Delphi, Indiana, murder trial continues with testimony of search for missing girls

The trial of the man accused of murdering two girls in Delphi, Indiana, continued for its second day on Saturday with testimony from a former local police chief and two people who searched for Abby Williams and Libby German in 2017.

Saturday’s testimony dug deeper into the initial reports that the two teenage girls were missing and the immediate response to try to find them.

Richard Allen, the pharmacy technician accused of killing the girls, stands charged with murder.

In 2017, the girls went for a hike and never returned. Their bodies were found the next day.

Allen was arrested and charged in 2022.

Two members of the search party for the girls testified.

Jake Johns remembered someone seeing footprints down the hill to the riverbank. A description that fits the prosecutor’s theory that the person who killed forced them to walk down the hill to the side of the creek.

Later, the same witness saw what ended up being German’s tie-dye shirt floating in the water.

Pat Brown, another witness, told the jury he was the one who found the girls’ bodies. He remembered calling out “We found ’em!” and added “I thought they were mannequins.” He voice cracked as he testified.

During Friday’s opening statements, the jury heard the girls’ cause of death: someone had cut their throats.

Prosecutors said German was found without clothes the day after she and Williams were reported missing. Williams was wearing her friend’s clothes.

Allen maintained he is innocent.

The trial will pick up again on Monday. The judge told jurors that they can expect proceedings to be quite lengthy.

The jury will likely hear from law enforcement as they got to the scene and started their investigation.