DELPHI — Several expert witnesses were called to the stand Tuesday in the murder trial of Richard Allen. Allen faces murder charges for the deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi in February 2017. This is day 16 of the trial at the Carroll County Courthouse.
Betsy Blair appeared on the stand for the second time during the trial. She was called by the prosecution and testified that she was on the Monon High Bridge trails on February 13, 2017. That was the day Abby and Libby were last seen alive by their families.
Her testimony centered around a car she says she saw near the trails at the CPS building. Today, she told the court that the car she saw that day was turned and backed into a spot. She said she found it odd. The car reminded her of her father's car, a 1965 Ford Comet. She said it was not a bright color, and it was likely a darker color.
Next to take the stand was an expert witness for the defense. They called Dr. Stuart Grassian. He is a psychiatrist hired by the defense to examine many of Richard Allen's mental health records. He also reviewed videos of Allen taken while he was held at the Westville Correctional Facility.
Dr. Grassian testified that he had done extensive studies on solitary confinement and how it can impact an individual imprisoned that way. He testified Allen showed symptoms consistent with delirium, and that he was certain he showed those symptoms because Allen could not remember. He said Allen told him he feared being unable to remember things. He ended his testimony by saying how someone's memories can be impacted when someone is placed in solitary confinement.
Next up for the defense was Dr. Eric Warren, a forensics examiner and an expert witness for the defense. He was called to testify about the single .40 caliber cartridge found between the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German at the crime scene. Dr. Melissa Oberg previously testified for the prosecution about that round. She contended that the bullet found at the scene had been cycled through Richard Allen's Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol, and Warren was asked to comment on her findings. Warren says he reviewed all of Oberg's work, and he reviewed photos of that evidence. Warren did not examine the actual gun or the cartridge found at the crime scene. Warren disagrees with Oberg's contention that you can not draw conclusions based on a photo. It was his opinion there is not sufficient agreement between the bullet fired through Allen's gun and the unspent bullet found near the girls' bodies. He disagreed with Dr. Oberg's decision to compare a spent shell casing to the unspent cartridge found on the ground near the Monon High Bridge.
The next witness on the stand was Stacey Eldridge, a forensic examiner for the defense who looked at the extracted data from Liberty German's cell phone. A key point of her testimony focused on the timeline when German's cell phone did not connect to a cell tower or show any movement. That lasted nearly 11 hours, starting a little after 5:30 p.m. on February 13, 2017, and going until 4:30 a.m. on February 14, 2017. Eldridge surprised many when she said data pulled from the phone suggests a headphone was plugged into the phone's audio jack at 5:45 p.m. on February 13 and was there for nearly five hours. She said the headphones were plugged in seconds after the phone received a call.
The next two witnesses were Indiana State Police forensic examiners who worked to extract data from German's cell phone. Both had been called as witnesses by the prosecution. First Sergeant Christopher Cecil said a quick Google search showed water damage or dirt could cause the phone to register that something had been plugged into the audio jack. On re-direct, defense attorneys pushed back by saying Google searches are not always a reliable source.
WRTV anticipates the defense will rest its case tomorrow, and closing arguments could start as soon as Thursday in Delphi.
