Lawyers for Delphi murder suspect ask for delay in upcoming bail hearing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Lawyers are asking a judge to delay an upcoming hearing for the man accused of killing two teen girls in Delphi, Indiana.

Richard Allen is accused of killing two teen girls in Delphi, Indiana. He is set to stand trial for the 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, one day after a relative dropped them off.

Allen is expected to be in court for a bail hearing on Feb. 17. But his attorneys filed a motion Tuesday to delay the hearing, as well as his trial, which is scheduled to begin in late March. The attorneys said they have not received all of the discovery items from the state and are not prepared to move forward, according to a report by Fox59.

Allen's attorneys expected to receive the rest of the materials by the end of the week and said it lacked "adequate time to review" the materials to prepare for the hearing.

It's not clear when the judge overseeing the case, Special Judge Fran Gull, will make a ruling. If the hearing continues, Allen's attorneys acknowledge that the court would likely have to push back their client's trial.

The request comes days after prosecutors argued against bond for Allen.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland filed the state's response to Allen's petition for bail on Jan. 31.

McLeland argues that the evidence against Allen, "adds up to strong and evident proof of guilt" that he murdered German and Williams, and posits that, "the crime of murder is not bailable" if the state provides enough evidence to prove that he is guilty.

In November, the court unsealed a redacted probable cause affidavit breaking down some of the state's key evidence in the case, including lab analysis that found an unspent bullet discovered near the bodies of German and Williams had cycled through a .40 caliber pistol found at Allen's home.

Allen's defense team originally filed the bail hearing request on Nov. 21, 2022, arguing there was a lack of strong evidence to keep Allen behind bars before the trial.

Jurors will be brought in from Allen County, Indiana, after the judge ruled that it would be "difficult if not impossible" to find jurors from Carroll County that were not tied to the case, Allen, or the victims in any way.