Live blog: Day 2 of hearings for Delphi murders suspect
For a refresher on the Delphi murders trial and what will be discussed in the hearings, see the “RECAP” section of the live blog.
10 a.m.
Day two of hearings for Richard Allen was set to begin at 10 a.m.
8:50 a.m.
Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen has arrived at the Carroll County courthouse ahead of Wednesday’s hearing. Special Judge Frances Gull, as well as Allen’s attorneys and state prosecutors, were seen entering the courthouse shortly after.
8:47 a.m.
I-Team 8’s Kody Fisher and News 8 photojournalist Kevin Stinson will be live from the Carroll County courthouse throughout Wednesday to provide updates on Wednesday’s motions hearing.
Recap
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Richard Allen, the man accused in the 2017 Delphi murders, is expected at a Wednesday hearing at the Carroll County Courthouse.
Wednesday is the second of three days of hearings in the Delphi murders case. State prosecutors and the defense will discuss whether certain topics should be omitted from the trial when it begins in October.
The hearings “could forever change the outcome of the case — and decide what information the jury can be told,” according to I-Team 8 investigative reporter Kody Fisher.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the defense and state prosecutors argued over the pieces of evidence that the state wants to be omitted from the courtroom, such as geofencing, a theory that Odinism played a role in the killings, and other possible suspects.
The defense claimed that police were negligent and purposefully didn’t follow leads on third-party suspects. They also pushed for Allen to be moved from solitary confinement at the Indiana Department of Corrections to the Carroll County jail in hopes of improving his mental state and making it easier to communicate with Allen.
The motion to dismiss the case was on the table, but it was unclear what the motion’s final ruling would be.
During the three days of hearings, the defense team will have to provide enough evidence to convince Special Judge Frances Gull that they should be allowed to tell jurors about other possible suspects, on top of other subjects.
Judge Gull will also hear arguments over whether a jury can be told about the multiple confessions Allen has made while in jail.
Allen, 51, of Delphi, was arrested on Oct. 28, 2022, for the February 2017 murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.
Allen’s trial has already been pushed back several times since his arrest. The most recent trial dates were May 13-31, but the case was pushed to October after the defense told Judge Gull that they needed more time to present their case.
The trial is now set to start Oct. 14 and run through Nov. 15.
Wednesday’s hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT.
Follow along here for a live observation of the hearing — in and outside of the courthouse.