Attorneys appointed for man charged with killing 2 girls in Delphi, Indiana

DELPHI, Ind. (AP) — Two attorneys have been appointed to represent the man accused of killing two teenage girls in northern Indiana.

Bradley Rozzi of Logansport will be the lead attorney for Richard Matthew Allen and Andrew Baldwin of Franklin will be co-counsel, online court records updated Monday indicated.

Allen requested a public defender in a letter to Carroll Circuit Court last week, saying both he and his wife can no longer work.

Allen, 50, of Delphi, is charged with two counts of murder in the slayings of Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, on Feb. 13, 2017, outside the north central Indiana city.

DELPHI MURDERS UPDATE — Pictured: Liberty "Libby" German, 14, and Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13. (Family photo)

Indiana State Police arrested Allen on Oct. 26. They announced his arrest Oct. 31.

Allen wrote his wife has stopped working for “her personal safety.”

“At my initial hearing on Oct. 28, 2022, I asked to find representation for myself,” Allen wrote in the letter that was postmarked Nov. 7. “However, at the time I had no clue how expensive it would be just to talk to someone.

“I also did not realize what my wife and I’s immediate financial situation was going to be,” he wrote. “We have both been forced to immediately abandon employment, myself due to incarceration and my wife for her personal safety.”

Allen did not elaborate on the threats to her safety.

The appointment of the attorneys comes as a new judge has been selected to oversee the case.

Allen Superior Court Judge Frances Gull was appointed as special judge in the case after Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Diener recused himself from the case, citing personal safety concerns.

Gull said court proceedings for Allen will remain in Carroll County. The judge is also keeping Allen's previously set public access hearing for Nov. 22, which will determine if sealed court records about Allen's arrest will remain out of the public eye.

Related Stories: