Delphi murder defense: Judge ‘strong-armed’ them, should be tossed from case

Attorney contends in new court documents that Judge Fran Gull ‘ambushed’ them, 'coerced' them into stepping away from defense of Richard Allen, charged in the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German

Andrew Baldwin, left, and Brad Rozzi were removed last week as defense attorneys in the Delphi murder case. (File photo)

Hold on. Brad Rozzi, one of the attorneys appointed to defend Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen, says he’s not off the case – a week after a judge announced to a stunned courtroom that the court-appointed defense team was stepping down.

And in a flurry of motions filed Wednesday and Thursday, Rozzi called for disqualification of Judge Fran Gull, claiming that the Allen County Superior Court judge assigned to Allen’s case nearly a year ago “ambushed” Rozzi and attorney Andrew Baldwin during an Oct. 19 hearing “designed to coerce (their) withdrawals.”

Rozzi argued in a Wednesday night motion that Gull should recuse herself, challenging her impartiality in the case involving the February 2017 murders of Delphi eighth-graders Libby German and Abby Williams.