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Delphi Murders Trial - Week Review · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Okay, so we've got a lot of requests to do
• 0:02
  a deep dive into the Delphi murders.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's uh, it's a tough one.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: It is, it is, And I mean, where do we
• 0:10
  even begin with this. We've got news articles, court documents,
• 0:13
  witness statements, and even.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Like first hand accounts from some of the people involved.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Right exactly. So I mean what we're going to try
• 0:19
  to do today, I think is just kind of like
• 0:21
  cist through all of that mm hmm and figure out
• 0:24
  how a case that was cold for like five years,
• 0:28
  five years, Yeah, suddenly just heats up like out of nowhere,
• 0:31
  like what. So for those who maybe haven't followed this
• 0:34
  case as closely, let's start with the basics.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Two teenage girls, Liberty German and Abigail Williams right, murdered.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: In Delphi, Indiana. That was back in twenty seventeen, and
• 0:44
  for years, the only real clues were this like really
• 0:47
  grainy image of a man on a bridge. Investigators started
• 0:51
  calling him bridge guy.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: And of course there's that chilling audio clip too, you know,
• 0:55
  the one where you can hear a man's voice saying
• 0:57
  down the hill.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that audio, it's like it gives me chills every
• 0:59
  time I hear it.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: It's hunting for sure. And that image of bridge guy,
• 1:04
  it became so iconic, did it was everywhere like you
• 1:06
  couldn't escape it.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Oh, totally. And I mean I think it really shows
• 1:09
  how like visual evidence, even when it's blurry and kind
• 1:13
  of hard to make out, right, it could still like
• 1:16
  really capture the public's imagination. You know, it becomes this
• 1:20
  symbol of the mystery, and it just fuels all this
• 1:22
  speculation totally.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: And it reminds us too that just because we have
• 1:25
  an image, it doesn't mean we have answers, right, Like,
• 1:28
  sometimes the visuals just raise more questions.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and in this case, those questions lingered for like
• 1:34
  five years. It felt like the case was going nowhere.
• 1:37
  Then all of a sudden, damn, they arrest Richard Allen.
• 1:40
  Richard Allen. And here's where it gets really weird. Okay,
• 1:44
  he had actually contacted the police just days after the murders. Wait, seriously, Yeah,
• 1:50
  he told him he was on the trail that day,
• 1:52
  like around the time the girls went missing.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: You've got to be kidding me. This whole time they
• 1:57
  had a potential suspect to like came to them.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: That's the crazy part. Yeah, it turns out this information,
• 2:04
  like his initial contact with the police, it got misfiled.
• 2:08
  Oh no, and Mark is cleared. Can you even imagine
• 2:11
  like they had a piece of the puzzle right there
• 2:14
  in their hands and it just slipped through the cracks.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: It's almost too much to believe. Like, can you imagine
• 2:19
  the frustration the investigators must have felt when they realized
• 2:22
  they were so close?
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: Oh? I bet? I mean it makes you think, right, like,
• 2:26
  how many other cold cases are out there with crucial info.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: Sitting in a file somewhere, just waiting to be found.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Right, It's like mind blowing. So anyway, fast forward to
• 2:35
  twenty twenty two. This volunteer clerk Kathy Shank, What a hero. Seriously,
• 2:41
  I know, right, She's going to these old case files
• 2:44
  and she stumbles upon this misfiled tip like talk about
• 2:47
  a needle in a haystack.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Seriously, it's incredible she even found it, I know.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: So let's rewind at twenty seventeen. Alan meets with this officer,
• 2:55
  Dan Dolan. He was helping with the investigation, and get this,
• 3:00
  they meet in a grocery store parking lot.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: A grocery store parking.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: Lot, really that's what it says in the reports. It's like,
• 3:07
  why not the police station or I don't know, anywhere else.
