ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. — Two attorneys have been appointed to defend Richard Allen on two counts of murder in the killings of Abby Williams and Libby German outside of Delphi, Indiana, in 2017.
On Friday, the Carroll County court system appointed Attorney Robert Scremin and Attorney William S. Lebrato as contract public defenders in Allen’s case.
Both Scremin and Lebrato are defense attorneys based in the Fort Wayne/Allen County area, the same county the trial jury will be selected from and where a previous hearing in the case was held.
Past case developments
Allen, who is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Williams and German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, had his previous defense team removed from the case earlier this week which has thrown the highly-publicized trial into disarray.
Starting in November 2022 and up until this week, Allen had been represented by Franklin-based lawyer Andrew Baldwin and Logansport attorney Bradley Rozzi as co-counsel in the case.
The suspect and defense team were scheduled to make an appearance last week, but Allen, Rozzi and Baldwin were not present when Special Judge Fran Gull began proceedings in what she called an “unexpected turn of events.” The judge then announced both lawyers were withdrawing from the case.
However, a week later Rozzi filed a motion claiming Judge Gull “ambushed” the defense team by forcing Baldwin’s resignation and ordering Rozzi to do the same. He also requested on Thursday that the special-appointed judge be removed, creating a “mess” out of the high-profile trial.
Then, on Friday morning, Judge Gull promptly threw out the filing made by Rozzi the day before.
In her decision to strike Rozzi’s motion from the record, Gull said that the lawyer had already withdrawn from the Delphi case on Oct. 19 and therefore was no longer the legal counsel of record for Allen.
The clerk was then ordered to remove Rozzi’s filing calling for the removal of Gull from the recordbooks and note that it was filed in error since Rozzi is no longer considered legally a part of the case due to being removed prior to him filing the motion on Oct. 25.
On Friday afternoon, an attorney representing Allen’s original defense team of Baldwin and Rozzi provided an advance copy of a motion challenging Gull’s decision. For more on that, click here.
Now, as of Friday afternoon, new representation has been appointed to defend Allen in the form of Robert Scremin and William Lebrato.
New attorneys
In the order from Gull assigning Lebrato and Scremin to the case, the judge wrote that Allen remains entitled to court-appointed counsel. Later on Friday evening, both attorneys filed a notice of appearance as a public defender on Allen’s behalf.
According to Scremin’s website, the Fort Wayne-based lawyer has 24 years of experience in criminal defense trial law. His listed experiences include work as a former deputy prosecutor and SWAT/narcotics detective.
Cameras denied in next hearing
Last Thursday’s hearing marked the first time in the case that cameras were allowed in the courtroom, and one of the first times cameras have been allowed in any Indiana court since a new law passed.
While media outlets were not allowed to livestream the hearing, the proceedings were allowed to be shown on a 30-minute delay. At the time, Judge Gull had not decided whether cameras would be allowed in the trial room.
While Gull has still not made a decision on all future court proceedings, the court on Friday did deny all requests from media to film at the next scheduled hearing on Oct. 31. This, the court said, was due to “unauthorized filming and broadcasting of pre-hearing activities” last week.
Decorum order for Oct. 31
In addition to identifying Allen’s new counsel and denying camera access for next Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Gull also issued a decorum order for the upcoming proceedings.
Gull said the order, which can be read in full below and includes several guidelines for court attendees, was issued in part due to the “substantial public interest and media attention” that this case has generated.
Some main takeaways from the decorum guidelines include:
The courthouse will open at 8 a.m.
All members of the public, including media, will be subject to metal detectors
Cell phones are permitted but must be turned off and unused
No one will be permitted to stand in the courtroom
Read the full decorum order issued Friday below:
This case has generated substantial public interest and media attention. In light of this, and on the Court’s own motion to ensure the integrity of the proceedings, to protect the Defendant’s constitutional rights for due process, to ensure the safety of the parties and the public, and to permit public access to criminal proceedings, the Court sets forth the following rules and guidelines for the hearing set for Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in the Carroll Circuit Court. The Courthouse will open at 8:00 a.m. All entrances are closed, except for the handicapped entrance on the north side of the building. The remaining entrances will be locked with no access to the public. All members of the public, including members of the media, are subject to screening by metal detectors. All bags in possession of those entering the building are subject to search. NO weapons of any kind are permitted in the building, except for on-duty law enforcement officers providing security to the Courthouse and the parties. Cellular telephones are permitted in the building, but must be powered OFF and unused at all times while in the building or the Courtroom. Violations are subject to seizure and destruction of the cellular telephone. No electronic equipment or devices are permitted in the Carroll Circuit Court. This includes electronic watches. Media personnel are permitted to attend the Court session. NO cameras, electronics, lap tops or recording equipment of any kind is permitted on the Second and Third Floors of the Courthouse, nor inside the Carroll Circuit Courtroom. All such equipment is limited to the First Floor. The Court requests the media be mindful that other County offices are conducting business in the building unrelated to this case. Media and members of the public are ordered to conduct themselves in such a fashion as to limit disruption to the offices, personnel, and patrons of those offices. The Media are free to use the public areas outside the Courthouse as long as they do not obstruct traffic in the streets and sidewalks surrounding the Courthouse. Public seating in the Carroll Circuit Court is limited. The Sheriff of Carroll County or his designee will ensure that the victim representatives are seated and that the defendant’s family is seated. The first row of public seating behind the bar separating the well of the courtroom from the public is unavailable for seating. The remaining seating is available until full. No one, other than Court Security and law enforcement, will be permitted to stand in the Courtroom. No food or beverages are permitted inside Carroll Circuit Court. Water will be permitted for the parties in the well of the Courtroom. All members of the public and the media are required to follow directives of the Sheriff of Carroll County, Courthouse Security, and Courtroom Security. NO court-produced recording will be made available to the public or media. The audio record made pursuant to Indiana Criminal Rule 5 may not be copied or used for purposes other than perpetuating the record. At the conclusion of the scheduled hearing, all members of the public and media will remain seated in the courtroom until Court Security releases them. The Court anticipates that all members of the public and the media will conduct themselves in an appropriate fashion. Any violation of this Order and any conduct the Court finds disruptive of the proceedings may result in an order of temporary or permanent exclusion from the Courtroom and/or Courthouse and is punishable as contempt of Court.
Judge Fran Gull
The upcoming hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31 in Carroll Circuit Court.