Jurors in trial of man accused of Delphi murders to come from Allen County, Indiana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The jurors for the trial of the man accused of killing two teen girls in Delphi, Indiana, will come from Allen County, Indiana, according to a report by FOX 59.

Richard Allen is set to stand trial for the 2017 murders of Abby Williams and Libby German. Their bodies were found on Feb. 14, 2017, in a rugged, heavily wooded area near a trail just outside of Delphi, Indiana, one day after a relative dropped them off.

In a ruling handed down on Tuesday, Special Judge Frances Gull said jurors would be drawn from the northeast Indiana county, with the trial being conducted in Carroll County, where the murder case occurred.

Both sides in the case had been tasked with choosing a county from which jurors could be selected. Previously, they had narrowed the choices down to St. Joseph and Allen counties, before Judge Gull decided on Allen county, which includes Fort Wayne.

Richard Allen's defense team initially had requested that his trial be moved at least 150 miles from Delphi to avoid potential conflicts in the case. Judge Gull denied that request, but agreed to select jurors from another county.

The trial is expected to cost $2.3 million, according to the Carroll County Council.

Allen's trial is expected to begin in March, but Judge Gull has previously expressed criticism that it will occur on time, given the "extraordinary, voluminous evidence" that must be turned over to the defense. She said there are "thousands upon thousands" of pages of discovery for the state to turn over to Allen's defense team.

A gag order remains in effect for anyone associated with the case, although attorneys are allowed to discuss certain procedural issues that arise.

Allen is due in court on Feb. 17 for a bail hearing.