DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — The man accused of killing two teenage girls has requested a public defender in a letter to the court filed Wednesday because both he and his wife can no longer work.

“I, Richard M. Allen, hereby throw myself at the mercy of the court. I am begging to be provided with legal assistance in a public defender or whatever help is available,” he wrote in the letter to Carroll Circuit Court.

Allen, 50, of Delphi, is charged with two counts of murder in the slayings of Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, on Feb. 13, 2017, outside the north central Indiana city.

Abigail Williams and Liberty German Delphi

Libby German and Abby Williams (WDRB file)

Indiana State Police arrested Allen on Oct. 26. They announced his arrest Oct. 31.

Allen wrote his wife has stopped working for “her personal safety.”

“At my initial hearing on Oct. 28, 2022, I asked to find representation for myself,” Allen wrote in the letter that was postmarked Nov. 7. “However, at the time I had no clue how expensive it would be just to talk to someone.

“I also did not realize what my wife and I’s immediate financial situation was going to be,” he wrote. “We have both been forced to immediately abandon employment, myself due to incarceration and my wife for her personal safety."

Allen did not elaborate on the threats to her safety.

“Again, I throw myself at the mercy of the court. Please provide me whatever assistance you may," he wrote, the Journal and Courier reported.

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