Disturbing details emerge from Delphi murders crime scene in new court docs

DLEPHI, Ind. (WNDU) - Can the terrible tragedy that happened in Delphi be blamed on Odin?

That’s the allegation made in a 136-page court brief filed in connection with the 2017 murders of Abby Williams and Libby German.

The documents provide extensive details of the crime scene — details attorneys for the defense say points to the involvement of members of a pagan Norse religion called Odinism.

Editor’s Note: 16 News Now is not naming the defense’s alleged suspects as they have not been arrested or charged in this case. Additionally, 16 News Now is not posting the entire defense filing because it contains very specific, gruesome details of the crime scene, and details about potential witnesses and potential suspects.

According to court documents, the girls’ bodies had tree branches of varying sizes placed on them in specific patterns. For instance, one had small sticks placed in her hair to resemble horns or antlers.

In its brief, the defense writes that Odinists are enamored with Viking Nordic culture and that one of the murder victims had been dating the son of a known Odinist at the time. That Odinist allegedly raised eyebrows when he posted religious symbols on social media that mimicked those found at the crime scene.

The defense document emphasizes that Richard Allen — the man now charged with the murders — is not a member of “any weird religious cult,” although it’s alleged that two prison guards who wore Odinist patches on their uniforms allegedly monitored, intimidated, and mentally abused Allen behind bars.

The FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit found that the individuals responsible for the homicides were involved in Nordic beliefs. The brief states that law enforcement stopped investigating that angle when a Purdue University professor found otherwise. Still, the prosecution could not come up with documentation of the Purdue report, nor could investigators supply his name to the defense.

At one point, the defense team writes it is not inventing, fabricating, or exaggerating these facts no matter how crazy those facts may appear.

The revelations come as part of a motion to suppress evidence gained in an October 2022 search of Allen’s home.

Allen is set to go to trial in January 2024.

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