Attorneys for an Indiana man charged in 2 killings leave case amid questions of evidence security

By ISABELLA VOLMERT
Associated Press

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana judge says two attorneys representing a man accused in the 2017 slayings of two teenage girls are withdrawing from the case unexpectedly. Thursday’s development leaves 51-year-old Richard Allen temporarily without representation. His trial originally scheduled for early January 2024 is expected to be delayed. Judge Fran Gull did not indicate why the attorneys withdrew. But a court document also filed Thursday says authorities are investigating an unidentified individual who improperly accessed evidence from one of the defense attorney’s offices. Allen was arrested in October 2022 and charged with two counts of murder in the 2017 slayings of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German.