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'NO SMOKING GUN'
Delphi suspect ‘will not be saved’ by strange conspiracy theory that 2 teen friends were murdered as part of cult ritual
Richard Allen allegedly confessed over 60 times to the murders since his October 2022 arrest
A CONSPIRACY claiming pagan cult members committed the Delphi murders as part of a ritual sacrifice was torn apart in court and is unlikely to save Richard Allen from conviction, two experts believe.
Allen, 51, appeared in a Delphi, Indiana, courtroom last week for a three-day hearing ahead of his October trial for the murders of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13.
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Libby and Abby were abducted and murdered while hiking along Delphi's Manon High Bridge Trail in February 2017.
The precise manner of their deaths has never been explicitly disclosed, but both of the girls' throats were cut and branches placed over their bodies. Items of clothing were also missing from the crime scene.
More than five years would pass before Allen, a married CVS worker and father, was arrested in November 2022 and charged with their murders.
Police were led to his door after an unspent .40 caliber bullet found between the girls' bodies was allegedly traced back to a pistol he owns.
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In various interviews with police, Allen admitted to being near the Manon High Bridge on the day of the murders and wearing almost identical clothing to a man captured by Libby on video moments before their deaths, ordering the girls to go "down the hill."
Much of the evidence in the case remains under seal, but various new and shocking details were shared by the prosecution last week, including claims that Allen has confessed to the killings more than 60 times in the 22 months since his arrest.
Many of the confessions were made to his wife and mother, and some contained details only the killer would know, prosecutors said.
In one alleged confession, Allen claimed he killed Libby and Abby with a box cutter and later disposed of the murder weapon in a dumpster outside of his work, per the prosecution.
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Allen's defense team, meanwhile, contends that their client's confessions were false and the result of an apparent steep decline in his mental health.
The defense claimed Allen was suffering from a case of stress-induced psychosis that was triggered by being unjustly locked in solitary confinement for months on end and treated like a "prisoner of war."
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Allen's attorneys have asked Judge Fran Gull to dismiss his self-incriminating words as evidence in his forthcoming trial, which Gull is currently mulling.
The defense maintained their client's innocence and instead pointed the finger of blame for the murders toward a group of men with ties to the Norse pagan religion of Odinism.
The Odinism theory was first introduced by Allen's lawyers in a bombshell filing last year, in which it was sensationally claimed the group had killed Libby and Abby in a ritual sacrifice.
Allen's attorneys claimed the crime scene was staged and various Odinist iconography was left behind, including runes made out of sticks and the girls' blood.
...The defense team does not only not have a smoking gun with this Odinism theory, but they don't have a gun at all – perhaps only a faint whiff of gunpowder in the air.
Áine Cain
However, the defense hasn't been able to place any of the four alleged Odinists they accused of murder in Delphi on the day of the killings.
Prosecutors asked Judge Gull to throw out all testimony regarding Odinism, because they say the defense lacks evidence to support their claims and the testimony will confuse the jury.
While the motion is yet to be ruled on, Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee, the hosts of The Murder Sheet podcast who were at last week's hearing, told The U.S. Sun they likely witnessed the death knell of the defense's Odinist yarn.
Calling the defense's display an embarrassment, Cain said not only does their claim lack a proverbial smoking gun but they appear to lack any solid evidence at all.
"I would say that based on what we heard in court, the defense team does not only not have a smoking gun with this Odinism theory, but they don't have a gun at all – perhaps only a faint whiff of gunpowder in the air," said Cain, an investigative journalist.
"I don't think the defense did a good job at all of presenting the theory, and it was essentially a retread of everything we've heard before in various defense filings.
"There were detectives who specifically worked on the Odinism angle in the investigation and really tried to run it down, and were very dedicated, and they still couldn't stand it up.
"One by one, detectives came up on the stand and said they were not able to prove [any of the accused Odinists] they were, let alone at the crime scene, but connected to this whatsoever.
"We heard alibis from some of the accused and the defense's arguments just seemed to fall apart under their own weight.
Cain continued, "I think we saw what was possibly the death knell of the Odinist theory in this case.
"It's possible Judge Gull may still allow it in, but I think she would be well within her rights, based on evidentiary rules, either to not allow it or to severely limit it."
