DELPHI, Ind. — Libby German's grandmother, Becky Patty, reeled in the gallery as a blood spatter expert described what he believed to be the final, bloody moments of her granddaughter's life.
As Patty threw herself into her hands, appearing to cry, Richard Allen sat alongside his lawyers as gruesome crime scene photos displayed the bloody remains of Abby Williams and Libby German to those in attendance at the Carroll County courthouse. Allen is accused of murdering the two girls near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017. He was arrested five years after they died.
After jurors heard about DNA testing during Monday's testimony, Major Pat Cicero of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Department took the stand. Cicero spoke as a “blood stain spatter” expert who has testified in 34 different criminal cases.
Cicero is a crime scene reconstructionist and stated that “forensics are my specialty.”
It should be noted that Cicero wasn’t at the original crime scene where the girls’ bodies were found. He wasn’t brought in to consult on the murder case until Feb. 24, 2024. Cicero’s findings were pulled from studying crime scene photographs and autopsy, lab and DNR reports.
Graphic crime scene photographs were shown during Cicero’s testimony as he described how Libby was likely mortally injured before being dragged 20 feet or so to her final resting place.
Previous autopsy findings revealed how the girls' throats were cut — Libby's more than once.
Cicero believes Libby was slashed near or against the tree, causing blood stains on the bark.
Blood on Libby’s hands reveals she may have grabbed her throat to try and stop the bleeding, Cicero described. Blood on her foot is consistent with her walking through her blood. Cicero believes Libby was standing upright at one point, due to the flow of blood stains on her torso.
Blood flow on her thighs reveals she was in a seated position at another point, Cicero said.
Jurors and family members appeared distraught as Cicero described moisture “consistent with a tear” mixed with the girl’s blood.
Cicero stated the blood stains and patterns on the tree led him to believe the attack on the girl started at the tree, with swipes of a weapon possibly causing stains and spatter on the tree. He also hypothesized that a bloody hand could have created the stains.
Libby succumbed to her wounds in a large pool of blood while leaning against a tree, Cicero believes, before she was then dragged to the nearby spot where her body was found.
Cicero believes Libby’s murder was bloodier than Abby’s. Abby had no blood on her hands or sleeves of the sweatshirt she wore. Cicero called it “very unusual” for there not to be blood on Abby’s hands and that he’d “never seen” that before when there is no evidence of being tied up. Unless Abby was unconscious at the time of her death.
Previous autopsy findings did reveal faint lines on Abby’s mouth, which a pathologist theorized could have been tape or clothing of some sort used to cover the girl’s mouth. But there was no tape residue found and no mention of markings on Abby’s hands.
While Abby's body was found partially dressed, wearing Libby's clothes, Cicero stated it was unlikely Abby was dressed after being killed due to a lack of blood that would otherwise be on parts of her body.
When asked about the minimum amount of people it would require to kill the two girls, Cicero answered that one person alone could have committed the crime but didn't rule out the possibility of multiple suspects.
During cross-examination, the defense team asked Cicero if he'd ever seen bodies concealed at crime scenes. He said he had. When asked what percentage of those bodies were concealed with sticks, Cicero stated a "very small" amount.
After Cicero's testimony ended, the prosecution moved to admit the search history from Richard Allen's tablet into evidence. The defense objected to this motion with Special Judge Fran Gull stating she would take the motion under advisement.
Day 9 of testimony in the Delphi murders trial ended shortly before 5:30 p.m.