Double murder trial in Delphi: Graphic crime scene photos revealed in court

(NEW YORK) – Gruesome crime scene photos were revealed in court Monday during the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls on a hiking trail in the small town of Delphi, Indiana, in 2017.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Giancola, who was the first law enforcement officer on the scene after the bodies of Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were discovered, was emotional as he took the stand on the third day of arraignment testimony .

Giancola said one of the girls was naked and the other was clothed when their bodies were found on Feb. 14, 2017.

“Both had large lacerations on their necks,” Giancola said. “Both had a significant amount of blood on and underneath their bodies.”

Giancola was asked if life-saving measures were taken and he replied: “No. It was obvious they were deceased.”

The second witness called Monday was Jason Page of the Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit, who photographed the crime scene.

The jury was shown graphic photos, including a close-up of Libby’s slit throat and bloodied face.

Libby and Abby’s families wept in the gallery and there were audible gasps in the courtroom as the images were shown.

Investigators had remained silent on how the girls were killed for the past seven years until prosecutor Nick McLeland revealed in his opening statement in court that both girls’ throats were slit.

Allen is accused of killing the two eighth-graders on Feb. 13, 2017, as they walked on a trail in their rural town. Their bodies were discovered the next day.

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

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.