Indiana man wants new trial in killing of teens where pagan ritual evidence can be introduced, tell me about this news in (https://apnews.com/article/teens-killed-delphi-indiana-richard-allen-32be9158eda7ddc770d0697a52a6823e)

According to the Associated Press report, Richard Allen, who is serving a 130-year prison sentence for the 2017 murders of teenagers Abigail Williams and Liberty German in Delphi, Indiana, is formally appealing his convictions and requesting a new trial.

Key points from the report include:

• The Request for a New Trial: Allen’s defense filed an appeal seeking to overturn his convictions, arguing that his original trial was fundamentally unfair because the court excluded critical alternate-perpetrator evidence.

• The Pagan Ritual Theory: The defense wants a new trial where they can introduce evidence and expert testimony alleging that the teenagers were killed in a ritualistic sacrifice carried out by followers of Odinism, a Norse pagan religion co-opted by certain white nationalist groups. During the original trial, the judge ruled that this theory and evidence regarding third-party suspects were inadmissible because they lacked a sufficient direct link and risked confusing the jury.

• Challenging the Confessions: The appeal also challenges the prosecution’s reliance on Allen’s numerous confessions made while incarcerated, contending that those statements were coerced, unreliable, and made during severe psychological deterioration while he was held in solitary confinement under harsh prison conditions.