DELPHI, Ind. — An exhibit list filed this week gives a preview of the evidence Richard Allen's attorney's plan to present to defend themselves against contempt charges by the prosecutor in the Delphi murders case.
The Indiana Supreme Court put Allen's public defenders, Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin, back on the case in January after they accused special judge Frances Gull of forcing them to resign. But Rozzi and Baldwin still face a hearing March 18 on whether their actions should be held in contempt of court.
Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland argues that the defense attorneys should be held in contempt of court for what he calls a "trend" of "not being completely honest with the court." The prosecutor said the attorneys violated the gag order in the case by issuing a press release on Dec. 1, 2022, proclaiming Allen's innocence. McLeland also points to information, including crime scene photos, leaked to the public through Baldwin's office.
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Attorney David Hennessy is representing Rozzi and Baldwin against the contempt charges. He has filed a list of 26 exhibits for the March hearing in Allen. They include communication between the prosecutor and a YouTube crime podcaster named Gary Beaudette, host of the FigSolv show.
The evidence includes Beaudette allegedly sending defense work product to the prosecutor, Beaudette revealing investigation information on his YouTube show that was not yet public, and an email where McLeland allegedly asked Beaudette to "delete everything."
Several other YouTube crime podcasts are listed as evidence, including "Frankmeister," Anthony Greeno's Crime Nation, and the Inquisitor True Crime. Court TV producer Barbara McDonald's reporting of alleged leaked investigation information is also listed in the exhibits.
A YouTube video called "The Reckoning in Carroll County" might also be shown in court.
All this seems to indicate the defense wants to put the focus of the contempt hearing on the prosecutor's actions.
The defense also says it received an anonymous call from a woman in Texas just last week, claiming to have about 240 pages of leaked documents and agreed to provide them. But the defense says it has received only a few of those documents so far. So, the defense has asked for an extension of the deadline for discovery until March 14 for the March 18 hearing.