Judge in Delphi case temporarily bars parties from discussing details publicly

DELPHI — The judge overseeing the Delphi case has issued a preliminary order preventing parties in the case from disseminating information related to the case to members of the public.

The order is contingent on a hearing scheduled for Jan. 13.

The full document can be viewed here:

It comes a day after attorneys for Richard Allen, the man accused of the 2017 murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, released a public statement in response to a redacted version of a probable cause affidavit released earlier this week.

Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi claim, “Rick has nothing to hide" and add, "He is innocent and completely confused as to why he has been charged with these crimes."

Fran Grull, the special judge assigned to the case, had scheduled a hearing for Jan. 13 in which she will hear prosecutors' request for a permanent gag order and the defense's request to have the trial moved outside Carroll County.

If granted, the gag order would bar people involved in the case to speak publicly about the case moving forward. This includes family.

The probable cause affidavit, which had previously been kept from public access per a request by Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, reveals that marks on a single unspent bullet found near the girls' bodies tie Richard Allen to the killings.

Gull overruled objections from the prosecutor's office when she made the affidavit public.

In a hearing last week, Allen's attorneys called the information contained in the probable cause "flimsy" when they urged the judge to release the probable cause affidavit.

Allen is scheduled to appear in a Carroll County court for a hearing on Feb . 17.