DELPHI, Ind. -- Day 13 of the Delphi murders trial began with testimony about the mental deterioration of Richard Allen before turning to witnesses who were on the scene the day -- and night -- the girls vanished from the Monon High Bridge.
Allen is charged with four counts of murder stemming from the Feb. 13, 2017, deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German. He was arrested five years after the girls' bodies were discovered the day after they vanished.
On Thursday, the prosecution rested after 12 days of presenting evidence and testimony against Allen. Prosecutors allege that Allen is "Bridge Guy," the man captured on Libby's cell phone who is believed to be the brutal killer in the long-unsolved double murder case.
On Friday, Allen's defense team continued to call witnesses to the stand as they slowly work at poking holes in the prosecution's case in hopes of exonerating their client.
An 'out of place' car
Brad Heath was the first witness called after lunch on Friday. He lives just outside Delphi and drove to Anderson's grain elevator while working on Feb. 13, 2017.
Heath said he drove past the old CPS building near the Monon High Bridge trails at around 8:45 a.m. and spotted a parked vehicle about halfway down the road. When he drove past later at 1:42 p.m., he said the vehicle was still there. He described it as an "older vehicle" that was a faded, dark blue. He estimated the vehicle was a late 80s or early 90s model.
"Just looked out of place," he said.
Heath told police about the vehicle one week after the girls' died and spoke to law enforcement several times over the course of the investigation.
When asked how far away he was from the parked vehicle, Heath estimated 150 to 200 feet.
Heath said he didn't notice if there were any other vehicles parked at the old CPS building. During a cross-examination, Health clarified the old car he saw was not parked in the parking lot of the CPS building but about halfway down the road near the building.
Prosecutors have previously laid out testimony that included footage captured from the CPS building that they believe is Allen's 2016 Ford Focus SE.
A high bridge photographer
David McCain took the stand next and told jurors he was out walking on the Monon High Bridge the day Abby and Libby vanished.
McCain is 79 years old and lives north of Delphi. He said he was on the trails between 2 and 3 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017. McCain was walking around with his camera and taking photographs. He recalled passing Cheyenne Mill, who spoke on Day 12 of testimony about being on the bridge between 3 and 4 p.m. and seeing an old man with a camera around his neck.
McCain said he parked at the Mears entrance and saw two or three vehicles parked there. He left around 4 p.m. and didn't see anyone on 300 North. During previous testimony, witnesses described seeing a man "muddy and bloody" walking on 300 North the day the girls' vanished.
He told jurors that during his time on the trails and the bridge he never saw or heard anything unusual.
McCain did reach out to the sheriff's department after hearing of the girls' deaths. FBI agents spoke to him less than a week later. McCain gave the photographs he took to police. He said he'd been interviewed several times over the years including being asked about capturing any cars in the background of his photos.
Former fire chief takes part in nighttime search
Delphi native Darrell Sterrett told jurors about taking part in the nighttime search for the missing girls. Sterrett has served on the Delphi Fire Department for 36 years including a stint recently as fire chief.
Sterrett told the jurors about how he helped organize the "hasty search" on the night of Feb. 13, 2017. Sterrett said he wanted boots on the ground quickly.
"My thought was they were hunkered down, cold and scared... waiting for us to find them," Sterrett said.
The search party consisted of five or six people and began at around 9:30 or 10 p.m. Former Delphi Police Chief Steven Mullin and former Carroll Co. Sheriff Tobe Lazenby directed the search.
Sterrett said he drove his own personal vehicle and parked on Theresa Liebert's property on 625 West. He walked down a private drive toward the Monon High Bridge.
The search lasted until 2:30 a.m. and didn't find the girls or any signs of them. Sterrett said his party searched in the general area of the high bridge. He thinks they briefly searched the east side of the bridge along with north and south of the creek.
Police and family members were also searching during this timeframe and Sterrett recalled seeing flashlights across the creek as people searched for the girls.
After checking the deposition, Sterrett recalled that people did shine their lights into the creek and didn't see any clothes.
Sterrett clarified that a "hasty search" meant to quickly cover a lot of ground.
When asked if he searched the area southeast of the cemetery, Sterrett said he didn't personally search in that area. The girls' bodies were found southeast of the cemetery along Deer Creek on Feb. 14.
It was noted that during Sterrett's testimony, he couldn't recall details of the search or the night and had to reference his deposition.