Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen loses attorneys ahead of trial
It marks the latest twist in the tragic 2017 murders of Libby German and Abby Williams
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Richard Allen’s defence attorneys have quit the high-profile Delphi murders case amid a scandal over the leak of graphic crime scene photos.
Graphic photos of the scene where teenage best friends Libby German and Abby Williams were found brutally murdered in February 2017 have been circulating among members of a social media community, The Murder Sheet podcast revealed this week.
In a bombshell twist, it emerged that the leak allegedly originated from a man close to the defence team representing Mr Allen – the 51-year-old local man now charged with the murders.
Now, Mr Allen’s attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi have withdrawn from the case – throwing the trial into disarray.
A brief court hearing was held in Allen County, Indiana, on Thursday, where Special Judge Fran Gull was set to preside over several matters including the leak of the images.
Within minutes of the hearing starting, the judge said that Mr Allen’s attorneys had both withdrawn from the case, leaving the accused killer without legal representation.
“We’ve had an unexpected turn of events, ladies and gentlemen,” said Judge Gull.
“Earlier this afternoon, the defence attorneys have withdrawn their representation of Mr Allen.”
Mr Baldwin made an oral motion to withdraw from the case, while Mr Rozzi will be submitting a written motion to withdraw.
The scheduled trial date of 8 January 2024 will now almost certainly be delayed, as the married father-of-two will need to be assigned a new set of public defenders to represent him.
It marks the latest twist in the tragic case which began in 2017 when Libby German and Abby Williams were found brutally murdered on a walk along the Monon High Bridge in their hometown of Delphi, Indiana.
In October 2022 – over five years later – Mr Allen was arrested and charged with their murders.
Delphi murders suspect unrecognisably frail in new jail photo
Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen has claimed that he is being treated like a “prisoner of war” as he is held behind bars while awaiting trial for the brutal 2017 slayings.
In an emergency motion filed in an Indiana court on Wednesday, Mr Allen’s attorneys claim that the conditions the accused killer is facing at Westville Correctional Facility are worse than if he had been convicted of a crime – and that it is causing a “steep decline” in his physical and mental health.
The former CVS worker is allegedly being held in a cell “no larger than that of a dog kennel” where he is forced to sleep on a pad on the “cold, concrete” floor.
Read more here:
Delphi murders suspect seen in new photo as he claims ‘prisoner of war’ treatment
Richard Allen has been behind bars at the Westville Correctional Facility since his October arrest for the 2017 murders of best friends Libby German and Abby Williams
Delphi murder victim’s family reveal chilling encounter with suspect Richard Allen
The family of one of the Delphi victims has revealed that they had a chilling encounter with the man accused of her murder as they learned that he had been “hiding in plain sight” the whole time.
Mike and Becky Patty, the grandparents of victim Libby German, told reporters after Monday’s press conference that they remembered suspected killer Richard Allen serving them one time in the local CVS where he worked.
The family was printing photos of Libby and her friend Abby Williams for their funerals at the store when Mr Allen, a trained pharmaceutical technician who worked in the store in the heart of the small town of Delphi, assisted them in processing the photos. He didn’t charge them for the images when they went in to collect them.
Aside from that, the family members said they didn’t know Mr Allen but – in a close-knit town of just 3,000 people – had likely encountered him on other occasions over the last five years.
“As [Indiana State Police Supt] Doug Carter said that earlier, if you recall. He said he’s hiding in plain sight,” said Mr Patty.
“And that’s the case. Didn’t know, I don’t know the gentleman personally at all. I’ve probably seen him. It’s a small county. But definitely I don’t know him.”