DELPHI, IN – Lawyers representing a man from northern Indiana, accused of the murder of two teenage girls, submitted court documents on Monday arguing their client’s innocence. They claim the girls were victims of a ritualistic sacrifice, not a crime committed by their client, Richard Allen of Delphi.
The legal team, Andrew Baldwin and Brad Rozzi, presented a 136-page document suggesting that the girls, 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German, were murdered by members of a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group known as Odinists. The attorneys also requested a hearing to challenge the validity of the search warrant for Allen’s residence, arguing it was based on insufficient probable cause.
Allen, who was escorted out of the Carroll County courthouse following a hearing in November 2022, has been accused of the murders that took place six years ago. His lawyers argued in court on June 15, 2023, that Allen has been mistreated in prison and requested his relocation to a different facility.
The defense team’s filing stated that the girls were ritualistically sacrificed by Odinists, a pagan Norse religion co-opted by white nationalists. They emphasized that there is no evidence linking Allen to Odinism or any religious cult. The lawyers pointed out that two groups of Odinists, one from Delphi and another from Rushville in southeastern Indiana, were investigated for their involvement in the murders. They noted that investigators discovered several ritualistic symbols at the crime scene, including the positioning of Liberty’s body.
The Carroll County prosecutor’s office has yet to respond to the defense’s claims. The girls were found dead near the Monon High Bridge on February 14, 2017, with autopsy reports revealing they had been stabbed. An FBI agent’s search warrant request in March 2017 suggested that the girls’ bodies appeared to have been “moved and staged” at the crime scene.
The defense’s filing also mentioned potential “Odinism signatures,” such as ritualistic symbols, found at the crime scene, but claimed that investigators did not pursue this lead. The attorneys named several potential suspects who have not been charged in the case.
The girls were last seen alive when a relative dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge. The trail is located just outside their hometown of Delphi, which is approximately 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were discovered the following day in a dense, heavily wooded area near the trail. Allen has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The murders have deeply affected the community of Delphi, a city of about 3,000 where Allen lived and worked at a drug store.