Prosecutors say there may be more than one person involved in 2017 Delphi murders
Prosecutors investigating the slayings of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana, have said that they have "good reason to believe" more than one person is connected to the killings.
One suspect, Richard Matthew Allen, was arrested last month and charged with two counts of murder, but in a hearing on Tuesday, Carroll County prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said that he believed others were connected to the murders, according to the Associated Press.
The comments were made during a discussion about whether court records that led to Allen's arrest should be unsealed. The documents, a probable cause affidavit and other charging information, were sealed last month at McLeland's request. On Tuesday, McLeland said the documents should remain sealed or be released with redactions to prevent witnesses from being harassed, according to the AP.
Indiana law allows courts to withhold records in "extraordinary circumstances," CBS Chicago reports.
The decision will be made by Special Judge Fran Gull, who was assigned to the case after a local judge recused himself. According to a spokesman for the judge, there is no timeline on when the decision might be made. Allen will next appear in court on Feb. 17, 2023, for a bail hearing. He is currently being held without bond.
Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, went missing in February 2017 after a relative dropped them off at a historic hiking trail just outside the 3,000-person city of Delphi, and the next day their bodies were found in the same area. The deaths were ruled homicides, but police never publicly said how the teenagers were killed or what evidence was gathered.
When Allen, 50, was arrested on Oct. 26, 2022, officials again did not disclose details. In a news conference, they said they could not answer questions about what led to his arrest because of the sealed records and ongoing investigation.
Allen's lawyer, Andrew Baldwin, said Tuesday that his client is "the wrong guy." According to the Associated Press, he called the sealed probable cause affidavit "flimsy" in a statement made outside the courtroom.
"You expect more than what I saw," Baldwin said.