Delphi murder suspect’s lawyers face punishment over alleged leaked photos
Richard Allen is accused in the 2017 murders of Libby German and Abby Williams
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Prosecutors argue that the defence attorneys for Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen should be punished for allegedly leaking photos in the horrific case to the public.
Mr Allen is accused in the 2017 killings of best friends Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, whose bodies were discovered in a wooded area of Delphi.
In September, his team made a bombshell claim that the girls were not killed by the suspect, but as part of a “ritualistic sacrifice” at the hands of a white nationalist cult called Odinists.
A month later, two attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi dramatically quit the case following the leak of graphic crime scene photos taken from the wooded trail where the girls were brutally murdered.
Following the removal of the attorneys, Mr Allen’s trial has been delayed until October 2024.
Now, Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland argues the lawyers should be held in contempt of court, according to a motion filed earlier this week, adding that the leak has been devastating for the families.
“[T]he State was notified in the beginning of the ‘leak’ by the Defense by the families of the victims,” the filing says.
“Since that time, the State has had an opportunity to talk to the families of the victims about the photos and information that was ‘leaked.’ The amount of harm and revictimization that this has caused the families of the victims is unmeasurable and incurable.”
The leak, according to authorities, was traced back to a friend and former coworker of one of the attorneys.
That individual, 41-year-old Mitchell Westerman, of Westfield, Indiana, has since been charged over the matter.
The motion this week marks the latest udate in the tragic case which left the teenage victims’ families desperately searching for answers for years before an arrest was finally made in October 2022.
It began back on 13 February 2017 when Libby and Abby set off on a walk along the Monon High Bridge in their hometown of Delphi.
During the walk, Libby posted a photo of her best friend on Snapchat as they walked along the Monon High Bridge.
Minutes later, Libby captured a video of a man – known as “bridge guy” – dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket and a cap walking along the abandoned railroad bridge.
In the footage found on Libby’s phone following their murders, the man tells the two girls: “Guys, down the hill.”
Later that day, the teenagers were reported missing when they failed to return to a spot where a family member was picking them up.
The next day – Valentine’s Day 2017 – their bodies were discovered in a wooded area less than half a mile off the trail along the side of Deer Creek.
Over five years later in October 2022, Mr Allen was arrested and charged with their murders.
Following his arrest, the case has continued to be fraught with controversies