Delphi murder trial for Richard Allen delayed until October

The Delphi murder trial for Richard Allen, who is accused of killing two teenage girls in 2017, has been delayed until October. 

The judge in the case granted a request by defense attorneys for more time to prepare. The trial was scheduled to start on May. 13. 

When is the trial for Delphi's Richard Allen?

The new trial dates are Oct. 14 through Nov. 15 in Carroll County, Special Judge Fran Gull ruled on Tuesday. There will be three days of pretrial evidence hearings on May 21 through May 23 in Carroll County, CBS affiliate WLFI reported.

Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the slayings of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams. 

The teens were found dead in February 2017, a day after being reported missing, following a visit to a hiking trail near their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

Allen, a drugstore pharmacy technician in the town of 3,000, wasn't arrested until October 2022. He's pleaded not guilty.

Why has the Delphi murder trial been delayed?

The case's schedule has been repeatedly disrupted in recent months. After Allen's attorneys temporarily withdrew from the case last fall amid a leak of information, Special Judge Fran Gull moved the trial back to October 2024.

However, in January, the Indiana Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of Allen's original court-appointed attorneys, Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi. The pair asked Gull to set the trial for May.

Now, they asked for more time. 

Prosecutors have said Allen confessed in prison phone calls to his wife.

Contributing: Associated Press