DELPHI, Ind. (NewsNation) — A man accused of killing two teen girls in central Indiana made multiple incriminating statements that his attorneys say can’t be trusted, based on his mental state.
Richard Allen is accused of killing 14-year-old Libby German and 13-year-old Abby Williams in 2017. Their bodies were found Feb. 14, 2017, after the girls went for a walk on the Delphi Historic Trails in Indiana.
Allen appeared in court Thursday for what was originally scheduled as a bail hearing. Ultimately, the judge heard arguments over covering several issues, including a motion filed by Allen’s attorney to keep certain evidence from coming out at trial.
Prosecutors stated that Allen confessed five or six times to the murders, but his attorneys say he can’t be trusted due to his mental state.
Along those lines, Allen’s attorneys also asked that he be moved from the Westville Correctional Facility to a county jail, citing a decline in the man’s physical and mental health.
Allen County Judge Fran Gull took the request under advisement, which means a decision will come at a later date, NewsNation affiliate WXIN-TV reported.
Allen’s defense team filed a motion to suppress certain evidence from the case on Tuesday. While the motion is under seal, the court revealed it involves ballistics.
The probable cause affidavit unsealed in November 2022 indicated that investigators found an unspent round near the girls’ bodies. A forensic expert determined the bullet had been ejected from Allen’s Sig Sauer Model P226.
Allen’s attorneys are challenging that evidence, but the judge pushed back a hearing on that specific aspect of the case to a later date.
Allen admitted to being on the trail but denied any involvement in the killings.
He was arrested by police in 2022, although he had talked to police in 2017 and told them he had been on the bridge the day of the girls’ disappearance. He denied meeting the teenagers and has pleaded not guilty.
The trial was also originally scheduled for March, but Allen’s attorneys have indicated they may not be ready before the end of the year for the same reason.
Jury selection now is scheduled to take place on Jan. 8. The trial is expected to last three weeks.
A judge previously ruled that the trial will be held in Carroll County but that jurors will be bused in from elsewhere because it would be “difficult if not impossible” to find jurors in Carroll County.
A bail hearing was supposed to take place in February but was delayed at the request of Allen’s attorneys because of the large volume of evidence, NewsNation affiliate WXIN-TV reported. His attorneys say that evidence isn’t strong enough to hold him while he awaits trial.
NewsNation affiliate WXIN-TV contributed to this report.