KEY WITNESS 'EVISCERATED'
Greenlee agreed with Cain's remarks, adding that the defense's cause was not helped by the fact that their star witness was "staggeringly bad."
Defense attorney Andrew Baldwin called multiple witnesses to speak to their Odinist theory, including Dr. Dawn Perlmutter, an author who identified herself as an expert in ritualist crime scenes.
After reviewing a small sample of crime scene photos and other evidence in the case, Perlmutter told the court, "In my opinion, this was a textbook ritual murder.”
Perlmutter said the way the girls were killed, how their bodies were positioned, where they were found, and the symbolism present at the crime scene had "all the elements" of sacrificial murder.
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Libby and Abby were found in the woods near a body of water, and their throats were slit ― both of which, Perlmutter said, are typical of killings perpetrated by people with magical beliefs.
Perlmutter also argued blood smeared on a tree in one leaked crime scene photo was painted to form the letter F, which holds significance in Norse mythology.
She also said branches left atop the girls' bodies appeared to have been placed to form runic symbols.
When asked if she had any doubts Libby and Abby were sacrificed by Odinists, Perlmutter replied, "None at all."
Under intense questioning from Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, however, Perlmutter admitted her findings were based on a limited set of evidence.
McLeland sought to discredit Perlmutter by highlighting she shared the same opinions about the case on Court TV last year – even before she'd seen or reviewed any crime scene evidence.
McLeland further pressed – without stating exactly what Allen said in his purported confessions – what Perlmutter's response would be if she learned the defendant “said that the intent was a sexual assault,” and “said that the branches were there to cover the girls’ bodies,” not an example of symbolic runes.
Greenlee, a practicing attorney, called McLeland's cross-examination of Perlmutter an evisceration.
"I was shocked by what a poor witness Ms. Perlmutter was for the defense, and the cross-examination of her by Nick McLeland is one of the most devastating I've ever seen – and I'm including episodes of Perry Mason that I've seen," said Greenlee, referencing the famed attorney from Erle Stanley Gardner's novels.
"He completely tore her apart [...] He established on his cross-examination that she was basing her conclusions based only on a handful of materials that were supplied to her by the defense.
"She [also] did not seek out any additional information, she did not go to the crime scene or anything of that nature, and he established that some of her criteria for ritual murder were highly questionable at best."
ODINIST DENIALS
In addition to Perlmutter, the defense called upon Kevin Murphy, a retired Indiana State Police officer, who worked on the case for two years.
Murphy said he believes there's an "undeniable link" between the Delphi murders and an Odinist cult operating in the nearby town of Rushville.
Murphy said investigators believed two to six people were involved in the murders, and he was tasked with focusing on one of the alleged cult members, Elvis Fields.
[The defense's] hats weren't just handed to them, they were stomped on the ground in mud and then handed to them.
Áine Cain
Murphy told the court Fields' sister gave "very specific" information that only someone at the crime scene would know.
The sister confronted Fields in a recorded phone call, asking, "Elvis, why did you kill those girls?"
Fields denied the accusations to police, but Murphy said he asked them if he would get in trouble if his spit was found on the girls' bodies.
Another suspected Odinist accused by the defense is Brad Holder, the father of Abby's boyfriend.
His ex-wife Amber Holder testified that Holder told her a third alleged cultist, Patrick Westfall, confessed to killing Abby - but said Holder was drunk when he relayed the story to her.
She claimed Holder told her "to keep my mouth shut and if I didn't, they'd kill me."
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Former Rushville cop Todd Click also told the court he believed in the Odinist theory, which he investigated extensively.
His working theory was that the girls interrupted a pagan ritual and were killed as a consequence but admitted the theory lacked a "smoking gun."
Click told the court he was "shocked and confused" when Allen was charged, and not any of the four alleged Odinists named in the defense's memorandum last year, including Fields and Holder.
Holder was cleared by investigators based on an alibi of him clocking out of work at a landfill site half an hour from Delphi at 2:45 pm when the crime was believed to have occurred sometime around 2:30 pm.
Another of the accused Odinists, Johnny Messer, denied any involvement to The U.S. Sun when approached for comment regarding the allegations last October.