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: It's definitely a strange choice of location, right.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Okay, So they meet and Alan gives them some details
• 3:17
  about like being on the trail.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: That day, okay, and what happened.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Then well, later on when they're interviewing him again in
• 3:23
  twenty twenty two, right, right, he changes his story, specifically
• 3:28
  about the timeline of when he was on the trail.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: So you've got this guy who basically inserts himself into
• 3:34
  the investigation early on, yeah, and then can't keep his
• 3:37
  story straight.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: It's like, what are you doing, dude? Talk about a
• 3:39
  red flag? Right, yeah?
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Huge red flag? Nikes. You wonder if he was intentionally
• 3:43
  trying to mislead them, or maybe he just, you know,
• 3:46
  has a bad memory after all this time.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: I mean, who knows, right, but it's definitely suspicious. Then
• 3:51
  we've got this eyewitness testimony Raley Vorhees, one of the
• 3:54
  victim's friends. Okay, she encountered a man on the trail
• 3:58
  that day, and later she identifies him as Bridge guy
• 4:02
  from that snapchat video.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Oh wow, So that's a pretty solid connection, right.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: You would think so. But here's where it gets even
• 4:08
  more complicated. Her initial description of the.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: Man from back in twenty seventeen.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was a little different from what she said
• 4:15
  later on. Oh.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Interesting. So this brings up the whole issue of memory.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Right, exactly how reliable are our memories, especially after something traumatic?
• 4:24
  Can they be influenced by what we see or hear
• 4:28
  later on, even if we don't realize it.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: It's definitely something to consider. Eyewitness testimony can be tricky,
• 4:35
  especially when so much time has passed.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Absolutely so, we've got conflicting statements from Alan, potentially shaky
• 4:42
  eye witness accounts, and this whole misfiled tip thing. What
• 4:46
  was it that finally convinced investigators they had their guy?
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: I think the gun is what really sealed the deal.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: For that gun.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they found a point four zero caliber six hour
• 4:56
  handgun at Allen's house, and the ballistics experts they CA
• 5:00
  confirmed that it matched a bullet they found near the
• 5:02
  girls' bodies.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Okay, that seems like pretty solid evidence, right.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's hard to argue with the ballistics.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Match, but I'm guessing Allan's lawyers are going to try it.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Oh, you better believe it. His lawyer insists he's innocent,
• 5:13
  and they're even hinting at the possibility of like a
• 5:16
  ritualistic killing.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Ritualistic killing.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: Yes, seriously, I know it sounds like a stretch. They're
• 5:21
  probably just trying to create reasonable doubt, throw some other
• 5:25
  theories out there to see what sticks.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: I guess we'll have to see how that plays out
• 5:28
  in court. So we've got this tangled web of evidence,
• 5:33
  witness statements that might not be totally reliable, and now
• 5:36
  this whole ritualistic killing thing, Like, where do we even
• 5:39
  begin to unravel all of this?
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: It's a real head scratcher, isn't it.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: It is, And it just makes you wonder, like, what
• 5:46
  really happened that day on that trail and how much
• 5:49
  of this will we ever truly know? For sure?
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: Some mysteries are tougher to solve than others, and this
• 5:54
  one feels like it's going to keep us guessing.
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: For a while, definitely. But that's what makes it so fascinating,
• 5:58
  right The search for ants, the piecing together of the puzzle,
• 6:02
  that's what keeps us coming back for more.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: It's like a real life who doing it with stakes
• 6:06
  that are just incredibly.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: High, and for the families of those girls. It's about
• 6:11
  so much more than just a puzzle. It's about justice,
• 6:15
  about finding some semblance of peace after all these years.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and it reminds us that even though we might
• 6:21
  be fascinated by the mystery, at the end of the day,
• 6:24
  there are real people whose lives have been shattered by
• 6:27
  this tragedy exactly.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: So let's dive a little deeper into the evidence, shall we.
