(NewsNation) — The lawyers representing a man accused in the 2017 killings of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, withdrew from the case Thursday in a move likely to further delay a potential trial.
The defense attorneys for 51-year-old Richard Allen stepped away from the case, resulting in the cancelation of a hearing scheduled for Thursday. The decision, which the judge called a “very unexpected turn of events,” means some parts of the pretrial process will return to square one as Allen awaits a new legal team.
It was not immediately clear why the defense counsel withdrew.
An investigation by “The Murder Sheet” podcast recently pointed to an alleged leak of sensitive crime scene evidence. Some elements of that investigation were confirmed by NewsNation affiliate WXIN.
A leak of that nature could result in a warning from the judge or the dismissal of the attorneys and the appointment of a new legal team, WXIN reported, citing interviews with legal experts.
Special Judge Fran Gull had ordered Thursday’s hearing with plans to discuss another hearing set for Oct. 31. Attorneys also were expected to go over “other matters which have recently arisen,” according to NewsNation affiliate WXIN.
Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.
Their deaths remained unsolved for several years until a break in the case led to Allen’s arrest nearly one year ago today.
German and Williams went for a walk together Feb. 13, 2017, on the Monon High Bridge and never returned. Their bodies were found on a community hiking trail the next day.
A video discovered on German’s phone showed that she and Williams came across a man on the bridge at 2:13 p.m. As he approached, one of the girls could be heard on the video mentioning the word “gun.” The man then said “Guys, down the hill,” police said.
The video ends as the girls walked down the hill.
Police now say they believe that man was Allen and that no witnesses recalled seeing him on the trail after 2:13 p.m. “because he was in the woods” with the girls, officers explained in unsealed court documents.