Richard Allen seeks cameras in Delphi murder trial
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The man charged in the Delphi killings wants his trial, and all other court proceedings, to be televised.
Attorneys for Richard Allen filed a motion Wednesday asking the judge to approve cameras in the courtroom for all proceedings in his case.
Allen faces two counts of murder for the February 2017 murders of Abby Williams and Libby German.
Their bodies were found on the Monon High Trail in Delphi on Valentine’s Day. An autopsy found the teen girls had been stabbed to death.
In the filing, Allen’s attorneys cite the attention the deaths have received and the call for transparency in the case.
“The facts and circumstances surrounding this case have attracted the attention of the public on a national level and even the attention of others around the globe,” the attorneys wrote. “The public’s thirst for information in this case offers up an opportunity for transparency and the education of the public in terms of the day-to-day operations of courtrooms across the state.”
Indiana first approved cameras in courtrooms statewide on May 1, 2023.
Allen’s attorneys cite Judge Frances Gull’s participation in the pilot project for cameras in the courts as another reason to approve them in this case.
Judge Gull, who serves in Allen County but was named special judge for this case, issued a gag order on all participants preventing them from talking about the charges outside official court proceedings.
“Offering up transparency through the remainder of the case will increase the public trust in the judicial system,” Allen’s attorneys argue.
The judge has not issued a ruling on the defense motion, but has denied previous media requests, including from WISH-TV, to allow cameras in Allen’s court hearings.
Allen’s trial is tentatively set for January of 2024, although the date is almost certain to be delayed.