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Accused Delphi child killer Richard Allen is due back in Carroll County court Wednesday for the second hearing concerning several motions, which could shape the trial’s outcome of his murder trial.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Allen is facing four counts of murder for the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German, two children who vanished while hiking along the Monon High Bridge trail in February 2017, in Delphi, Indiana.
Their bodies were discovered the next day and Allen, a local resident and pharmacist, was arrested and charged with their murders more than five years later.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the defense and prosecution debated abut the admissibility of certain evidence, according to WISH-TV, such as geofencing data, and a theory about the involvement of Odinism in the case.
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland is pushing to prevent testimony regarding cult killings from being presented to the jury. He argued that the such claims are irrelevant and misleading.
The defense must provide sufficient evidence to persuade Special Judge Frances Gull to allow them to tell jurors about a possible alternative suspect.
The defense is also arguing police misconduct, claiming officers neglected and intentionally disregarded leads on alternative suspects. They said they want the entire case thrown out, while accusing the prosecution of withholding evidence.
They also sought to transfer Allen from solitary confinement at the Indiana Department of Corrections to the Carroll County jail, to enhance his mental health and communications with his lawyers.
Another motion addressed whether statements Allen made to inmates and prison guards, in which he claimed to have killed the victims, should be suppressed, the Indy Star reports. He’s also accused of making statements about sexually molesting the girls, although there was no evidence of this in the victims’ autopsy reports.
Allen’s defense lawyers contended that his statements were involuntary and made during a mental health crisis that happened after prolonged solitary confinement.
Gull is expected to issue a ruling on the hearing in the coming days.
Allen’s trial, which has been delayed multiple times, is slated to begin in October. Check back for updates.
