Delphi Murder Victims 'Ritualistically Sacrificed' by 'Cult' Members, Says Accused Killer's Defense

Richard Allen's attorneys filed a motion for a Franks hearing this week, submitting a 136-page document in which they detail why they believe "omitted or false statements were made knowingly or intentionally or with reckless disregard" to obtain a search warrant on their client's home. If given a hearing, Allen "will be asking for the search warrant to be deemed illegal and the fruits of the illegal warrant to be suppressed," said his lawyers.

51-year-old Richard Allen of Delphi, Indiana was charged in 2022 with the murders of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, who were killed in 2017. In this new memorandum, his attorneys not only denied his involvement in the slayings, but pointed the finger at a white nationalist group known as Odinists -- saying "the evidence strongly supports an organized pagan cult as being the killers."

"Members of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists, ritualistically sacrificed Abigail Williams and Liberty German," reads the filing, in which Allen's attorneys argue why they believe the investigation into the group should not have been abandoned.

"Very early on, those in charge of the Delphi murder investigation claim that they consulted with a Purdue professor concerning what resembled possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene," said the attorneys, before claiming that angle had been "essentially abandoned" after the professor didn't see a link between the group and the crime scene.

While building their case, however, Allen's lawyers said "this mystery professor can't be found" -- claiming investigators "can't identify" the professor now or provide a copy of their findings.

"Evidence supports that at the crime scene, these murdering Odinites left behind obvious signatures, symbols in the form of runes. These runes were (1) formed with sticks, (2) fashioned with tree branches and (3) painted using the blood of Liberty German," read the memorandum, saying one of the so-called "runes" resembled the letter "F."

The report went on to call the crime scene "ghoulish," claiming the two young women were surrounded by branches "intentionally placed in a very specific and arranged pattern."

"With a simple google search, these runes would be identifiable as one of the many calling cards of this pagan religious cult," Allen's attorneys continued, claiming the "stick configuration[s]" resembled runes depicting the words "Hail Odin." They wrote that one of the branches "appears to have been cleanly cut" by a saw -- which they believe indicates the murders were a "preconceived plan" --  and said some of the sticks placed above Abby's head "crudely [mimicked] horns or antlers."

They also theorized the lack of blood at the scene could mean the killers "may have saved the blood to be used in future rituals."

The memorandum went on to name other potential suspects with links to Odinism, including one person they claim "posted on social media images mimicking the very runes at the crime scene." The attorneys say it's "mind blowing" the man in question -- who TooFab is not naming since he hasn't been charged with anything or named as a suspect -- wasn't investigated further.

They insisted their client "had nothing to do with this crime" and "has zero connections to any pagan cults or pagan cultists."

"[Allen] is an innocent man; a patsy for the police, arrested 26 days before an election," his lawyers wrote, before claiming there's zero forensic or electronic evidence linking him to the two victims or the crime scene. They also don't believe the crime scene supports investigators' theory the acts were committed by just one man.

Williams and German disappeared after going out for a hike on the Delphi Historic Trails in February 2017. They were last seen on Abby's Snapchat crossing the Monon High Bridge, before their bodies were found nearby the next day. During the investigation, police released video of a man they believed was a suspect, captured by Abigail on her phone. The video showed a man in a blue jacket, along with audio of him saying, "Guys ... down the hill."

A trial is set for January 8, 2024.