LIBBY GERMAN & ABBY WILLIAMS: Indiana vs. Richard Allen for 2017 murder of two Delphi girls *TRIAL IN PROGRESS*

On February 14, 2017, the bodies of Abigail Williams and Liberty German were discovered near the Monon High Bridge Trail, which is part of the Delphi Historic Trails in Delphi, Indiana, United States, after the young girls had disappeared from the same trail the previous day. The murders have received significant media coverage because a photo and audio recording of an individual believed to be the girls' murderer was found on German's smartphone. Despite the audio and video recordings of the suspect that have been circulated and the more than 26,000 tips that police have received, no arrest in the case has been made.[1][2][3]

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Police have not publicly stated nor released details of how the girls were murdered.[6] As early as February 15, 2017, Indiana State Police began circulating a still image of an individual reportedly seen on the Monon High Bridge Trail near where the two friends were slain; the grainy photograph appearing to capture a Caucasian male, with hands in pockets, walking on the rail bridge, head down, toward the girls.[4] A few days later, the person in the photograph was named the prime suspect in the double-homicide.[5]

On February 22, law enforcement released an audio recording where the voice of the assailant,[7] though in some degree muffled, is heard to say, "Down the hill." It was at this news conference that officials credited the source of the audio and imagery to German's smartphone, and, further, regarded her as a hero for having had the uncanny foresight and fortitude to record the exchange in secret. Police indicated that additional evidence from the phone had been secured, but that they did not release it so as not to "compromise any future trial." By this time, the reward offered in the case was set at $41,000.[5]


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6 reasons why the prosecutor in Delphi murder case wanted court documents sealed​

Newly obtained court documents are shedding light on why the Carroll County prosecutor asked a judge to seal the probable cause affidavit in the case against Richard Allen, the man accused of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana.
  • That the public interest will be secured by sealing the record;
  • That the release of the information in the record will create serious and imminent danger to the public interest;
  • That any prejudicial effect created by dissemination of the information cannot be avoided by any reasonable method other than sealing the record;
  • That there is a strong probability that sealing the record will protect the public interest against the perceived danger;
  • That the release of the information might damage an ongoing murder investigation, or;
  • That the release of the information will create significant risk of substantial harm to the requestor, other persons or the general public.

Also this week, Gull granted a request by the prosecutor to protect evidence in the case from being publicly distributed. The judge ordered that one copy of the evidence may be provided to Allen's defense attorneys and made available to any experts or investigators involved in building his case.

The judge further ordered that no unauthorized parties may have access to that material.

Allen's next scheduled court appearance is June 15.
 

6 reasons why the prosecutor in Delphi murder case wanted court documents sealed​

Newly obtained court documents are shedding light on why the Carroll County prosecutor asked a judge to seal the probable cause affidavit in the case against Richard Allen, the man accused of killing two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana.
  • That the public interest will be secured by sealing the record;
  • That the release of the information in the record will create serious and imminent danger to the public interest;
  • That any prejudicial effect created by dissemination of the information cannot be avoided by any reasonable method other than sealing the record;
  • That there is a strong probability that sealing the record will protect the public interest against the perceived danger;
  • That the release of the information might damage an ongoing murder investigation, or;
  • That the release of the information will create significant risk of substantial harm to the requestor, other persons or the general public.

Also this week, Gull granted a request by the prosecutor to protect evidence in the case from being publicly distributed. The judge ordered that one copy of the evidence may be provided to Allen's defense attorneys and made available to any experts or investigators involved in building his case.

The judge further ordered that no unauthorized parties may have access to that material.

Allen's next scheduled court appearance is June 15.
Has this been done in other cases? Does anyone know the reasoning and what the significant risk and danger could be to the public and other persons? I understand the risk of damage to the investigation, but not the danger aspect.
 
Has this been done in other cases? Does anyone know the reasoning and what the significant risk and danger could be to the public and other persons? I understand the risk of damage to the investigation, but not the danger aspect.