• 6:32
  We'll try to make sense of what we know so
• 6:34
  far and see if we can shed some light on
• 6:36
  this incredibly complex case.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: It's a dark and twisty path we're about to go down,
• 6:41
  but I think it's one worth exploring together.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: I agree, let's see where this deep dive takes us.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Honestly, it's the gun that really gets me. Yeah, Like
• 6:49
  the defense they can try to poke holes in the
• 6:52
  eyewitness testimony, you know, or say that the evidence was
• 6:54
  mishandled or whatever, But how do you explain away a
• 6:58
  balliicitics match? Pretty damning it is that gun. It links
• 7:03
  Alan directly to the crime scene. So I'm really curious
• 7:05
  to see what their strategy is going to be.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what are they going to do? Are they going
• 7:08
  to say, like, oh, the chain of custody was messed up,
• 7:11
  or the gun was planted or something.
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: It's possible, I guess. Or maybe they'll try to argue
• 7:16
  that even though Alan owned the gun, somebody else actually
• 7:20
  used it to commit the murders.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Hmm, yeah, like he like he lets someone borrow it.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: Or something, right exactly, who knows. It'll be interesting to
• 7:29
  see how they try to spin it. I mean, they
• 7:31
  might even bring in their own ballistics.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: Experts, oh, to like contradict the other experts.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: Exactly, try to create some doubt about the match, because
• 7:38
  at the end of the day, it's not a perfect science.
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Right, It's still open to interpretation.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: I guess it is. And that just goes to show
• 7:44
  how complex these cases can get. Yeah, Like every piece
• 7:47
  of evidence can be examined and re examined, and you've
• 7:50
  got experts on both sides weighing is.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: So it's like a chess match almost.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: It is. It is, And it makes you realize how
• 7:56
  important the jury is in all of this.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure.
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: They have to say, sift through all that information, decide
• 8:01
  who to believe, and then ultimately they're the ones who
• 8:05
  determine someone's fate. It's a huge responsibility, it is, And
• 8:09
  it's easy to get caught up in the evidence and
• 8:11
  the legal arguments, but we can't forget about the victims and.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: All of this liberty and abigail right.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: Their families have been waiting for answers for so long.
• 8:19
  I can't imagine what they've been going through.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: I know. It's just it's heartbreaking. And to think about
• 8:23
  the impacts this whole thing has had on the Delphi
• 8:25
  community too, Like, to have something so horrific happen in
• 8:30
  a small town like that, it changes everything. It does.
• 8:33
  It creates this ripple effect of fear and uncertainty, and
• 8:36
  for the families it must be such a mix of emotions,
• 8:39
  you know, like grief and anger obviously, but maybe also
• 8:43
  some relief that someone's finally been arrested.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe. But then there's the trial too, you know,
• 8:48
  having to relive all of it in such a public way.
• 8:51
  That can't be easy.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: No, it sounds incredibly painful, it is.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: Trials can be so re traumatizing for the families of victims.
• 8:57
  They have to listen to the defense try to poke
• 8:59
  holes in the loved one story, and it's just it's
• 9:02
  a lot to handle.
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I keep thinking about that misfiled tip.
• 9:06
  It just seems so crazy that something like that could happen.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: I know, it's mind boggling.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: It makes you wonder, like, are there problems with how
• 9:13
  other police departments handle evidence too?
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: It's a valid question. I think this case has definitely
• 9:18
  made people start thinking more seriously about record keeping and
• 9:22
  data management in law enforcement. Like it's a wake up call,
• 9:25
  you know. It shows that even a small mistake can
• 9:28
  have massive consequences.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Do you think this could lead to some actual changes
• 9:33
  in how evidence is processed and stored?
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: I hope so. I mean there's already been this push
• 9:39
  towards digitizing evidence using AI to help analyze data, Yeah,
• 9:43
  and I think this case might give those efforts a boost.
• 9:46
  Imagine like a system that uses AI to flag potential
• 9:50
  connections in a case that a human might miss.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: That would be amazing, especially for cold cases. Yeah.
