WNDU
CARROLL COUNTY — A jury for the Delphi murders case will come from either St. Joseph County or Allen County.
That’s according to a court filing that was filed on Friday afternoon.
Earlier this month, Special Judge Frances Gull gave the prosecutor and defense one week to agree on a county where they will select a jury and bring that jury to Carroll County in the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of killing Libby German and Abby Williams in Delphi in February 2017.
Gull said that it would be nearly impossible to select an unbiased and fair jury out of residents in Carroll County because of the local impact this tragic event and investigation has had on the community throughout the past five years. Both the prosecution and defense agreed.
According to the court filing, the court will make the final determination on which county the jury will be drawn from.
Allen’s attorneys wanted the trial moved at least 150 miles away from Carroll County because of publicity, but that request was denied. All further court proceedings will be held in Carroll County.
Allen is set to be back in court for a bail hearing on Feb. 17. Trial dates will be further discussed at that hearing.
The trial is scheduled for March 20, but that was set back in October. The court is now realizing that the date will likely have to be pushed back, and they’re saving that matter for next time.
Meanwhile, the gag order issued in the case continues in its current form. This means lawyers, police, and family members can’t talk about the case publicly, and legal teams are only allowed to speak with the media only about procedural items.