Yes, it has been done. As I see it the problem is this, in addition to this person they are investigating others that may be connected to him or a club of some kind. Releasing that information could jeopardize those investigations.
 
Kentucky detective investigating possible connection between 2011 double murder and Delphi case
Detective Coy Cox is a cold case detective in Boone County and has been investigating the case for years. He said the crime scene investigators found initially was “staged, changed, moved and altered.”

....
Based on what they have right now, Cox said they don’t see a connection with the Delphi murders. However, he admits both have very rare similarities in their crime scenes.

“A lot of those things, the staging, multiple victims, spending time post-Mortem,” Cox explained. “A lot of those things make these kinds of cases like the one percent kind of cases that you see.”

In May 2022, FOX59/CBS4 obtained court records that described the Delphi crime scene.

The murderer likely took a souvenir from the crime scene, according to the document, and it "appeared the girls' bodies were moved and staged."

Timeline: What court documents indicate happened the day of the Delphi murders
Cox made it clear that he does not believe Richard Allen, the man accused in the Delphi murders, had anything to do with the Stephensons’ murders.

However, during one of Allen’s first court hearings, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said in court that there was "good reason to believe Allen is not the only one involved."

Could one of those other people have a connection to the Stephenson case? That’s something Cox and his partner continue to investigate.

Cox said he has shared all the information he’s gathered with Indiana State Police. ISP said it couldn’t comment on this story because of the gag order imposed in the Richard Allen case.
 
Upthread I posted a news story that developed over the last couple of days. It's source is the KY police investigator (Cox) for the double Stephenson Murders of 2011 (dude's been working that Stephenson case as chief KY police investigator since 2011). Stephensons' surviving family can't say enough good things about this KY investigator. The investigators has been rounding the press giving interviews on "links" of his Stephenson case and the Delhi case.

I posted MSNBC link, but there's plenty of other links available and I think the first interview Cox gave was to a KY local FOX news outlet.

The new reporting is LE-cryptic comments. What's not cryptic is that fairly recently (after arrest, but before arraignment of RA) - LE Cox has been reaching out and working with the investigators in Delhi IN on links and items of interest between the 2 sets of double-murders that suggest they may be related. (No further specifics.) Cox states the "related" information/items that LE feels links these 2 murder cases (6 years apart) has nothing to do with RA. But that this "non-RA" line of inquiry, that may link the 2 crimes, continues by KY (and - per KY, by Delhi investigators who have said there are other lines of inquiry actively being investigated).

LE from KY Cox commented Wednesday, Delhi investigators commented Thursday (yesterday) as to Cox's new statement to press, with Delhi LE saying: that "Delhi LE can't comment b/c they are under gag order from Court." Interestingly, Delhi prosecutor seems to have supported that gag order.

The following is just MOO:
It's rather curious timing that KY LE Cox, who has been sharing investigative info w/ Delhi LE, comes out of nowhere and out of silence with this information ... that investigation that may link the 2 separate cases. And does so the week after Court awarded the press-quashing gag order requested.

IMO, the fact that LE Delhi executed an arrest and DA won a charge against RA is great. But IIRC, for quite some time after RA was charged, LE Delhi said there's other strings to this case they are still investigating - in court papers no less. Now, the Court has handed down a gag order, quashing info to public.

Consequently, we've had a lot of quick press (surrounding the postponed bail hearing/quashing) that leaves public thinking the case has been fully solved and gone to gag-ordered discovery mode.

Yet we know Delhi LE recently stated they continue investigating leads down other paths .... but now they can't comment publicly on the rest of the investigation. That quashing could limit investigative leads for "the other strings".

If I'm LE Delhi, working parts of this case that may have connections to the KY Stephenson case that should be investigated, would I mind if my LE buddies over in Kentucky to get some damned press for more relevant leads as to the other arms of the Delphi murder mystery?

