Delphi murders trial delayed as suspected killer Richard Allen seen in new mug shot

Richard Allen confessed to 2017 murders of Abby Williams, 13, and 14-year-old Libby German in Indiana

The trial for Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen has been delayed until October.

The decision was made at a hearing on Tuesday, a week before his trial was supposed to begin for the 2017 murders of the two girls.

Allen confessed to the killings of Abby Williams, 13, and 14-year-old Libby German in 2022. Their bodies were discovered on 14 February 2017, a day after they had gone for a walk on abandoned train tracks near their homes in Delphi, Indiana.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull was expected to hear concerns from Allen’s defense team about the timeline of the trial and the prosecution’s motion seeking to prohibit the defense from bringing up its alternative murder theory in court.

Richard Allen, pictured on 6 May 2024, has had his trial rescheduled for the fall. He has been charged with the murders of Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14 (Allen County Jail)

Allen’s attorneys have previously claimed that details from the crime scene pointed to a possible “Odinist” religious cult killing, with symbols painted in blood of one victims discovered, according to court filings obtained by The Independent last year.

However, there were no discussions about evidence on Tuesday. Attorneys will return to court between May 21 and May 23 in Carroll County to discuss further motions.

Prosecutors said they was looking at 40-45 witnesses for the trial and that they were satisfied with the May date for the trial.

However, the defense told the judge that they wanted a 15-day guarantee to present their side of the case, which the judge did not grant.

Libby German (left) and Abby Williams (right) were killed in 2017 after going for a walk in the woods in Delphi, Indiana (Facebook)

Brad Rozzi, one of Allen’s attorneys, said that it was not practical for the trial to take place during the dates in May, and said no end date should be set in the trial.

“If you can’t try this case in one month, there’s something wrong,” Judge Gull told Allen’s defense team.

Mr Rozzi replied: “You don’t know anything about this case.”

The judge decided that the trial should take place from 14 October until 15 November. Both sides said they were satisfied with the new trial date.