DELPHI, Ind. (Scripps News Indianapolis) — Defense attorneys for Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen filed documents on Monday claiming members of a white nationalist group are to blame for the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German.
A makeshift memorial to Liberty German, and Abigail Williams near where they were last seen and where the bodies were discovered stands along the Monon Trail leading to the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Ind., Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Attorneys Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi filed the 136 page document, which claims Abby and Libby were killed by Odinists.
“Members of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists, ritualistically scarified” the girls, claims the defense.
The filings claim two groups of Odinists, one from the Delphi area and one from the Rushville area, were investigated for their involvement in the crimes. However, according to the defense, they were never made aware of these investigations or the documents surrounding it.
According to the defense’s filing, investigators found multiple ritualistic symbols at the scene of the crime, including the way Libby’s body was positioned. The details in the filing are graphic and may be disturbing to some viewers.
The defense claims the group had motive to kill the girls because one of their parents was dating a person of another race.
Also in their filing, the defense outlines 92 different reasons the murders of Libby and Abby could not have been committed by a singular person.
Among the documents, the defense outlines the lack of leg work done by detectives in looking into one potential suspect who has ties to one or both of the girls and Odinism. The defense claims the man’s alibi was not enough reason to deem him clear as a suspect.
Based on the facts presented in their filing, the defense claims that the search warrant served on Allen’s property was “defective.”
In response, they have requested a Frank’s hearing, claiming a detective in the investigation lied to obtain the search warrant at Allen’s property. If a Frank’s hearing is held and reason to throw out the warrant is found, all items found from that search would no longer be admissible in the investigation.
The defense has also requested the immediate transfer of Allen from the Westville Correctional Facility, claiming that members of the Odinists work within the facility and are threatening his life. In one instance, the defense claims to have seen “In Odin We Trust” patches on the uniforms of two correctional officers.
They also claim that Allen had mentioned threats from “Odinites” during one of their meeting, and that they had never mentioned their research on Odinism with him before that instance.
The motion comes after the July decision by special judge Fran Gull to not move Allen from Westville Correctional Facility.
NOTE: Scripps News Indianapolis initially published the court documents described in this article, which contained graphic details of the crime scene and murders. The courts have since sealed those documents, which also included specific information and names of possible people involved, therefore Scripps News Indianapolis has made the decision to remove the full documents.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Indianapolis, an E.W. Scripps Company.
