Forensic firearms investigator testifies about firearms investigations in criminal cases – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana traffic

DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — Friday marks the seventh day of testimony in the trial of Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen at the Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi.

Allen, 52, is charged with murder and murder in commission or attempted kidnapping in connection with the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German. The girls’ bodies were found near the Monon High Bridge near Delphi on February 14, 2017, a day after their disappearance.

Allen was first investigated in 2017 and again in October 2022. After a second police interview he was taken into custody.

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The trial began on October 18 and was expected to last until mid-November. Sixteen Allen County residents are serving as jurors in the case.

At 9:05 a.m., the state called Melissa Obergt. Obergt works for a clinical asset health management company. She tells the jury that she is an operational data analyst for this company.

Obergt previously worked for the Indiana State Police as a forensic firearms examiner. She resigned from office in 2013.

She told the jury that she looked at cartridges, performed functional tests on firearms and tool tests. She tells the jury that she testified 112 times.

Obergt used slides to show the jury how her job works and explained what weapon and tool mark tests are. She says a tool is “something that is a harder object that comes into contact with a softer object and leaves an imprint on the softer object.”

“A tool mark is characteristics imparted to an object by the contact and force exerted by a tool,” she told the jury. She says there are two types: impressed and striped.

Obergt tells the jury that a cartridge is a single unit of ammunition designed to be installed in a firearm. She says there is a casing, a primer, a powder and a bullet. The bullet is the projectile.

Obergt shows the jury a full cartridge and explains the components of a firearm. Slide, slide stop, sight, hammer, magazine release, grip, magazine well, magazine, trigger, trigger guard and frame.

Obergt explains the inside of a firearm and how the various components work. She tells the jury that the tools in the gun are harder than the cartridge/bullet they come into contact with. She explains the cycle of a cartridge and explains what a bullet looks like after the cycle.

She demonstrates cycling a pistol with a real firearm. She inserts the magazine and the 40 caliber. She looks at the Smith and Wesson dummy cartridge and looks at the barrel to make sure it is empty and unloaded. She inserts the magazine and cartridge and spins the rounds.

Obergt testifies to different classifications of tool marks. She described to the jury how some markings are applied before manufacturing, some during manufacturing and some after manufacturing. She tells the jury that an examiner uses several factors to determine whether to award a tool grade in these circumstances.

Obergt tells the jury how a firearm is tested and how an analysis is performed. She explains to the jury that the main way an examiner can draw a conclusion is by testing a firearm and comparing it with two microscopes. She says she then draws one of three conclusions: identification, inconclusive or exclusion.

At 10:10 a.m., the prosecution shows the jury the real cartridge from the crime scene and photos of it from Obergt’s interrogation.

Obergt says the cartridge was first tested for DNA and she noticed that there was no biological substance on it, that it was in good condition and that it was a 40-caliber Winchester brand. Cartridge.

She tells the jury that there are various marks on the head and sides of the cartridge and that she saw three possible ejection marks. One in one direction and 2 in the other. She compared this to a Glock 22, which was also a .40 caliber. firearm and compared the marks.