CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. – Court-appointed attorneys for Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen have withdrawn from the case.
On Wednesday, public defenders William S. Lebrato and Robert C. Scremin filed the motion to remove themselves from the proceedings. The Allen County attorneys were appointed by the court after Special Judge Fran Gull removed Allen’s original defense lawyers, Bradley Rozzi and Andrew J. Baldwin.
Allen, however, no longer needs the services of Lebrato and Scremin. That’s because the Indiana Supreme Court reinstated Baldwin and Rozzi following oral arguments last week.
Allen faces four counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping in connection with the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge. Indiana State Police announced his arrest in October 2022.
Since then, the case has been mired in a contentious back-and-forth involving Gull, appointed to the case by the Indiana Supreme Court, and Allen’s attorneys. It all came to a head in October, when Gull announced the two attorneys had been removed from the case after an evidence leak on social media.
During a closed-door hearing, Gull informed Baldwin and Rozzi she planned to remove them from the case. But the attorneys later said they were essentially given an ultimatum—withdraw or face public humiliation.
They later asked to be reinstated, and Allen told the court he wanted Baldwin and Rozzi back in his corner, despite the evidence leak. That all led to the appointment of Scremin and Lebrato as Allen’s representation.
After further legal maneuvering, Allen asked the Indiana Supreme Court to weigh in. He requested the reinstatement of his original defense team, along with the removal of Gull from the case and a speedy trial.
After hearing oral arguments on Jan. 18, the state’s highest court reinstated the attorneys but denied the motions regarding Gull’s removal and the speedy trial.
From the motion to withdraw:
Comes now Public Defenders, William S. Lebrato and Robert C. Scremin, appointed attorneys for the Defendant, Richard M. Allen, and respectfully request leave of Court to withdraw their appearance as counsel for the reason that the Defendant’s previous Attorneys Baldwin and Rozzi have been reinstated as the Defendant’s attorneys herein pursuant to the Court’s Order on January 18, 2024.
Earlier this week, Gull handed down a pair of key decisions in the case, denying Allen’s request for a Franks hearing on the validity of the search warrant and shooting down another motion regarding the suppression of ballistics evidence.
Allen’s trial is scheduled for October 2024, two years after his arrest in the long-simmering double murder investigation.