The defense team for Richard Allen has 15 days remaining to file its appellate brief, setting the stage for new arguments centered on third-party suspects and alleged Odinist connections in the Delphi murder case.
Allen’s attorneys, Mark Leeman and Stacy Uliana, received roughly 1,200 pages of court documents and exhibits on November 10. The material comes from the September 2023 Franks hearing. While many portions remain sealed under Indiana’s court-access rules, a significant amount involves alternative suspects and individuals reportedly associated with Asatru or Odinism, a Norse-Pagan belief structure.
Among the newly filed exhibits is an affidavit from former Rushville Assistant Police Chief Todd Click, who previously worked alongside detectives Greg Ferency and Kevin Murphy on a portion of the Delphi investigation focused on Odinist-affiliated individuals living in the Rushville area.
Click wrote that during briefings, he was told the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit believed the person or persons responsible for the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German displayed Nordic-based behavioral indicators. He also stated that his team was directed to investigate a group known as the “Vinlanders,” described as practicing Odinist and Viking-like beliefs.
Click expressed frustration in his affidavit, stating that investigative efforts by local officers were tightly restricted by unified command. He further wrote that the probable-cause affidavit used to arrest Allen was “far less compelling” than the information he, Ferency, and Murphy had gathered during their portion of the investigation. He noted that none of the Rushville-area individuals or the reported Odinistic elements were referenced in the arrest documents.
Laboratory reports included in the filings show that all DNA swabs from the crime scene either contained no male DNA or did not produce a sufficient amount for further analysis.
Other exhibits feature photos and artwork linked to Odinist symbolism. One image posted on Facebook, according to Allen’s attorneys, resembled the positioning of the victims’ bodies. That artwork was associated with a Logansport man whom the defense claims had a connection to the girls through his son.
Affidavits from Max Baker and Matthew Hoffman—employees of Allen’s former defense attorneys—were also submitted. Included was a photograph showing Allen with bruising to his face and shoulder. Baker stated that during multiple visits to the Indiana Department of Correction, he observed a decline in Allen’s physical and mental health. He also reported seeing correctional officers wearing patches that read “In Odin We Trust” and “I Hate People.”
Documents also include an interview with Allen’s wife, Kathy. She told investigators that on the day Abigail Williams and Liberty German disappeared, her husband said he had gone for a walk on the trails and encountered “three girls that were weird,” including one with long black hair. She said she returned home around 6 p.m. and found Allen asleep on the couch before learning from the news that the girls were missing. She told police she wanted to help search but said her husband discouraged her from going. She also confirmed the couple kept guns and knives in their home and that Richard Allen owned a blue Carhartt jacket.
Several additional affidavits from law enforcement and unified command were included in the materials provided to the defense.
Allen’s attorneys must submit their appellate brief by December 10. The State of Indiana will then have 30 days to respond. The case will proceed to the Indiana Court of Appeals for review.