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: But there are also some concerns that come with that,
• 9:58
  of course, like privacy issue and the potential for bias
• 10:01
  and algorithm right.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Right, It's like you don't want to solve one problem
• 10:04
  and create a whole.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: New set of problems exactly, So any new technology has
• 10:08
  to be implemented carefully with a lot of thought given
• 10:11
  to those ethical implications.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: It's a lot to consider, it is, but.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: Hey, maybe this one case could end up revolutionizing the
• 10:17
  way investigations are done.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: That would be something.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: It would It's like this ripple effect, you know, spreading
• 10:22
  outward and changing things for the better.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: I like that. It's like, even though this was a
• 10:27
  horrible tragedy, yeah, there's still this opportunity for positive change
• 10:31
  to come out of it.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: Exactly. It's about learning from our mistakes, making the system better,
• 10:36
  and hopefully preventing something like this from happening again.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: I'm with you on that. Okay. So we talked about
• 10:42
  the gun, the eyewitness testimony, and the whole misfiled tip situation.
• 10:47
  What about the defense's strategy. They keep mentioning this idea
• 10:52
  of a ritualistic killing.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I know, it seems like they're just throwing anything they
• 10:55
  can at the wall to see.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: What sticks it does. Doesn't It like maybe they're hoping
• 10:59
  to just confus use the jury enough that they'll start
• 11:01
  doubting everything.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: It's possible, but I think it's going to be a
• 11:04
  tough sell, especially with the physical evidence they have linking
• 11:07
  allan to the crime.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but then again, you never know what a jury
• 11:11
  is going.
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: To do, that's true. So where do you stand on
• 11:13
  all of this? Do you think Alan will be convicted?
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: I honestly don't know. There is still so many unknowns, right,
• 11:20
  like how credible will the witnesses seem on the stand?
• 11:23
  Will any new evidence come out during the trial? And
• 11:26
  what will the jury ultimately believe.
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: That's a real nail bier.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: It is, and I think that's what makes it so captivating,
• 11:32
  you know, right this case it just keeps you guessing,
• 11:35
  it does.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: And it reminds us that justice is rarely simple. There
• 11:39
  are so many layers, so many perspectives to consider.
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: Exactly, and even with all the advancements we've made in
• 11:46
  forensic science and technology, human behavior it's still the biggest
• 11:50
  mystery as all.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, you can analyze all the evidence you want, but
• 11:53
  sometimes it all comes down to understanding why people do
• 11:57
  the things they do, and in this.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Case, that why is still very much a question mark.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: It is, but hey, that's why we do these deep dives, right.
• 12:04
  We try to explore the nuances, the unanswered questions, the
• 12:07
  things that keep us up at night.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: It's about acknowledging that there's always more to learn, more
• 12:14
  to discover, more to understand.
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: And that the pursuit of justice is never truly finished.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: Well said. You know, earlier you mentioned how this case
• 12:23
  could have a real impact on the field of criminal justice.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's going to force some much needed changes.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Can you talk a little bit more about that, Like,
• 12:31
  what specific changes might we see because of this case.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Well, one thing that comes to mind is the whole
• 12:37
  data management issue, Like we need better systems in place
• 12:40
  to make sure crucial information doesn't slip through the cracks.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: So basically we need to stop relying on paper files
• 12:47
  and sticky notes.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: Pretty much. It's the twenty first century, right, we should
• 12:50
  be using technology to our advantage.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: I agree, But what about the human element, Like, even
• 12:55
  with the best technology, you still need people who are
• 12:58
  trained to use it properly.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely. Technology is a tool, but it's only as
• 13:02
  good as the people wielding it.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: So we need both better technology and better training.
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Exactly, And I think this case is going to force
• 13:10
  police departments to take both of those things more seriously.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: And hopefully that will lead to more cases being solved
• 13:16
  and maybe even prevent some crimes. From happening in the
• 13:19
  first place.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: That's the goal, right, to create a system that's more
• 13:22
  effective and more just for everyone.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: It's a lofty goal, but I think it's one worth
• 13:27
  striving for.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: I agree, And who knows, maybe this case, as tragic
• 13:31
  as it is, will be the catalyst for that change.
