Delphi suspect Allen transferred from White County Jail to state facility
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man charged in the 2017 killings of two teenage girls has been moved from the White County Jail to a state facility.
Online records show that 50-year-old Richard Allen was transferred into state custody on Thursday following a request by Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Lazenby. Lazenby’s request was approved by Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Diener, who later in the day recused himself from the case.
Allen is charged with the 2017 murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, which is located in Carroll County.
In his order to transfer Allen to a state facility, Diener wrote that the move was for Allen’s safety.
According to court documents, Allen was wearing protective gear when he appeared for his initial hearing. Court papers say the measure was to protect Allen from the public.
Although Allen was arrested on Oct. 28, a probable cause affidavit has not been released to the public. Police and prosecutors have not said how Allen is linked to the murders.
If and when it is shared, the probable cause affidavit won’t have all of the answers the public wants, according to Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter.
“This case is 2,100 days old, and the facts in their totality will come out at the trial and not until then. I can appreciate the desire for our citizens to have these questions answered, and my response to that is, it will come when it will come. It will come, but if any of us said anything, that would be detrimental to the prosecution of the person or persons that killed Abby and Libby,” Carter told News 8’s Richard Essex on Thursday.
A hearing to discuss the possible public release of court documents was set for Nov. 22, but it could be rescheduled because Allen County judge Frances C. Gull was appointed Thursday to conduct the hearing and handle Allen’s case.