Delphi suspect moved to southern Indiana prison for 'safekeeping'

DELPHI, Ind. — The Indiana Department of Correction has moved Richard Allen, the suspect in the 2017 killing of two Delphi teens, to a different Indiana prison to await trial.

The department filed the notice to the court on Wednesday, and it appeared Thursday on the online court docket.

In its notification to the court, the department cited state law that allows the prisons commissioner to transfer prisoners for "safekeeping," according to the notice, to a facility deemed suitable for their confinement.

"On December 6, 2023, Mr. Allen was transferred from Westville Correctional Facility to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility," the notice states. "The Indiana Department of Correction anticipates continuity of services and care provided to Mr. Allen at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility."

The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility is near Sullivan, roughly halfway between Terre Haute and Vincennes.

Allen has been housed in solitary confinement at the Westville Correctional Facility northeast of Valparaiso since Nov. 3, 2022 — days after he was charged with murder for allegedly killing teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017, near the trails east of Delphi.

In April, Allen's attorneys filed a motion to modify his pretrial detention, requesting that he be housed at a county jail. The motion cited Allen's mental deteriorated health as a reason he needed to be moved.

Special Judge Frances Gull held a hearing in June to consider the motion, and denied Allen's request to be moved.

More:Richard Allen's attorneys say his jail conditions are 'akin to that of prisoner of war'

Allen's former attorneys presented a theory in a 136-page memo to support a hearing that Libby and Abby were ritually killed in an Odinist sacrifice. Further, the memo cited that prison guards at Westville wore Odinist patches on their uniforms — a point that later was substantiated in court documents.

Allen's former attorneys also said these Odinist prison guards threatened Allen, his safety and the safety of his family.

Allen's former attorneys also argued that housing Allen at the Westville facility made it difficult for them to prepare his defense because of the distance they had to travel to speak with Allen.

Gull removed Allen's original attorneys from the case, citing gross negligence, and Allen is contesting their removal.

Meanwhile, Gull appointed two public defenders from Fort Wayne to represent Allen. His transfer this week basically puts him on the opposite side of the state from his attorneys.

Allen has two motions for reviews of Gull's decisions pending with the Indiana Supreme Court, including her dismissal of his original defense team.

Allen's trial currently is scheduled for October 2024.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.