CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) – The jury for the future Delphi murders trial will either be selected out of St. Joseph County or Allen County, Nexstar’s WXIN has learned.
Prosecutors and the defense team for suspect Richard Allen were tasked with choosing a county by Friday, Jan. 20, but the decision was made public on Monday, Jan. 23 after a spokesperson for Judge Fran Gull said they had not heard anything from attorneys on Friday.
A signed document provided to Nexstar’s WXIN show both Carroll County prosecutor Nicholas McLeland and Allen’s attorneys agreed to having the court decide on either St. Joseph or Allen County.
Richard Allen is accused of killing Abby Williams and Libby German in February of 2017. He was arrested more than five years later in October of 2022.
The defense team had originally requested the upcoming trial be moved more than 150 miles away from Delphi to avoid any potential conflicts in the case.
In a hearing earlier in January, Judge Gull decided the trial would be held in Carroll County, although the jurors would come from elsewhere due to it being “difficult if not impossible” to find an impartial jury in Carroll County itself.
Allen County is in northeastern Indiana about is about 108 miles away from Delphi. Its county seat is Fort Wayne.
St. Joseph County is in north central Indiana and is about 91.5 miles away from Delphi. Its county seat is South Bend.
While the trial is slated for March 23, it’s highly unlikely to begin on time due to what’s being described as “thousands upon thousands” of documents the state turned over to Allen’s attorneys.
A bail hearing for Allen has been scheduled for February 17.
