DELPHI MURDERS: Why prosecutors argued that suspect Richard Allen shouldn't be given bail
CARROLL COUNTY, MARYLAND: Prosecutors are requesting that Richard Allen, a suspect in the Delphi murders, not be granted a release, in accordance with court filings. Liberty "Libby" German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, are the two adolescent girls who were allegedly killed by 50-year-old Allen on or about February 13, 2017, when they were hiking on a well-known neighborhood route in Delphi.
Prosecutors responded to Allen's request for bail by saying, "The State believes the evidence shows culpability of the actual crime of Murder, for which bail may be wholly denied." They continued, "The State believes this evidence shows by the preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant committed the crime of Murder," as reported by Total News.
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Richard Allen has a $20 million bond
The two teenagers vanished while hiking the Delphi Historic Trails; their remains were discovered on February 14, 2017. Allen was arrested in October 2022 after the case went unsolved for more than five years. Following his arrest in October 2022, Allen's bond was initially set at $20 million. On November 21, 2022, he petitioned to be freed on bail, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict him. Currently, the prosecution is requesting that Allen be kept without bail until his trial for the killings of German and Williams.
What does the Judge have to say?
It took till 10.26 am to start the hearing. It was over by 10.36 a.m., having only lasted around ten minutes. Before the proceedings started, defense and prosecution counsel spoke with Judge Fran Gull in her chambers for a while. Defense attorneys and Gull met in her office following the hearing. They returned to the courthouse for a hearing over government support for investigators. However, public access to those hearings was prohibited.
Given the "extraordinary, voluminous evidence" in the case that needs to be given to the defense, Gull voiced doubt that Allen's trial would be on schedule for March 23, as reported by Fox 59. The judge also stated that she could not see the trial involving Carroll County jurors. It would be "difficult, if not impossible," in Carroll County, to find jurors who had not been connected in the case in some way. At the same time, she couldn't see how the trial could be placed anywhere other than Carroll County, given the convenience of the witnesses. She claimed that moving the trial to a different county would be "extraordinary."
Although there are "thousands upon thousands" of pages of discovery for the state to provide to Allen's defense attorneys, Gull said she will hear arguments during the bail hearing on whether the trial can proceed as scheduled on March 23. Gull said that the state had been "diligent" in providing Allen's attorneys with information.
The answer entails selecting jurors from counties outside the original problem area. A suitable county from which jurors could be transported to Carroll County and sequestered for the trial must be decided by the defense and prosecution within a week. The gag order will continue to be in place, but lawyers from both parties are permitted to discuss formalities and the upcoming bail hearing on February 17. The case's facts are not to be discussed.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact law enforcement at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.