DELPHI, INDIANA: The trial of Richard Allen, the man accused of the double homicide of two Delphi girls, has been postponed for ten months because the defense team withdrew from the case citing "gross negligence" in the handling of graphic crime scene photos.
Richard Allen was taken into custody on October 28, 2022, and subsequently faced two counts of murder charges in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Liberty 'Libby' German.
The 14-year-old Liberty German and her friend Williams, 13, mysteriously went missing on February 13, 2017, while they were hiking through Indiana's Delphi Historic Trails.
Their bodies were found the next day in a heavily wooded area near the trail by the Monon High Bridge. Following the gruesome discovery, authorities led a five-year-old long extensive search before finally apprehending 50-year-old Allen.
Why did Richard Allen’s attorneys quit the case?
Allen was previously represented by attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi, who were ordered by Special Judge Fran Gull of Allen County to "cease work" on the case on October 12.
During a hearing held on October 16, the Judge disclosed that Baldwin had already withdrawn from the case, and it was anticipated that Rozzi would also withdraw in the days to come.
On the following day, Judge Gull stated in a court filing that the court had acknowledged the defense attorney's submissions but did not take any action as the attorney had withdrawn from the case on October 19.
Furthermore, the filings, as per officials, were being removed from the record and would no longer be included in the case file.
Judge Gull notified the court on Tuesday that Baldwin and Rozzi had withdrawn from the case due to what she characterized as "gross negligence" regarding the leakage of evidence.
Nonetheless, Rozzi refuted the allegations, asserting that they had withdrawn from the case to avoid harming their client. According to a report by 21AliveNews, Baldwin informed the court that Allen expressed a desire for them to continue representing him.
During the hearing, prosecutor Nicholas McLeland alleged that Baldwin and Rozzi not only made negligent statements but they "told lies." He also claimed that the two attorneys were trying to have "the trial in the public eye."
Judge Gull subsequently approached the accused, Allen, and conveyed, "I cannot and will not allow these attorneys to represent you."
She prohibited Rozzi and Baldwin from serving as Allen's legal counsel and directed them to provide the information to the newly appointed defense team by the end of the week.
Why Delphi murder trial has been postponed
After Rozzi and Baldwin's departure, defense attorneys William Lebrato and Richard Sremin were appointed as the new legal representatives for Allen's case.
They informed the judge that they had not yet received the necessary discovery materials and expressed concerns that it would be impractical to review all the evidence in preparation for the January 2024 trial.
The judge approved the delay following a request submitted by the new attorneys on Tuesday. The high-profile murder case has now been rescheduled to take place from October 15 to October 31, 2024.
The newly appointed defense attorneys also sought the Indiana State Supreme Court's intervention to reinstate crucial documents from the original defense team that had been ordered by the judge to be stricken from the record, according to the news outlet.