Me thinks nope.

Regardless, the mere idea that there's more LE interest in some line of this Delhi investigation over and above RA ... is ... exhausting.
I wish someone would just tie up these "remaining strings". In handcuffs. Behind :bars:

Hoping for justice - full justice - for both sets of victims families.
 
Does anyone recall the Stephenson case happening? I actually do. That being said, I didn't remember enough to hunt the story down in true-crime blog world. Lately, I've been wondering why. This horrific Stephenson case - which - on its own - deserved more notice than it seems to have gotten early on.

In retrospect, the Stephenson murder news (friday before Memorial Day on May 27, 2011) may have had some true-crime attention competition.
hmmmm:

Timeline of the Casey Anthony case - Wikipedia

from wikipedia:

May 28, 2011 – Former boyfriend testifies about Casey's normal behavior on June 16, 2008. Cindy Anthony testifies that they swam that day and that Caylee could get up the ladder into the pool. She also believed Casey worked at Universal Studios Orlando Resort and had a babysitter named Zanny.[52]

May 31, 2011 – Cindy Anthony says her description of Casey's car smelling "like someone died" was just a "figure of speech." She tried to get rid of the smell by spraying Febreze household odor eliminator. She says she found the pool ladder in the pool the evening of June 16. Casey's friend Amy Huizenga talks of Casey's frustration about getting help with Caylee and reveals that on June 27, Casey texted her about a dead animal on the frame of the car.[53]

I wanna say it's Nancy Grace's fault. :rolleyes:
 
Has this been done in other cases? Does anyone know the reasoning and what the significant risk and danger could be to the public and other persons? I understand the risk of damage to the investigation, but not the danger aspect.

There's typically state law on what qualifies normally public info (related to Court docs) for quashing.

Forgive me for not researching this but ... it reads like a state law ... so ... I surmised (and this is just MOO), the prosecution's preference is that info be withheld at this time, so prosecution supports a gag. He then lists every single circumstance state law mentions that could possibly apply.

Call me jaded, but that's just normal lawyering.

Here's what's interesting: THE COURT AGREED. The Court saw the info to be quashed and agreed there was cause to quash it. (Without disclosing if the rationale agreed with was #1,2,3,4,5,6, or all of the above.

That tells me that the Court can see why the prosecution in this case needs to keep certain info contained in documents confidential from the public. And that makes me think there are additional persons of interest - out in the public - and that the investigation does not care to share certain material information with the public. Yet.

All just MOO in my "we seriously know nothing until trial" head. (And why should we?) Good luck, tying up all the strings to this case, LE.

I also think that certain details getting out on this case might arguably put the defendant's safety at risk prior to trial ... and the State has an interest in that not happening ... but ... that probably is not the only reason here.
 
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Clarifications from WRTV via LE's Cox (Stephenson case) from yesterday:


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Well, that clears up ... exactly nothing?
 
I am guessing there is a paedophile ring and that is why all the info is under wraps.

My thoughts exactly. It seems a little odd that Kegan Kline has been held so long without release. Granted, he's facing 30 counts of child porn, but that's a non violent crime.
 
True that it's a non violent crime. But maybe he's flipping on others and/or giving information in exchange. But he is a threat. Child pornography ramps up to not being enough. For example, Jacob Wetterling. Danny Heinrich was caught with 19 3 ring binders of child pornography. He led them to his body, And tell LE and the Wetterling's exactly what happened. In exchange to drop the murder charge, And do his time in federal prison.
 
Clarifications from WRTV via LE's Cox (Stephenson case) from yesterday:


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Well, that clears up ... exactly nothing?
An article about the Stephenson case that gives a little more info. What a weird case!

 
Attached article has a cool drone video of various angles of the bridge I've never seen.

I keep forgetting to ask this thread this question:
Did Delhi ever put a railing on that scary thing? Or repair the treads? Or is this drone video what the the bridge looks like today?

