CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (NewsNation) — Delphi killings suspect Richard Allen appeared in court Monday for the first in a series of hearings where a judge dismissed two of the charges against him.
The judge dismissed two counts of kidnapping and Allen waived an initial hearing to dispute the amended charges, which include murder.
The judge also decreed all preliminary hearings in the future will be held in Carroll County, Indiana, but jury selection will still draw from Allen County, which includes Fort Wayne, Indiana, over concerns Allen would not be able to get a fair hearing if the jury were chosen from the county where the deaths of two teen girls occurred.
The Delphi murder suspect’s defense team is attempting to slip out of accusations of contempt by arguing the court should focus on the upcoming trial instead of ancillary proceedings.
Monday’s hearing shifts the case’s focus to Allen’s attorneys, Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin, who have come under fire as Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland pushes for the court to hold the pair in contempt.
The hearing begins at 9 a.m. but will not be broadcast live due to the court striking down media requests to put cameras inside the courtroom.
McLeland listed 25 reasons why the pair should be held in contempt — most relating to the evidence leak tied to the attorneys along with violations of a gag order.
Rozzi and Baldwin will defend themselves against the accusations and their actions over the past few months, including the leaking of sensitive crime scene photos.
The two attorneys have maintained that a representative from their office took cellphone photos of the evidence and shared them on social media without their knowledge.
This hearing comes less than a week after the judge set Allen’s trial date for May 13.
Allen faces two counts of murder in connection to the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German, two young girls who were killed near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. He was arrested in 2022 after the killings resurfaced and could face additional charges of murder and kidnapping.
A former Indiana prosecutor not tied to the case told NewsNation that the judge has full discretion when it comes to disciplining Allen’s attorneys for contempt.
“The judge has contempt power. So, there is obviously the potential of being found in contempt and that includes incarceration,” former prosecutor Joe Villanueva said. “I don’t know whether it would amount to that in this particular case but there is a wide range of consequences at the judge’s disposal when you’re dealing with contempt.”
The judge will also hear arguments that the state is not turning over evidence to the defense. Allen’s attorneys want as much information as possible before the trial kicks off in May.
