DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — The suspect in the Delphi murders has asked a judge to move his trial at least 150 miles out of Carroll County.
Attorneys for 50-year-old Richard Allen, of Delphi, filed a motion Monday requesting a change of venue in the double murder trial, online court records show.
Allen faces two counts of murder for the Feb. 13, 2017, deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German near Delphi.
Allen was arrested in the case on Oct. 28.
A special judge hearing the case has yet to rule on whether to release a probable cause affidavit that spells out the evidence leading to Allen’s arrest. Prosecutors have asked that it remain sealed to help protect the investigation. Prosecutors also requested a gag order in the case because of the extreme amount of publicity it has received.
In their request for a change of venue, Allen’s court-appointed attorneys, Brad Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin write:
“Although it could be argued that the amount of publicity that this particular case has received in the past 5+ years will make it difficult to find a jury that has not heard of this case, Richard Allen’s defense team has gleaned statistical data that would strongly indicate that moving the case/trial just 150 miles away would significantly reduce the likelihood of obtaining a tainted jury pool.”
Rozzi and Baldwin also cite the move to seal the probable cause affidavit as well as the recusal of a previous judge appointed to the case as “anecdotal evidence” of the “practical problems associated with the interest and publicity in Carroll County.”
A jury trial is scheduled to begin on March 20, 2023.
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