There's recaps and some other stuff in this article ... none of it news, but in some places a different perspective. Defense attorney here says there's plenty for defense to work with here ... thinks ballistics evidence is easily overcome as valid - won't cut it, clothing type isn't good enough b/c too common, additional investigation threads circling persons of interests hurts prosecution, and basically - no DNA evidence - no strong case.

Also a weird story about some dude shopping around "crime scene photos" of Delphi. Actually asking for $$ for them.

I. can't. even.

The Delphi murders were a local tragedy. Then they became "true crime."
In my inbox sit three eerie, unsolicited photographs of a crime scene.

The photos, not graphic but disturbing all the same, were allegedly taken at the scene of the Delphi murders — the double homicide of two best friends, Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in rural Delphi, Indiana, in 2017. The whistleblower who sent them to me, as he calls himself, runs one (or several) of a slew of anonymous accounts who’ve recently been contacting reporters, YouTubers, and true crime podcasters in an effort to get someone to publish these allegedly exclusive photos.

The most overwhelming evidence for Allen’s guilt is that he placed himself on the bridge and he looks like Bridge Guy. According to the affidavit, Allen’s self-identified outfit of a blue jacket and jeans matched that of the suspect. This could, on the one hand, be highly damning circumstantial evidence; if he didn’t realize Libby German had caught him on camera, he’d think nothing of placing himself on the bridge. Then again, he was arguably wearing one of the most generic outfits in Indiana: a blue Carhartt jacket and jeans.

The multiple eyewitness sightings of Bridge Guy are consistent with Allen. One woman claimed to have seen a man who fits Allen’s description looking “muddy and bloody.” Then there are the ballistics. According to the affidavit, an unspent shell casing was found lying between the bodies of the victims — a casing investigators were able to match to Allen’s gun. There’s no mention in the affidavit of DNA, so this could be the best forensic evidence the state presents.

There are several problems with this, however. For starters, the entire field of ballistics evidence is increasingly considered to be subjective pseudoscience rather than legitimate forensics. And even among already-shaky ballistics, matching an individual gun cartridge to an unspent casing is an extremely rare type of evidence. In an interview with The Murder Sheet, one anonymous criminal defense attorney said he’d never seen an unspent shell casing presented as evidence in a trial.
 
What exactly is an "unspent shell casing"? Is it just a bullet in other words? The term is a bit confusing to call it a shell casing. Also, I wonder if it has Allen's finger prints on it.

Has the name of the person that Allen told about his presence on the trails been released?
 
The Delphi Murders: The Stephenson Case and the Witnesses Against Kegan Kline

from thursday. 3/7/2023

Murder Sheet calls Det. Cox, to suss out the link of Stephenson w/ Delhi.
Also discusses the witness list's witnesses for the KK upcoming trial.

Cox, on the record: "Our statement is ... that we do not see a link at all between Stephenson and the Delphi murders. We forwarded the information we had received in the Stephenson case b/c we thought it had more to do with the Delhi murders - to the Indiana State Police. And so that's kinda where that ended up. It was a peripheral piece of peripheral information and a tip that came in that we felt it necessary to follow up on for our case but it was that was something that was really really way out on the left field just something we received. I think it makes in interesting for reporters to say oh yeah there is a connection a link between the two."

Cox thinks the media has played it up as possible connection between Stephenson and Delhi.
But it's just potential information received investigating Stephenson that they thought they should pass to Deli investigators.

The Delphi Murders: The Stephenson Case and the Witnesses Against Kegan Kline

We spoke with Detective Coy Cox, the Kentucky investigator looking into the Stephenson murders.

In 2011, an unknown perpetrator brutally murdered a married couple in Boone County, Kentucky. In 2023, news spread far and wide that investigators were delving into a possible link between that case and the 2017 Delphi murders. What's going on with that?

We'll talk about the murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson, and discuss some updates in the case against Kegan Kline.
 
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