(NewsNation) — A status hearing will be held Friday for the man accused in the 2017 killings of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi, Indiana.
Special Judge Fran Gull scheduled the hearing for 1 p.m. in Carroll Circuit Court. According to Gull’s order, the first portion of the hearing will be closed to the public, while the second part will be open to the public.
German, 14, and Williams, 13, ventured out on a walk along the Delphi Historic Trail on Feb. 13, 2017, but never returned home. Their bodies were found in a rugged area near a hiking trail one day after they vanished.
Five years after their deaths, police arrested Richard Allen in connection to the killings. He faces four counts of murder in connection to their deaths.
However, with an evidence leak, several legal filings, the removal and reinstating of the original court-appointed defense team and other delays, the case has been mired in legal back-and-forth involving the defense, prosecution and Gull herself.
Gull recently denied a defense request to dismiss the case against Allen and a separate defense motion regarding discovery evidence.
Allen’s trial is expected to begin in October.
NewsNation affiliate WXIN contributed to this report.
