Attorneys file motion to suppress evidence collected from accused Delphi killer’s home

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (WPTA) - The attorneys representing the man accused in the 2017 Delphi double murders are requesting that evidence collected from his home during a search warrant be suppressed.

BACKGROUND: Judge releases court documents in Delphi murder case, Indiana drugstore worker held in 2017 killings of teen girls

Richard Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 killing of Libby German and Abby Williams, a case that garnered national attention.

Allen’s attorneys claim in a new filing that the search warrant was issued without probable cause and claim the search was unconstitutional.

They claim Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett made “false and misleading representations with a reckless disregard for the truth” to the judge who issued the warrant.

Court documents show during the search of his home, detectives found a Sig Sauer Model P226. Police previously said they found a bullet at the crime scene that was proved to have been cycled through that Sig Sauer Model P226, a significant finding in the case.

Detectives also found 15 hunting and utility knives while searching his home. An autopsy cited in other court documents revealed the girls were killed by a “sharp object.”

In a second motion filed by Allen’s attorneys, they requested that future proceedings be publicly broadcast.

In 2021, courtrooms in Allen County welcomed cameras for a pilot program. For four months, television cameras were allowed inside trials and hearings at the Allen County Courthouse. Judge Fran Gull was one of five judges across Indiana chosen to be a part of the program.

Gull is currently the special judge assigned to Allen’s case out of Carroll County.

This May, a new state law was enacted that allows cameras in the courtrooms. Under the rule, cameras are prohibited in court unless authorized by the judge. A judge may also revoke authorization at any time for any reason.

A hearing to rule on this motion has not been set. A jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024, at 9 a.m.

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