DELPHI, Ind. – DNA evidence—or the lack thereof—took center stage in the Delphi murders trial, with the state's expert testifying that she hadn't found any DNA from Richard Allen on items recovered from the murder scene.
Allen faces four counts of murder in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. Allen has been in custody awaiting trial since Indiana State Police announced his arrest in October 2022.
During Day 8 of the trial, Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holeman took the stand to discuss his initial interview with Allen. Holeman said Allen became increasingly agitated and couldn’t explain how a cartridge an ISP firearms expert matched to his gun ended up at the crime scene.
Holeman admitted there were mistakes made during the Delphi murders investigation. He believes one person was responsible for killing the girls.
On Day 9 of testimony, Stacy Bozinovski, an Indiana State Police forensic scientist, took the stand. Bozinovski spent the first part of testimony outlining her qualifications and giving the jury a crash court in DNA collection and analysis.
Bozinovski worked on DNA evidence in the Delphi case and did the report in March 2017. It included an analysis of the rape kits administered on both girls.
Bozinovski said the kits were tested and no semen was detected. Other swabs detected the possible presence of male DNA. The amount was insufficient, however, and Bozinovski didn’t do a confirmatory test because she wanted to make the most of the sample.
No male DNA was present on vaginal cervical swaps, she told the court. She did find male DNA in genital swaps and fingernails but said that was not necessarily an unusual result. It could have come from shared clothing and yielded very little DNA.
There was no DNA evidence showing the girls were sexually assaulted.
Bozinovski said hair found in Abby Williams’ hand—a key point the defense brought up in opening statements—appeared to be from one of Libby German’s family members. Testing performed in 2024—just earlier this month—showed the hair came from Kelsi German Siebert, Libby’s sister.
It was a 1 in 8 trillion match, Bozinovski told the court.
She soon discussed the cartridge found at the murder scene. The state’s firearms expert, Melissa Oberg, said she turned the cartridge over for DNA and fingerprint analysis before gathering the ballistics data.
Bozinovski said she attempted to collect skin cells from the cartridge. She also displayed the cartridge to the jury for the first time. She said it was difficult to get DNA from cartridges because of their small size. The DNA found on the cartridge was insufficient for further analysis.
She added that the State Police Crime Lab no longer tested cartridges because of the difficulty in capturing results.
Other attempts to glean DNA from items recovered from the murder scene found most of the material came from one or both of the girls. Some hair found on one of the girls’ shoes was “not consistent with human hair.”
Nothing Bozinovski said during her testimony tied DNA evidence to Allen or any other individual.
Testimony after break
The court took a break at 10:50 a.m. and resumed at 11:10 a.m.
Bozinovski testified about additional items found at the crime scene, including items of clothing belonging to the victims. The DNA matched Abby, Libby or a mixture of the two. Some swabs returned hair consistent with animal hair.
Blood pooled around Libby German was her own, as was blood found on the ground and trees. Blood found around Abby Williams was her own.
Items pulled from Deer Creek—socks, a screen scarf, underwear, a tank top, a Nike shoe, tie-dye shirt among them—were also analyzed. Bozinovski believes the creek affected the results, adding that water had the potential to remove or dilute DNA.
One item included Abby’s profile and a partial sample, although Bozinovski couldn’t make a determination on the partial sample. Some items didn’t include enough DNA for analysis.
Again, Bozinovski said she found no male blood or semen. She was unable to develop a DNA profile for a potential suspect.
Swabs taken from Libby’s phone were inconclusive.
When the lab did get a profile match, results were entered into CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, for comparison. In the end, the result matched a lab employee. The issue led to “communication” about proper personal protective equipment (PPE) at crime scenes.
Analysis was performed at the ISP Lafayette Post on tree branches found on and near the girls’ bodies. Several swabs were tested for skin cells, with some branches measuring about seven feet long. Two of the samples matched Libby.
The state sent a set of hairs to the FBI. The FBI identified three hairs not consistent with either girl. No additional testing was performed at that point—Bozinovski said it was because she hoped newer technology down the road would provide answers. Given that analysis often destroys or compromises the original material, the lab decided to delay further testing.
When asked about touch DNA on the branches, Bozinovski said a casual touch doesn’t always leave DNA behind. She also said wearing gloves would prevent such a transfer.
She told the court she didn’t find Allen’s DNA on any of the items she analyzed. She was unable to develop a male profile “suitable for comparison.”
Court broke for lunch at 12:34 p.m. However, before adjourning, Judge Fran Gull admonished some people in the gallery for falling asleep.
“I don’t conduct court in your bedroom,” the judge said. “I would appreciate you not sleeping in my courtroom.”