BREAKING: Delphi Murder Trial Judge Frances Gull Retires—Her Press Release Ignores Richard Allen Entirely
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Major breaking news out of Indiana today. Judge Frances Gull—the special judge who presided over Richard Allen's trial for the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German—has announced she is retiring from the bench after nearly three decades. Her official press release celebrates her work with veterans and Drug Court, touting her commitment to "second chances, rehabilitation, and redemption."
What the press release doesn't mention is Delphi. Not a single word about the case that made her a household name in true crime circles worldwide.
That silence is notable because Richard Allen's defense team has filed a 113-page appeal alleging that Gull's rulings systematically denied Allen his constitutional right to present a complete defense. The brief documents exclusion after exclusion: the eyewitness sketch that didn't match Allen, the forensic expert who could have challenged the bullet evidence, the audio from videos showing Allen's mental deterioration, evidence of alternative suspects with pagan ritual connections, and evidence of a bungled investigation.
Meanwhile, Gull admitted a Google search conducted mid-trial to salvage the State's timeline.
Allen is serving 130 years. Gull is retiring to spend time with her grandchildren. The Indiana Court of Appeals will now review whether the trial she ran meets constitutional standards.
Today on True Crime Today, we examine the judicial record Frances Gull leaves behind—and what the appeals court will have to untangle.
#JudgeGull #FrancesGull #Delphi #DelphiMurders #RichardAllen #AbbyAndLibby #LibbyGerman #AbbyWilliams #DelphiTrial #WrongfulConviction
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. Here now, Tony Bruske. |
| 0:07.3 | Oh my God, Judge Francis Gull announced her retirement this week. |
| 0:16.0 | The press release from Allen County Superior Court is a lovely little piece of public relations. |
| 0:21.2 | It talks about her nearly 30 years on the bench, her work with veterans, her commitment |
| 0:26.4 | to the drug court program. |
| 0:28.6 | There's a quote from Gall herself about second chances, rehabilitation and redemption. |
| 0:34.1 | She's looking forward to spending time with her family, her friends, her dogs, her grandchildren, the ice cream cake that inevitably will be served in the break room, the last day that she's there as a judge. |
| 0:45.9 | I don't know. |
| 0:46.3 | Maybe there's an ice cream cake. |
| 0:47.5 | Maybe there's not. |
| 0:49.7 | You know, it's not in the press release. |
| 0:51.4 | Any mention of the Delphi case. |
| 0:53.5 | Any mention of the Richard Allen case, you know? |
| 0:56.7 | Make of that what you will. |
| 0:58.4 | Because, well, Francis Goal rides off into retirement to enjoy her golden years. |
| 1:03.8 | Richard Allen sits in an Indiana prison serving 130 years. |
| 1:07.6 | A jury convicted him, but how they reached that verdict. And what they were and weren't |
| 1:13.9 | allowed to hear is now before the Indiana Court of Appeals. And when those judges review the |
| 1:20.7 | 113 page appellate's brief filed in December, the common threat running through almost every |
| 1:26.4 | constitutional violation alleged isn't the prosecution. |
| 1:31.2 | It isn't the investigators. |
| 1:34.0 | It's the judge. |
... |
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