INDIANAPOLIS (Court TV) — The judge overseeing Richard Allen‘s murder case denied his attorneys’ motion to dismiss the charges against him, which means the case will continue toward a trial next month.
Richard Allen arrives for a hearing in the case against him for the 2017 murders of Libby German and Abby Williams along with former and new lawyers. (Scripps News Indianapolis)
Allen is charged with multiple counts of murder in the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, whose bodies were found one day after they disappeared along a hiking trail near Delphi in 2017.
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At a hearing on March 18, Allen’s attorneys argued that the charges against him should be dismissed because of what they described as exculpatory evidence that was destroyed. The evidence included recordings of interviews with two different people which were lost due to “human error or were spontaneously lost due to the equipment resetting.”
But in her order denying the motion for dismissal, Judge Fran Gull said that Allen “failed to show that the evidence was exculpatory and that it was destroyed negligently, intentionally, or in bad faith.” Gull also noted that the subjects of the interviews were not suspects at the time.
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Allen’s trial is scheduled to begin on May 13. While cameras were set to be allowed at one hearing in the case, Judge Gull reversed course and banned media from broadcasting the trial. In a series of emails sent to the judge that was made part of the trial record, citizens urged her to reconsider her position.
“I am writing to express my concerns regarding the Delphi Indiana Trial and the critical need for transparency throughout the legal proceedings. … I firmly believe that transparency is essential in ensuring justice is served and maintaining public trust in the judicial system.” Email to Judge Fran Gull
“As a fellow Hoosier I believe I can speak for the majority when saying that we do not want to see this case before the Supreme Court again whether it be for an appeal or otherwise. As someone who had a daughter the victims age, I plead with you to allow access to the media so the case can be followed and the integrity of all those involved is not subject to further scrutiny and rumor.” Email to Judge Fran Gull
Other messages from outside the state warn the judge that the “world is watching” and reference crime scene photos leaked in the case that brought renewed speculation and attention.
