DELPHI, Ind. — The special judge overseeing the Delphi murder case wants Richard Allen to appear in person for a critical hearing next week.
Allen County Judge Fran Gull made the request for the Nov. 22 hearing to determine if court records filed in the case should be unsealed. Charging documents related to Allen’s arrest have been under court seal at the request of Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland.
Gull was appointed to oversee Allen’s case after Carroll County Judge Benjamin Diener recused himself from the proceedings, citing the high amount of interest in the case and an overwhelming number of inquiries from the media and public.
Earlier this week, two attorneys were appointed by the court to defend Allen: Andrew Joseph Baldwin of Baldwin Perry & Kamish of Franklin and Bradley A. Rozzi of Logansport.
Their appointments came after Allen appealed to the “mercy of the court” for a public defender in a handwritten letter, revealing he couldn’t afford private counsel after his arrest. His wife had also been forced to abandon her employment and leave their home for her “personal safety.”
Allen, 50, faces two counts of murder in connection with the 2017 killings of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi. Their bodies were found on Feb. 14, 2017, a day after they’d been reported missing while hiking along historic trails in Delphi.
Indiana State Police announced Allen’s arrest on Oct. 31. While investigators have remained tightlipped about his connection to the case, sources told FOX59 that Allen came forward in the early days of the investigation and admitted he was in the vicinity of the Monon High Bridge on the day of the murders.
Ahead of next week’s hearing, ISP Superintendent Doug Carter said the probable cause affidavit “stands on its own,” adding that releasing the information would not affect the “investigative quality” of ISP’s work.
