In a recent court hearing held in Allen County, the trial of Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen has been postponed until mid-October. Special Judge Fran Gull granted the defense's request to vacate the original trial date of May 13, following claims by Allen's attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, that they needed more time to prepare their case.

The new trial dates have been set for October 14 through November 15 in Carroll County. Additionally, there will be three days of pretrial evidence hearings from May 21 to May 23 in Carroll County. The defense attorneys argued that they had not been granted sufficient time to present their case during the trial itself.

Richard Allen faces four counts of murder related to the tragic deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge in February 2017. His arrest in October 2022 has since sparked numerous legal maneuvers between the prosecution and defense.

During the hearing, Allen's defense team also filed a motion for Judge Gull to disqualify herself from the case, alleging a lack of pretrial hearings to discuss potential evidence. This motion follows their previous request to have Gull removed, which was denied by the Indiana Supreme Court. Gull had also attempted to remove Baldwin and Rozzi from the case, citing an evidence leak, but the Supreme Court reinstated them in January 2023.

Despite Gull's ruling that the defense attorneys had been "sloppy" and "incompetent" in handling evidence, she did not hold them in contempt. The defense has accused prosecutors of failing to provide discovery evidence in a timely manner and investigators of lying or omitting information to implicate their client.

The defense's concerns about the prosecution's extensive witness list, consisting of over a hundred witnesses and nearly a hundred exhibits, led to the hearing in Allen County. Baldwin and Rozzi outlined logistical challenges, including transportation and commutes, which could potentially disrupt Gull's timeline for the trial.

In a separate development, Allen was transferred from Wabash Valley Correctional to the Allen County Jail ahead of the recent hearing.

Moreover, the state filed a motion to prevent the defense from presenting its alternative murder theory during the trial. The defense's theory suggests involvement of a local pagan group in a ritualistic killing. The state argued that raising these issues could confuse or prejudice the jury. The prosecution also sought to ban specific terms and names linked to the case from being mentioned during the trial.

With the trial now scheduled for October, both the defense and prosecution will continue their preparations as the legal proceedings progress.