DELPHI, Ind. – As Day 6 of testimony in the Delphi murders trials began, the state began to lay the groundwork for its case against Richard Allen. Allen is charged with four counts of murder in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. Indiana State Police announced his arrest in October 2022. His trial started last week. Day 5 of the trial included combative defense exchanges with a “Bridge Guy” witness, an account from the pathologist who performed autopsies on the girls and testimony from a state police digital forensic examiner on cell phone pings and data extracted from Libby’s phone. On Thursday, jurors learned how Allen became associated with the case. Misfiled report leads to scrutiny The first witness was Kathy Shank, a retired DCS worker who volunteered to help with administrative duties like organizing files and tips into a database. She estimated she handled about 14,000 tips related to the Delphi murders case. On Sept. 21, 2022, she came across a file folder that was not with the others she was managing. Inside was a report with the name “Richard Allen Whiteman.” The report indicated that Allen was on the Monon High Bridge on the day of the murders. She immediately notified Tony Liggett, lead investigator on the case and the current Carroll County sheriff. Shank noted that the tip sheet said “cleared” and wasn’t sure why Allen’s name was entered incorrectly as “Richard Allen Whiteman.” The discrepancy likely surrounded Allen’s address, which was located on Whiteman Drive. DNR officer recounts interview The state next called Capt. Dan Dulin with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, who was tasked with helping investigators track down leads in the Delphi murders case. He met with Allen on Feb. 18, 2017—just a few days after the murders. Allen had contacted investigators to “self-report” that he had been on the Monon High Bridge on the day the girls disappeared. Dulin initially wanted to meet at Allen’s house, but Allen didn’t want to meet there. Dulin then suggested the police station. Again, Allen preferred a different location. Allen suggested they meet in the parking lot of a Save A Lot store. Dulin agreed. He confirmed Allen’s name and noted he lived on Whiteman Drive. Allen told Dulin he was in the area of the Monon High Bridge between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on the day the girls disappeared. Over the course of the conversation, Allen changed the timeline to 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. He told Dulin he saw three young girls when he was walking and said he parked near the Hoosier Harvest Store. By Allen’s account, he wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings as he walked and checked a stock ticker on his phone. Dulin told the court the conversation lasted about 10 minutes. He typed up on the notes on Microsoft Word. The information was then filed into the system. Dulin told the court he didn’t think much of the interview until investigators contacted him in 2022 after Shank found his 2017 report. He was asked if he’d spoken to Allen, answered in the affirmative, and turned over all his files. Dulin went into the DNR files in 2022 to see if there was any additional information about Allen. He discovered that when Allen applied for a new fishing license on April 1, 2017, he reported a new height and weight, changing his height from 5’4” to 5’6”. He also listed a different weight. Dulin found that unusual, he told the court. Dulin testified that he gathered info from Allen’s phone during their encounter in 2017 but didn’t look at the contents. While investigators said Wednesday that they collected and analyzed 23 of Allen’s electronic devices, his 2017 phone was not in the possession of law enforcement and hasn’t been found. Five weeks after Shank discovered the misfiled report, Allen was arrested in connection with the murders.