Judge Gull Retires After Delphi Trial: Richard Allen's Appeal Exposes the Rulings She Hopes You Forget
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 907 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The judge who presided over Richard Allen's murder trial just announced her retirement from the bench. Frances Gull's press release is full of praise for her Drug Court work and her belief in "second chances, rehabilitation, and redemption." Conspicuously absent from that press release is any mention of the Delphi case—the trial that made her internationally known and is now under appellate review for alleged constitutional violations.
Richard Allen was convicted and sentenced to 130 years. But the 113-page appellant's brief filed last month tells a different story than the one the jury heard—because according to the defense, the jury was prevented from hearing critical evidence at every turn.
Gull excluded the composite sketch of Bridge Guy that looked nothing like Allen. She excluded a forensic metallurgist with nearly 300 cases of expert testimony who could have challenged the bullet evidence. She forced the defense to mute the audio on videos showing Allen's psychotic break in solitary confinement. She excluded evidence of alternative suspects connected to pagan rituals, the victim, and the crime scene location. She excluded evidence that investigators recorded over interviews and ignored credible tips.
What did she let in? A Google search the State's witness conducted during trial to explain away defense evidence.
The pattern documented in the appeal is stark. Ruling after ruling went against the defense. Now Gull gets to retire to her family and grandchildren while Richard Allen's family visits him through prison glass.
The appeals court will decide her real legacy. Today we break down every ruling that put her there.
#JudgeGull #FrancesGull #Delphi #DelphiMurders #RichardAllen #AbbyAndLibby #LibbyGerman #AbbyWilliams #DelphiTrial #WrongfulConviction
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 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. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from True Crime Today, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of True Crime Today and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.