Attorneys for suspect in Delphi murders request move from prison, citing deteriorating condition

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — Attorneys for a man charged with killing two northern Indiana teenage girls filed an emergency court motion Wednesday seeking to move him from a prison where they claim his condition is deteriorating.

The emergency request filed by Richard Matthew Allen’s lawyers in Carroll Circuit Court cited “dramatic change in Mr. Allen’s condition, including his change in demeanor, change in appearance and change in his overall mental status.”

His defense team compared his treatment to that of a prisoner of war, saying he sleeps on a pad on a concrete floor, hasn't received visits from his wife or family for the past five months, is allowed to shower only once or twice per week and is forced to wear the same clothes for “days and days on end, all of which are soiled, stained, tattered and torn.”

The Delphi man has been held at the maximum-security Westville Correctional Facility since November.

Allen was arrested Oct. 28 and charged with two counts of murder in the killings of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, on Feb. 13, 2017. Their bodies were found near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. Police have labeled their deaths as homicides but have not revealed how they died. Allen has maintained his innocence.

His attorneys argued in the motion that Allen can only make calls to family members through a tablet, which is monitored by prison officials. They also claim that they were denied access to inspect his cell block and living circumstances.

Indiana Department of Correction spokesperson Annier Goeller said the agency cannot comment on the claims by Allen’s attorneys because of a gag order in the case.

Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby requested Allen to be lodged in the Indiana Department of Correction for his own safety.

The special judge in the case has scheduled a June 15 hearing on a defense request to allow Allen to be released on bail.

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