Messer refused to comment on the specifics but said he is considering taking legal action against Allen's team for the emotional turmoil he's caused his family.
"As much as I would like to defend my name, I respectfully decline to [speak] at this time," Messer said in a written statement.
"I am seeking legal action[.] This has turned my life upside down and has taken a huge toll on my family and mental health."
He added, "I just don’t want to say anything to jeopardize the legal action that I’m going to take."
CULT THEORY'S 'DEATH KNELL'
Cain and Greenlee believe the judge will either forbid all mentioning of Odinism or only allow the defense to reference it within very limited confines.
Should that be the case, Allen will likely be forced into taking a plea deal, they surmised, because his defense has not managed to mount any other alternate theories.
"[When] one side gets routed as much as Richard Allen's defense team got routed last week, I wouldn't even expect a trial. I would expect a plea deal to be worked out behind the scenes," said Greenlee.
"The defense really had their hats handed to them last week, and it's difficult to imagine a path to victory for them."
"Their hats weren't just handed to them, they were stomped on the ground in mud and then handed to them," chimed in Cain.
"It was honestly embarrassing. I'm shocked by the lack of a defense they've provided for their client up until now.
"I agree with Kevin, in a normal case, these attorneys would be sitting down and figuring out a plea deal in this case [...] because, as it stands, the defense has a mountain to climb."
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Greenlee and Cain said they believe the only reason Allen hasn't opted to take a plea deal – despite his alleged abundance of confessions – is because of his family.
Brian Harshman, a state police detective, testified to hearing Allen make dozens of confessions to family members during more than 150 hours of conversation.
According to Harshman, those confessions began in March 2023 after Allen had a "come to Jesus moment" and started reading a bible in his prison cell, proclaiming to have found God.
Harshman said Allen expressed a wish to atone for what he'd done to the two girls so he could one day be reunited with his family in Heaven.
Allen's wife and mother reacted with disbelief, anger, and shock, at his confessions, Harshman said, telling Allen, "They're messing with your mind," or, "Stop talking about it."
Indiana State Police Lieutenant Jerry Holeman testified that Allen confessed directly to him, as well as to other fellow inmates.
Kenneva Mapps, a lead investigator at Westville, said her staff logged two confessions Allen made while inside the prison, and Dr. Monica Wala, a prison psychologist who met regularly with Allen, testified that she also heard Allen confess to the murders.
Cain and Greenlee both said the testimony concerning the sheer number of Allen's confessions was staggering.
The pair came away with the feeling that Allen started confessing after his purported enlightenment because he believed repentance would give him a chance to go to Heaven and be reunited with his family in the afterlife.
However, when his family began shunning him on Earth for admitting his role in the murders, Allen's attempts at atonement were hastily abandoned, said Greenlee and Cain.
"The confessions went into not only why he committed the crime, but also why he was choosing to confess, and that's because he'd found Jesus, and this led him to be concerned about the status of his soul," said Greenlee, an attorney.
"He expressed being concerned that he wouldn't be able to go to Heaven but he was going to try, because he felt there was a good chance he would not be reunited with his family on Earth, but he could possibly be reunited with them in Heaven.
"And it was this realization that started him to go on this spree of confessing."
FAMILY FEARS
Harshman testified that Allen expressed fears his family would no longer love him after the trial, particularly after seeing graphic images of the girls' bodies.
Allen's confessions lasted throughout 2023 and into 2024, per state testimony.
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Cain said she found the timing of Allen ceasing to confess particularly interesting.
"The confessions apparently ended after he essentially said he wanted his wife and mother to tell him they'd still love him, even if he had done these things to these girls," explained Cain, an investigative journalist.
"So he wanted to present them with the information in his confessions, then get assurances they'd continue to be there, continue to love him, and continue to support him, and what the state's witness said was that Richard Allen's wife and mother's reactions were quite negative.
"He would get hung up on and, at a certain point, his family stopped communicating with him, presumably because they did not want to hear what he had to say about these crimes.
"Eventually, he apparently told someone he felt he had to choose his family over God because his family was rejecting him. So he chose their emotional well-being over atonement."
Allen’s defense team, meanwhile, claims the confessions fall within the timeframe of Allen’s severe psychosis diagnosed by prison psychologists.
