Richard Allen’s next court appearance is scheduled for June

Defense attorneys will be ‘shocked’ to be ready for trial by year’s end

CAROL COUNTY, Indiana – Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen has set a new date for his bail hearing.

Special Judge Fran Garl held a virtual hearing with Allen, his attorneys and prosecutors on Friday and set a new date. . The June 16 date is reserved in case the court requires additional time.

In addition to bail issues, officials are expected to discuss the possibility of a new trial at a hearing in June. An Allen County court official said Allen’s attorney told the court that it would be “shocking” if the trial was ready before the end of the year because of the amount of evidence that must be examined during the discovery. .

Judge Fran Gull had already expressed skepticism at the January hearing that the court would be able to meet its trial date, which was scheduled for March. Gal cited the large amount of evidence in the case and the logistics of getting jurors from Allen County to Carroll County.

Allen faces two counts of murder in the deaths of Abbie Williams and Libby German. Six years have passed this week.

Allen’s attorneys filed a motion on February 7 seeking an extension of the client’s bail hearing, which was scheduled for today (February 17). Lawyers indicated that there was still a large amount of evidence to be examined before the hearing and asked for additional time.

Carroll County prosecutor Nick McClelland filed a complaint Monday that the state did not contest the delay. Gull decided to continue the hearing on Thursday and was scheduled to hold a remote videoconference on Friday to set a new hearing date.

Allen’s defense team is seeking to release him on “reasonable bail” pending trial, arguing the evidence is not strong enough to keep him in prison. Officials countered that the evidence “provides strong and unequivocal evidence of guilt” and believes Allen should be taken into custody.