CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. – The next hearing in the Delphi murders case is set.
Special Judge Fran Gull scheduled a status hearing at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, in Carroll Circuit Court. According to Gull’s order, the first portion of the hearing will be closed to the public, while the second part will be open to the public.
Richard Allen faces four counts of murder in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. Indiana State Police announced his arrest in October 2022, more than five years after the girls’ deaths.
The case has been mired in legal back-and-forth involving the defense, prosecution and Gull herself. Gull attempted to remove Allen’s attorneys from the case, although the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately reinstated them.
In turn, Allen’s defense filed multiple attempts to have her removed from the case or compel her to recuse herself. The state’s highest court refused to replace Gull.
The case was at the center of three days of marathon motions hearings on July 30, July 31 and Aug. 1 in Carroll County.
Gull heard from the defense and prosecution as she weighed multiple issues ranging from the defense’s alternate murder theory to the admissibility of reported confessions Allen made in captivity.
Gull took most of the motions under advisement and has yet to issue rulings. She did, however, approve a defense request to have Allen moved from state custody to a county jail.
On Tuesday, Gull also denied two more attempts by the defense requesting Frank hearings. The defense has repeatedly filed motions seeking to throw out evidence seized during a search of Allen’s home by claiming police weren’t completely truthful when filing for a search warrant.
Gull disagreed, not for the first time, and said the search warrant established reasonable belief that evidence could be found in Allen’s home and vehicle and that police did not contain false statements or omit statutes with reckless disregard.