A forensic firearms examiner talks about “unspent bullet” evidence and toolmark methods

Delphi, Indiana – The toolmark evidence pertaining to the alleged “unspent bullet” discovered at the scene of the Delphi killings was further explained to the jurors.

In relation to the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams in February 2017 close to the Monon High Bridge, Richard Allen is accused of four charges of murder. Before Indiana State Police reported his arrest in October 2022, the crime remained unresolved for years.

The prosecution explained on Day 6 how Allen was linked to the killings over five years after the girls were murdered. Allen’s 2017 interview with a DNR officer, which was discovered in September 2022, was the beginning of everything.

Investigators chose to take another look at Allen. His responses to their inquiries on his movements on the day of the killings prompted additional investigation, a search warrant, and ultimately his apprehension.

Melissa Oberg, a former forensic firearms expert with the Indiana State Police, testified on the seventh day. Oberg went into great detail regarding her training and work history.

She has testified as a toolmark examiner 112 times, and she claims that both federal and state authorities have heard her testimony. In August, she gave her most recent testimony in a Marion County case.

According to her, ISPs use outside vendors’ competency exams to ensure that employees are still eligible to operate in the industry. She completed difficult exams designed to evaluate an analyst’s performance, which she referred to as “blackbox studies.”

She explained the fundamentals of her profession to the court, pointing out that cartridge materials are softer than gun tooling. As a result, the tooling inside a gun leaves behind specific markings when a bullet is ejected.

Technically, the “unspent bullet” in the middle of the case is actually a cartridge consisting of many components: the primer (often made of brass or nickel), the powder, the casing (which is ejected and left behind when the pistol is shot), and the bullet (the project that comes out when fired).

The cartridge is pulled out of the magazine by the extractor, while it is pushed out by the gun’s ejector. According to Oberg, the two mechanisms cooperate.

According to her, an unfired cartridge can be ejected from a gun in a number of ways. It is possible for someone to cycle the slide and eject a cartridge that is already in the chamber. The pistol would then expel the unused, unfired cartridge.

In addition to demonstrating the technique in court, she also provided two other methods for cycling a cartridge through a gun without firing it.

Oberg explained to the jury the many features of cartridges and how some are different from others. According to her, different manufacturers have unique qualities. A firearm may have unique properties due to manufacturing flaws or wear and tear over time.

Oberg spent nearly an hour establishing the foundation for her specialty and area of expertise before turning to the cartridge discovered at the scene of the Delphi murders.

Three days after the girls were discovered dead, on February 17, 2017, she conducted her first analysis of the round. After the cartridge’s DNA and fingerprints were analyzed, her toolmark was examined.

She referred to herself as a “DNA and fingerprint destroyer,” stating that due to the procedure, DNA and fingerprint analysis must come first.

According to Oberg’s testimony, she did not observe any corrosive indication that the unspent round had been exposed to the elements for an extended length of time. She described it as “non-remarkable” and in “good condition.” It resembled the thousands of rounds she had witnessed in a variety of settings throughout the course of her career.

She gave jurors pictures of the markings after spotting three potential extractor and three potential ejector marks on the cartridge.

Judge Fran Gull granted the defense’s request for a pause in the proceedings before Oberg had gone very far in her testimony.

Oberg is anticipated to testify that Richard Allen’s revolver was used to cycle the cartridge discovered at the murder site.

The defense will cross-examine Oberg once the state has completed questioning her. Gull forbade the defense from bringing in a metallurgist to contest the toolmark identification procedure earlier this week.