According to documents filed on Monday that have since been sealed by the courts due to the graphic nature of the events described and the release of witness and suspect names, the defense attorneys for Richard Allen, 50, the defendant charged with the killing of Abigail WIlliams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, in Delphi in 2017, have claimed the killings were a result of a white nationalist group and pagan Norse religion known as Odinism.
Documents were released in June claiming that Allen admitted to the murders through a transcription of a phone call. However, the defense claimed that through further investigation and the release of additional information, the attorneys theorize that a group known as Odinists were responsible.
Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi, the defense attorneys, filed a 136-page document that claimed the two girls were killed by Odinists, which are individuals that practice Odinism, a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group organization, according to the documents.
The defense argued that two Odinist groups, one from Delphi and one from Rushville, were investigated in relation to the case, but the defense claimed that the attorneys were never informed of the investigations and findings until recently. The documents claimed that investigators consulted with a Purdue professor about markings and body positionings that the defense claimed resembled possible Odinism signatures. However, the documents stated that according to State Trooper Jerry Holeman, Odinism, cult worshiping groups or any other groups would not have conducted the crime. The defense claimed that the conclusion caused the investigation into Odinism to halt.
The defense continued to claim that the investigation team cannot identify the professor, cannot supply reports of the consultation and cannot indicate whether they will be able to identify who the professor was that was consulted in the future as of Sept. 7.
The documents stated that law enforcement officers Kevin Murphy, Greg Ferency and Todd Click continued an investigation into the claim of Odinists being involved with the murders. The documents claimed that Click, the former Rushville Assistant Police Chief, wrote a letter to Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McClelland that was not provided to the defense for four months, stating that the letter was received by the Prosecutor’s Office on May 1. The defense continued to claim that further evidence, including an 85-page compilation of Click’s reports and video statements, was withheld.
The defense claimed that during the investigation, ritualistic symbols were found at the scene, including the position of Williams’ body. The defense claimed in the documents that the two groups, who the documents claim are a white nationalist group, had motive to kill the girls due to one of their parents’ relationship with a person of another race. The defense claimed that Allen has no connections with Odinism.
In the filing, the defense also outlined 92 different reasons that they claim would indicate the involvement of more than one individual, and the attorneys argued that the murders would not have been able to be committed by one person.
The defense claimed in the documents that the search warrant served on Allen’s property was “defective” and “illegal.” The defense claimed that a witness identified a different man and a different car prior to the receipt of further witness statements that placed Allen at the scene. The attorneys continued to claim that the statements depicting other suspects were not presented to Judge Benjamin Diener, who issued the search warrant. In the document, the attorneys requested a Franks hearing, derived from Franks v. Delaware, with a claim that a detective lied to obtain a search warrant for Allen’s property. If the hearing is held and the court finds reason to withdraw the warrant, items found from the initial search would no longer be admissible.
The defense also submitted an emergency request for the transfer of Allen from the Westville Correctional Facility to the Cass County Jail on a claim that members of an Odinist group were employed at the facility and were threatening Allen. The defense claimed that some prison worker uniforms displayed an “In Odin We Trust” patch alongside other patches the defense claimed are associated with Odinism. However, according to court documents, a recent visit to the prison revealed that the patches the defense claimed were displayed on uniforms were no longer present. The defense continued to claim that Allen mentioned threats from “Odinites” during an interview before they mentioned their research on Odinism to him. The initial motion to transfer Allen was denied by special judge Fran Gull in July.
The motions have not been decided upon by the court as of Sept. 18.