in which the doctor seemed to question whether Allen was purposefully behaving bizarrely.

Wala acknowledged there were times she was not certain whether Allen was legitimately going through a mental health crisis or feigning psychotic behavior.

Detective Harshman also testified that prison guards assigned to keep an eye on Allen when he was on suicide watch did not believe his symptoms were real.

FINAL HOUR PLEA DEAL?

Despite the defense's claims regarding Allen's mental state, at no time has a competency test been ordered by his attorneys or the judge to assess the severity or legitimacy of his reported psychosis.

Cain and Greenlee said they believe Allen may be refraining from taking a plea deal because of his family's reported reactions to his prior confessions.

But if Gull forbids any mention of Odinism at his trial, which is possible, they believe taking a plea deal will be his best course of action.

"[When] one side gets routed as much as Richard Allen's defense team got routed last week, I wouldn't even expect a trial. I would expect a plea deal to be worked out behind the scenes," said Greenlee.

"The defense really had their hats handed to them last week, and it's difficult to imagine a path to victory for them."

"Their hats weren't just handed to them, they were stomped on the ground in mud and then handed to them," added Cain.

"It was honestly embarrassing. I'm shocked by the lack of a defense they've provided for their client up until now.

"I agree with Kevin, in a normal case, these attorneys would be sitting down and figuring out a plea deal in this case [...] because, as it stands, the defense has a mountain to climb."

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Allen's murder trial is slated to begin in Carroll County on October 14.

The trial is expected to last for four weeks.