Richard Allen, the suspect in the murder of a person in Delphi, attended a pair of sessions related to the case while under heavy shackling and in the company of law enforcement agents.
Before the start of the hearing, the officers checked the defense table to ensure it was free of any potential hazards. When two women were brought to the front of the courtroom, Allen mouthed “I love you” to both of them. He was outfitted in a safety vest and a yellow jumpsuit.
Allen has been charged with murder in connection with the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams in February 2017.
On February 14, 2017, the bodies of the two adolescents who had been missing since the previous day were discovered on the Delphi Historic Trails. After more than five years without a resolution, the Indiana State Police finally announced Allen’s arrest in October 2022.
According to court documents, a bullet was found near Delphi girls connected to Richard Allen.
The new time for the hearing is 10:26 in the morning. Around ten minutes passed before everything was over, and it was over by 10:36 in the morning. Before the start of the proceedings, the attorneys for both the defense and the prosecution met with Judge Fran Gull in her chambers for several minutes.
Gull expressed doubt on the likelihood that Allen’s trial would be on schedule for March 23, citing the “extraordinary, massive evidence” that must be turned over to the defense in the case.
The judge also stated that she could not see how jurors from Carroll County could be involved in the trial. To find jurors in Carroll County who have not been connected to the case in any way, shape, or form would be “challenging, if not impossible,” according to one estimate.
An appearance before the bail hearing board has been allowed for Richard Allen. The prosecutor will argue that other people may have been engaged in the murders in Delphi.
In the same breath, she could not conceive of a scenario in which the trial might be moved from its current location in Carroll County, given the accessibility of the witnesses. She stated that the costs involved in relocating the issue to a different county would be “exceptional.”
We will have to bring in jurors from another county to solve the problem. The defense and the prosecution have a week to agree on a suitable county from which potential jurors could be bused into Carroll County and sequestered while the trial takes place.
The gag order will continue to be in effect, but attorneys from both parties will be able to discuss procedural concerns and the bond hearing scheduled for February 17. They are not permitted to talk about the specifics of the case.
Gull has stated that she will listen to arguments regarding the legitimacy of moving forward with the trial on March 23 during the bail hearing. On the other hand, the state has “thousands upon thousands” of pages of discovery that it needs to give over to the attorneys representing Allen’s defense.
Richard Allen’s legal representation requested a transfer of the trial out of Carroll County, where it was initially scheduled.
Gull also mentioned that the state has been “diligent” in providing the legal team representing Allen with the necessary materials.
After the hearing, the defense attorneys saw Gull in her chambers to discuss the case. They went back into the courtroom for a hearing that was being held on the topic of public funding for investigators. The public was not permitted to attend those hearings.