INDIANAPOLIS — Lawyers for Richard Allen are once again asking the court to allow their Odinism theory in the Delphi Murders trial.
Allen is charged with the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams in February 2017.
According to the defense, the crime scene where the girls were found contains evidence of a ritualistic murder tied to Odinism, a pagan Norse religion and white nationalist group.
The theory wasfirst introduced by the defense in Sept. 2023, Since then, Judge Gull has blocked them from using the theory in trial, citing a lack of evidence.
In a motion filed Wednesday, the defense argues that testimony from Crime scene investigator Brian Olehay in Tuesday's trial is now reason to allow the theory.
The defense states that during his testimony, Olehay indicated that the sticks covering the girls' bodies at the crime scene were an attempt by the killer to conceal the girls.
According to the defense, Allen has a Sixth Amendment right to offer the jury an alternative to Olehay's theory.
"The sticks on the girls appear to be arranged in a pattern/arrangement or (at a minimum) using a person’s own eyeballs, common sense, logic and reason could cause a reasonable person to believe that the sticks were formed into some pattern/arrangement and weren’t being used to conceal the bodies," The defense states.
The defense argues that not providing the jury with an alternate theory would leave the jury with only the explanation of the state. They also argue that it could be confusing for a juror who might believe the arrangement of sticks was intentional.
The defense is also asking to use findings from Dr. Perlmutter, an expert on ritualistic murders who supports the Odinism theory.