Wala, the lead psychologist at Westville who had therapy sessions with Allen, testified that Allen's mental health began to deteriorate in April 2023, days after his first reported confession.
Allen started expressing suicidal thoughts and feelings of hopelessness, Wala said.
Guards reported seeing Allen banging his head on the wall to the point that his face was severely bruised, Wala testified.
Allen was also reported to have consumed his own feces.
Wala further added that Allen's thoughts appeared disjointed, he claimed to be suffering from memory loss, and, during some sessions, he would tremble and his eyes would twitch.
Defense's timeline of Richard Allen's 'mental decline'
March 23, 2023: Allen was depressed and withdrawn and said he “was not straight in the head."
April 4, 2023: Allen suffered from insomnia and hopelessness, was suicidal, and stated, “Death would bring relief to him."
April 13, 2023: Allen was exhibiting “bizarre” behavior, including consuming his feces, and was suffering from a “grave disability.” The prison psychologist ordered Allen to receive an involuntary injection of psychotropic medication.
April 21, 2023: Allen’s thoughts were disjointed and he was saying “strange things.” Wala discussed that he might be considered incompetent to stand trial.
May 3, 2023: Allen said he wanted to confess details of the crime.
May 18, 2023: Allen receives another dose of psychotropic medication.
May 23, 2023: Allen was diagnosed as suffering from stress-induced psychosis.
June 8, 2023: Allen’s depression was reported to be “at its peak,” with trembling and knees buckling noted by a psychologist.
June 16, 2023: Allen receives another dose of psychotropic medication.
End of June 2023: Allen’s mental health improving.
October 2023: Allen begins proclaiming his innocence.
Allen's attorneys pointed to Wala's testimony as evidence their client was in the throes of a mental health crisis when he confessed to killing Libby and Abby.
One of his lawyers, Bradley Rozzi, cited the conditions under which Allen was placed, saying it amounted to coercion by the state because the "actions of the state" drove Allen to make those statements.
Such actions included placing other inmates and guards outside his cell to record his statements, constantly videotaping his behavior and movements, and monitoring all of his texts and phone calls, said Rozzi.
MIND GAMES
Rozzi charged that the measures resulted in multiple violations of Allen’s civil rights, including his right to due process, his right to legal counsel, his right against self-incrimination, and cruel and unusual punishment.
Because he believes the confessions were essentially coerced, Rozzi wants the judge to suppress all the confessions during Allen's trial in October.
However, prosecutors argued that the confessions should be allowed to remain because there had been no attempts to force Allen into confession.
Stacey Diener, a member of the prosecution, said Allen's remarks were not made during "custodial interrogations" and he was "fully aware that his statements were unsolicited."
Further, Wala also expressed concerns that Allen may have been faking some of his psychotic symptoms.
Diener pointed to Wala's notes in which the doctor seemed to question whether Allen was purposefully behaving bizarrely.
Wala acknowledged there were times she was not certain whether Allen was legitimately going through a mental health crisis or feigning psychotic behavior.
Detective Harshman also testified that prison guards assigned to keep an eye on Allen when he was on suicide watch did not believe his symptoms were real.
"Yes, they believe he was faking," Harshman said.
Despite the defense's claims regarding Allen's mental state, at no time has a competency test been ordered by his attorneys or the judge to assess the severity or legitimacy of his reported psychosis.
When asked why, Cain said that's the "million dollar question" in this case.
"I would think in normal circumstances, where you have a vulnerable client who is suddenly behaving erratically and is making statements that you feel are not true but damaging to his case, one would think that a competency order would be one of the first things you would be looking into," she said.
"[But] a lot of people have serious questions about whether or not he's actually psychotic, and whether or not he's actually dealing with a condition that is prompting him to even have these outbursts. There has been a lot of talk about him possibly malingering.
"So, reading between the lines, I think there are questions about whether he even is psychotic, it's possible the defense didn't want to open that can of worms, but I still think it would've been helpful for them early on to say, 'there's a problem here', rather than leaving him to his own devices for months and months."
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Allen's murder trial is slated to begin in Carroll County on October 14.
The trial is expected to last for four weeks.
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