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: Let's hope. So, so, like, what kind of changes are
• 13:35
  we talking about here? What could things look like? You know,
• 13:38
  moving forward?
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: Well, for starters, I think we're going to see a
• 13:41
  lot more emphasis on data management and analysis. You know,
• 13:45
  this case it really highlighted the dangers of relying on
• 13:48
  manual processes, especially when you've got so much information to
• 13:52
  deal with.
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: Right, right, Like, it's not enough to just collect the data.
• 13:55
  You've got to be able to organize it and make
• 13:57
  sense of it.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: Too, exactly, And I think that's where to chnology comes in.
• 14:01
  We're already seeing a shift towards digital evidence management systems, yeah,
• 14:05
  but this case it might just accelerate that trend. Imagine
• 14:09
  a system that uses AI to flag potential connections or
• 14:13
  inconsistencies that a human investigator might miss.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: That would be amazing, especially for cold cases where you
• 14:19
  have years of data to sift.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: Through, right it could totally change the game. But of
• 14:24
  course there are always concerns when you're talking about AI
• 14:27
  and things like that.
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, like what about privacy and could these algorithms be
• 14:31
  biased in some way?
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: Those are all valid concerns, and it's crucial that we
• 14:35
  address them. Any technology that's implemented needs to be carefully
• 14:39
  vetted to ensure that it's not perpetuating existing biases, and
• 14:44
  transparency is key. The public needs to understand how these
• 14:48
  systems work and what safeguards are in place to protect
• 14:50
  their rights.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I agree, it's like we don't want to solve one
• 14:53
  problem and create a whole new set of problems in
• 14:56
  the process exactly.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: It's a delicate balance, but I think it's a t
• 15:00
  challenge we need to embrace because the potential benefits they're
• 15:03
  just too significant to ignore.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: It's crazy to think that this one case, as awful
• 15:08
  as it is, could potentially revolutionize the way investigations are done.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: It's true. It's like a ripple effect, spreading outward and
• 15:14
  prompting changes that could impact countless cases in the future.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: It's a powerful reminder that even in the darkest of times,
• 15:21
  there's still hope for progress, for positive change it is.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: This case has exposed some real vulnerabilities in the system,
• 15:30
  and now it's up to us to learn from those
• 15:32
  mistakes and create a system that's more effective, more just,
• 15:36
  and ultimately it better serves the victims and their families.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Well said, you know, this whole deep dive has really
• 15:42
  been an eye opener for me. Yes, it's made me
• 15:43
  realize just how complex these investigations can be and how
• 15:48
  many different factors are at play. We talked about the
• 15:50
  science of ballistics, the psychology of memory, the role of technology,
• 15:54
  and the human cost of these crimes. It's a lot
• 15:58
  to wrap your head around. It is.
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: We've only just scratched the surface. Really, there's still so
• 16:02
  much we don't know about this case. But that's the
• 16:05
  beauty of a deep dive.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Isn't it.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's about exploring the nuances, the unanswered questions, the
• 16:10
  lingering doubts.
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: It's about acknowledging that we don't have all the answers
• 16:13
  and that the pursuit of justice is an ongoing.
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: Process and sometimes it's the smallest details, the seemingly insignificant oversights,
• 16:22
  that can make all the difference.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: The Delphi Murder's case is definitely a stark reminder of that.
• 16:27
  It leaves us with a lot to think about and
• 16:29
  a lot of questions that might never be fully answered.
• 16:32
  But one thing's for sure, the question for answers continues,
• 16:35
  and it demands our attention, our scrutiny, and our unwavering
• 16:39
  commitment to justice.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: Well said, and on that note, I think it's time
• 16:43
  for us to wrap up this deep dive. Thanks for
• 16:45
  joining us on this journey, folks. It's been a heavy one,
• 16:48
  but it's a conversation that needs to be had.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and as always, we encourage you to keep digging,
• 16:53
  keep asking questions, and keep fighting for justice, no matter
• 16:56
  how complex or challenging the case may be. Until next time,
• 17:00
  stay curious, stay informed, and stay engaged.