DELPHI, Ind. — The prosecution in Richard Allen's Delphi murders trial wants certain terms banned for the defense team during jury selection.
Allen is accused in the killings of Libby German and Abby Williams in 2017.
Prosecutors sent the request to the judge saying the terms or explaining the terms could be seen as an attempt to indoctrinate the jury.
The state argues hypothetical questions – including facts that are not in evidence – could mislead the jury, create prejudice or confusion.
The terms include Odinism, cult or ritualistic killing and names of people listed in court documents throughout the investigation or as witnesses.
Allen's attorneys have claimed several people with direct ties to Odinism were dismissed as potential suspects early on in the investigation into the killings without reason.
For reference, the Anti Defamation League defines Odinism in the following way:
"Odinism is a term frequently given to a racist variant of the Norse pagan religion known as Asatru. Asatru is a religious sect that attempts to revive ancient Norse religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe. Asatru is not in itself a racist religion, though some white supremacists consider themselves Asatruists. Odinism is sometimes referred to as Wotanism. It tends to be popular among white supremacist inmates."
Allen's trial is set to begin in mid-May.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on the Delphi murders case.
RELATED: Prosecutor arguing Richard Allen's alleged confessions in Delphi murders should be heard at trial
Timeline of events
Feb. 13, 2017 - Teens dropped off
Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, are dropped off by a relative near the Monon High Bridge. The teens planned to take advantage of a nice day off from Delphi Middle School to go hiking near Monon High Bridge.
Feb. 13, 2017 - Allen is on the bridge, according to later interviews
Richard Allen would eventually tell police he was on the trail from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on this day.
He said he parked at the old Farm Bureau building — which was later confirmed to be the former Child Protective Services building — and saw three girls at the Freedom Bridge.
Allen told investigators he did not speak with the girls as he walked from the Freedom Bridge to the Monon High Bridge.
He also tells police he saw girls on the trails east of Freedom Bridge before going to Monon High Bridge to watch the fish.
Note that Allen told police this information in 2017, but it would not come out that police actually spoke with him until his arresting probable cause was released in November 2023.
Feb. 13, 2017 - Girls reported missing
When the relative returns hours later to pick the girls up, they were nowhere to be found. Family reports Williams and German missing that evening.
Feb. 14, 2017 - Bodies found
By Tuesday that next morning, a massive search led by a coalition of law enforcement and volunteers is underway to search for the girls. Fears already begin to percolate in Delphi’s tight-knit community that something terrible could have happened to the two missing teens.
That afternoon, the bodies of Abigail Williams and Liberty German are found in a wooded area along Deer Creek, northeast of the Monon High Bridge.
At the time, police only confirmed two bodies were found and did not release their identities.
Feb. 15, 2017 - Abby and Libby identified, Snapchat video released
Authorities confirm the bodies were German and Williams', and that they were investigating their deaths as a homicide. Authorities released few details on what was at the crime scene.
An FBI agent reveals in later documents that pieces of clothing from one victim were missing and that it “appeared the girls’ bodies were moved and staged.” There were no visible signs of a struggle, according to FBI documents.
The agent suspected a souvenir had been taken by the killer and noted that it was common for perpetrators to memorialize the crime scene with pictures.
Police revealed later that same day they had recovered German’s cellphone, which they believed contained video of the suspected killer. A Snapchat video apparently taken by German before her murder appeared to show a man wearing a brown hat and dark blue jacket approaching the girls on the bridge.
Feb. 18, 2017 - Memorial service held for Abby and Libby
The community mourns the loss of German and Williams, while reiterating their fear that a killer may be living among them.
German was remembered by a friend as being a nice and happy person, who loved to swim. Williams’s mother said her daughter was “very special, very giving” who would have gone on to do big things in life.
Feb. 22, 2017 - “Down the hill…”
One week after the girls’ bodies are identified, police release audio from German’s cellphone.
For the first time, the public hears a man say, “down the hill,” which was made as an apparent command to the girls prior to their murder. Authorities release the audio in a loop in the hopes this mysterious suspect’s voice, by then known as "Bridge Guy," would be identifiable to someone in the community.
In later years, it would become known that the full recording was 43 seconds long.
July 17, 2017 - First suspect photo released
Months after the death of German and Williams, authorities release the first suspect sketch related to the Delphi case.
It depicts a seemingly middle-aged man with a goatee and shaggy hair poking out of a hat. The man was drawn wearing a jacket and hoodie similar to what was depicted in the grainy video taken from Libby German’s Snapchat video.
Thousands of tips flood into authorities following the release of that photo, but no arrests are made.
April 22, 2019 - Second suspect photo, more audio released
As the community holds more memorial services and families work to find answers, two years pass without any public update on the Delphi murders case from authorities.
Then comes a passionate press conference in the spring of 2019, which sees investigators release new audio taken from Libby German’s cellphone and cast fresh allegations against the mysterious suspected killer, or killers.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter announces the release of a second suspect photo, which depicts a younger man with no goatee, and curlier hair.
Audio released by investigators here in April 2019 contains new, muffled sounds and the word “guys.” Investigators indicate the “guys” statement and “down the hill” statements are two distinct clips that have been edited together.
Carter then makes comments directed to the killer, who he claims is likely in the room or watching the news conference at that very moment.
“I speak now directly to the killer who may be in this room. We believe you are hiding in plain sight,” Carter said.
Oct. 26, 2022 - Richard Allen arrested
Richard M. Allen, 50, is arrested in connection with the murder of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, five years after they were killed.
Detectives with the Delphi Double Homicide Task Force take Allen into custody at the Indiana State Police post in West Lafayette. He is taken to the Carroll County Jail.
Oct. 28, 2022 - Formal charges and transfer
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland announces Allen faces two counts of murder for the 2017 murders of Williams and German.
ISP Superintendent Carter also reiterates his belief Allen was the man on the bridge, and the man seen in German’s Snapchat video.
Documents related to Allen’s arrest, including a probable cause affidavit, are ordered to be under seal for 30 days, per McLeland.
Allen is transferred to the White County Jail, and McLeland determines Allen will be held without bond. Court records from Oct. 28 show a judge sets Allen’s bond at $20 million, and it is unclear when that is amended.
Allen pleads not guilty to both counts.