INDIANAPOLIS – Thursday marks the next hearing in the Delphi murders—and this one will be in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.

The state’s highest court will hear arguments in the case surrounding Richard Allen, who’s charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German on the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.

Allen wants his original defense team—Bradley Rozzi and Andrew J. Baldwin—reinstated after Special Judge Fran Gull removed them from the case. Gull cited a crime scene evidence leak that found its way to social media as one of the reasons for the attorneys’ dismissal.

The leak was attributed to a former coworker of Baldwin who took photos of crime scene images that were left in a conference room in his office.

The attorneys indicated during a closed-door meeting on Oct. 19 in Gull’s chambers that they planned to resign from the case because of the leak. But the attorneys contended Gull left them no choice—essentially giving them an ultimatum to step away or she would go on the record and dismiss them in open court.

In a later filing, Gull referred to the attorneys as “grossly negligent” and said removing them from the case would only benefit Allen. Rozzi and Baldwin also made a series of filings contending their dismissal.

Allen has also asked the court to remove Gull from the proceedings and replace her with another judge. He requested a speedy trial.

Thursday’s hearing, set for 11 a.m. at the Indiana Statehouse, will be livestreamed. The hearing is expected to last about an hour, with attorneys for Allen and the state both given their chance to make their cases.

Visitors should expect some additional security at the building, although Indiana State Police couldn’t share additional details about their operational plans.

The hearing represents the latest legal maneuvering in a case that’s been filled with twists and turns in recent months.

Indiana State Police announced Allen’s arrest in October 2022. He’s been in custody since then, held primarily at Westville Correctional Facility before being moved to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in late 2023.

After the dismissal of Allen’s original defense lawyers, the court appointed Robert Scremin and William Lebrato as his new representation. The two new attorneys filed a motion last week asking the state to move Allen yet again, claiming he was not being treated the same as other prisoners and saying his current location negatively affected their ability to represent him.

The attorneys, based in Fort Wayne, are asking him to be moved to the Allen County Jail or Adams County Jail, according to the motion.

Allen’s trial, scheduled for January 2024, ended up being pushed back after the removal of his original defense team. Gull delayed the trial until October 2024 to give his new lawyers time to review the large volume of evidence and prepare his defense.