#12 The Missing Pieces: The Delphi Murders - Exploring Ritualistic Theories, Richard Allen's Conviction, and Unanswered Questions

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What if the Delphi murders weren't the work of a single individual, but rather a chilling ritual carried out by a mysterious group? Join us as we unravel the perplexing tale of Abigail (Abby) Williams and Liberty (Libby) German, whose tragic deaths cast a long shadow over the quiet town of Delphi, Indiana. After years of uncertainty and frustration, the arrest of Richard Allen in October 2022 seemed to bring hope for justice. But as we explore the evidence, including a bullet and an eerie audio confession, we're left with more questions than answers about Allen's true role in the crime.

In a courtroom drama filled with twists, Allen's defense argued that the murders bore the hallmarks of a ritualistic killing linked to a group practicing Odinism, a claim that ignited fervent discussions online. Despite the court's decision to exclude this theory from jury consideration, it has become a lightning rod for debate among those convinced of Allen's innocence. With a guilty verdict and a 130-year sentence, the case may be officially closed, but the lingering doubts and alternative theories continue to divide the community. Join us as we navigate through the evidence, scrutinize the judicial process, and seek to uncover the missing pieces of a story that refuses to rest.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Delphi, indiana, a small, quiet town nestled in the
Midwest where life is simpleand everyone knows each other,
the kind of place where kidsride their bikes until sundown,
where the biggest event of theyear is the county fair and
where people leave their doorsunlocked because crime feels
like something that happenssomewhere else.
But on February 13, 2017,delphi changed forever.

(00:23):
Two young girls, abigailWilliams and Liberty German,
walked onto the Monon HighBridge for what should have been
a normal afternoon in theirhometown.
They never came home.
Their bodies were found thenext day and what followed was
one of the most haunting,frustrating and controversial
murder investigations in recenthistory.

(00:44):
Welcome to the Missing Piecespodcast, where we dive into
stories of crime, corruption andmysteries that refuse to stay
buried.
These are the stories thatleave behind more questions than
answers, the ones that consumecommunities, ignite online
debates and expose the darktruths hiding in plain sight.
Each week, we explore thesecases, piecing together the

(01:07):
evidence, following theinvestigations and asking the
difficult questions, becausesomewhere in the silence, in the
unknown, the missing pieces arestill out there waiting to be
found.
For five years, the Delphimurders remained a mystery.
Investigators released audioclips, blurry images and
sketches of the suspect, but thecase went cold.

(01:29):
Then, in October 2022, therewas a breakthrough.
Police arrested 50-year-oldRichard Allen, a Delphi resident
who had lived in the communitythe entire time, a man who
worked at the local CVS, who hadinteracted with members of the
community, who had watched asthe town grieved.
Two of its own Prosecutors laidout their case An unspent .40

(01:52):
caliber bullet found between thevictims' bodies, matched a gun
owned by Allen.
His voice, captured on achilling audio recording taken
by Liberty German just beforethe attack, was eerily similar
to the voice that investigatorshad released years earlier the
man telling the girls guys downthe hill.
And then there were his ownwords.

(02:13):
According to police, allenconfessed multiple times while
incarcerated, speaking to familymembers and even to prison
guards about his involvement inthe murders.
In November 2024, allen wasfound guilty and sentenced to
130 years in prison, 65 yearsfor each murder.
It seemed like justice had beenserved.

(02:34):
The town of Delphi couldfinally breathe, but the case
wasn't as clear-cut as itseemed.
Throughout the trial, allen'sdefense team fought hard to cast
doubt on the prosecution's case.
They argued that the bulletevidence was weak, that the
crime scene had beencontaminated and that Allen's
so-called confessions were theramblings of a man who had been

(02:56):
subjected to extreme isolationand psychological distress in
prison.
And then came the biggestbombshell of the trial distress
in prison.
And then came the biggestbombshell of the trial.
The defenses claim that themurders were not committed by
Allen at all, but were instead aritualistic killing tied to a
group practicing Odinism, amodern version of Norse paganism
.
According to the defense, therewere symbols carved into the

(03:19):
trees near the crime scene,patterns that suggested the
crime had a deeper, ritualisticmeaning.
They argued that a group ofindividuals, not just one man,
were responsible for the deathsof Abigail Williams and Liberty
German.
The court, however, did notallow this theory to be
presented to the jury, rulingthat there was not enough
evidence to support the claim.

(03:40):
Prosecutors maintained thatAllen acted alone, that the
bullet, the audio and his ownwords were enough to convict him
beyond a reasonabledoubt.
But even after the verdict,some people aren't convinced.
Online forums and social mediacommunities have exploded with
debates about whether Allenreally is the killer.
Some believe he was framed,that he was an easy scapegoat

(04:04):
for a case that had dragged onfor too long.
Others question why the crimescene evidence wasn't analyzed
more thoroughly, why key piecesof information were withheld
from the public and why Allen, aman with no history of violent
crime, would suddenly commitsuch a horrific act in broad
daylight.
One of the biggest questionsremaining is this If Richard

(04:25):
Allen is guilty, why did it takefive years to find him, when he
had been living in Delphi theentire time?
Some believe that local lawenforcement knew more than they
were letting on for years, butdidn't have the right evidence
to make an arrest.
Others think Allen's arrest waspolitically motivated, a way to
close a high-profile case thathad put immense pressure on

(04:48):
investigators.
And then there's the unsettlingpossibility that Allen was
involved, but not alone.
Could there be otherindividuals still out there
walking free, knowing exactlywhat happened that day on the
Monon High Bridge, and, if so,will they ever be brought to
justice?
Despite the guilty verdict,this case is far from over.

(05:09):
Appeals are already beingdiscussed, legal experts are
questioning how the trial washandled, and the community of
Delphi is still divided.
Some believe the right man isbehind bars.
Others believe the real killersare still out there.
The Delphi murders changed thetown forever.
The Manan High Bridge, once aplace of quiet beauty, is now a

(05:30):
symbol of tragedy.
For the families of Abby andLibby.
The pain of their loss willnever fade and no conviction
whether Allen's or anyone else'swill ever bring their daughters
back.
But one thing remains certainthe truth is out there, and
until every missing piece isuncovered, the mystery of the
Delphi murders is far from over.