DELPHI — Crime scene photos and reaction to those images was the main focus of Day 3 of the Delphi Murders Trial. Richard Allen is charged with the 2017 murders of Libby German and Abby Williams.
Court started shortly after 9 a.m. Some members of the general public were turned away due to limited seating.
The jurors were asked a number of questions, including if anyone had talked to them about the case. All 12 jurors and four alternate jurors answered no.
Forty-two crime scene photos were shown on a large-screen television inside the courtroom. A Crime Scene Investigator from the Indiana State Police narrated as the photos were being shown. It took about 90 minutes before the court broke for recess.
Family, jurors, and the court gallery were visibly emotional as photos of Williams and German were shown.
In the photos, both girls had large lacerations to their throats.
Abby’s body was found a few feet away from Libby’s, according to the images. Abby was fully clothed, but Libby was nude.
Deputy Darren Giancola, a detective for the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, was the first witness called to the stand for the state.
Giancola testified that he was off-duty on February 13, 2017, the day the girls went missing.
After seeing social media posts about the disappearance of the girls, Giancola testified he was the first detective to report to the Carroll County Sheriff's Department on February 13, 2017. He went to the trails near the Monon High bridge where he started to search with other first responders.
“I have worked in this field for a while. Not knowing who they [Abby Williams and Libby German] were, we usually would have juveniles go missing and they would be at a movie or something with their friends. But they would usually show back up,” Detective Giancola said.
Giancola continued his testimony regarding the search efforts on February 14, 2017. He said he was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at the crime scene.
He said he was called to the area to view footage from a trail camera footage. He was asked to head to Deer Creek because, “We were told members of the search party had found something, possibly bodies.”
Giancola testified to seeing multiple people in the area of Deer Creek and said he saw a multicolored shirt and a shoe in the water. He said when he first saw the bodies of Abby and Libby, “One was nude, the other was clothed.”
He told the court he did not perform life-saving measures on the girls because it was “apparent they were deceased."
He recalled Abby had blood near her wound, but Libby had blood all over her body. The ground beneath their bodies was also saturated in blood.
Giancola said he secured the crime scene and called for backup. Indiana State Police then arrived.
The second witness called by the state to testify Monday was Jason Page. Page is an ISP Crime Scene Investigator in charge of photographing the scene.
He referenced the topography of the crime scene and said there was a substantial amount of blood found on Libby and in the area where the girls were found. Tree branches were found on the girls' bodies. A large branch appeared over Libby's upper body.
When asked to describe the terrain, Page said it is “pretty rough and steep.” While showing the jury a map, he described the area he called "ground zero," and the path leading to the girls' bodies.
Page described a water search conducted by the dive team and the areas they searched with metal detectors.
As the photos were being shown in the courtroom, many jurors put their hands on their heads, squirmed, sighed, and turned red as they saw photographs of the girls' bodies. One juror put a hand over their mouth. Some family members had to turn away despite the fact the family had seen the crime scene photos before Monday's testimony.
Richard Allen looked at the photos and was taking notes. He did not show any visible emotion.
Special Judge Fran Gull took a longer recess to allow the jury to break after "tough morning."
Court procedings resumed at 1 p.m.
During a heated cross-exam between defense attorney Brad Rozzi and Jason Page, Rozzi asked several questions regarding the unspent bullet. That bullet is one of the main pieces of evidence investigators say ties Allen to the crime.
Rozzi asked why there weren't more photos taken of the bullet on the ground and why there are no pictures of the bullet while it was being removed from the ground, and after it was removed from the scene.
Attorneys raised several questions about the sticks and branches found on and around the girls' bodies during Monday's sessions.
Photos of Libby's body, the sticks, and blood found in the area were shown in court. The defense questioned investigators on whether they think the sticks may have been placed there by someone. Page said, "It was reasonable to believe it was placed there by a human act."
The third witness called to the stand Monday was Duane Datzman. He was an ISP Crime Scene technician at the time who was also responsible for taking photos of the crime scene.
This story will be updated.
WATCH | Second day of testimony in Delphi Murders trial
