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The special judge in the Delphi double-murder case ruled Monday that no cameras will be allowed in the courtroom when jurors are selected in Allen County starting May 13.
The decision, made by Special Judge Frances Gull, is consistent with her other recent rulings regarding camera access to proceedings related to the case.
While the judge has not issued a blanket ruling banning all cameras for the trial, she has denied several separate camera requests from individual media organizations, making it unlikely that any camera access will be granted.
Denied requests were submitted by WTHR-TV Channel 13 and WISH-TV Channel 8 in Indianapolis, WBND-LD (Channel 57) in South Bend, and WPTA-TV Channel 21 and WANE-TV Channel 15 in Fort Wayne. Judge Gull also rejected camera access to the News Media Coalition, which is made up of national organizations including the Associated Press, Getty Images and Thomson Reuters.
The judge also has denied requests to release any court-produced recordings of the proceedings.
While media personnel can attend the jury selection process, they cannot bring in any cameras, electronics or recording equipment, the judge ruled.
Jury selection is scheduled for May 13 through 16 in Allen Superior Court in Fort Wayne. After jurors are selected, they will be taken to Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi for the trial of Richard Allen.
Allen is accused of murdering 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams in February 2017, a case that has garnered media attention across the country.
The possibility of allowing cameras in Indiana’s trial courts is a relatively new development. The Indiana Supreme Court opened the state’s local trial courts to television and still cameras last May when it gave trial court judges the discretion to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow them.
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