Who is Johnny Messer? Man accused of taking part in 'ritualistic' Delphi murders by suspect Richard Allen's lawyers breaks silence about case
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
DELPHI, INDIANA: Johnny Messer, one of the men named as members of the "Odinism" cult in the memorandum filed by Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen's lawyers, recently broke his silence on the allegations.
He shared that the accusations have turned his life "upside down" and mentioned that he is seeking action against the accusers.
In September, Allen's lawyers, Bradley Rozzi and Andrew Baldwin, claimed that Liberty "Libby" German, 14, and Abigail "Abby" Williams, 13, were "ritualistically sacrificed" in 2017.
According to The US Sun, the attorneys claimed Messer, Brad Holder, Elvis Fields, Patrick Westfall, and Rod Abrams as members of the pagan Norse religion who are involved with the Delphi murders even though none of them has been publicly charged or suspected in the case.
Johnny Messer said the accusations of being involved in the Delphi murders impacted his mental health
Johnny Messer, who is from Rushville, Indiana, was one of the five men named in a bombshell court filing by suspect Richard Allen's lawyers, claiming that Delphi murder victims Abby and Libby were "ritualistically sacrificed" by members of the "Odinism" cult.
In a written statement provided to The US Sun, Messer said, "As much as I would like to defend my name, I respectfully decline to [speak] at this time. I am seeking legal action[.] This has turned my life upside down and has taken a huge toll on my family and mental health."
He also mentioned, "I just don’t want to say anything to jeopardize my legal action that I’m going to take."
Several of Messer's friends, family, and well-wishers have defended him on social media and called him a "decent man."
"Johnny Messer has been cleared of all wrong doing in this case so please read into true facts before judgement .he is a decent man that deserves to be given fair chance ,leave him alone!!!!! Please share," Wendy Daughtery wrote on Facebook.
"Anyone who knows Johnny Messer at all knows his heart and knows he would never do anything to a child. He was innocent in my eyes before it was proven," commented a friend below Daughtery's post.
"Thank you Wendy Johnny is my nephew and we appreciate what you posted I'm speaking for my whole family," expressed a family member.
"this means a lot, thank you!" remarked Messer's daughter. Another woman who identified as Messer's sister wrote, "I love my brother too. And know he had been cleared of this."
His sister also told The Sun that she would "love" to speak and help clear her brother's name but she has been advised by legal counsel not to do so at this time.
What was Johnny Messer accused of?
In a lengthy 136-page filing, Richard Allen's lawyers claimed that Abby and Libby were killed by members of the "Odinism" cult, alleging that two groups of Odinists, one from Delphi and one from the Rushville area in southeastern Indiana, were investigated for their involvement in the murders.
They also claimed that their client, Allen, was innocent and said that the Odinist members' link to the crime was "recklessly ignored" by authorities.
The lawyers also stated that Brad Holder's son was dating Abby at the time of her death and accused him of posting a series of "Easter eggs" on Facebook after the Delphi murders.
They said that Holder uploaded the photos, which included images of runes and other elements that mirrored the murder scene, to taunt police.
On the other hand, Allen's legal team alleged that Messer shared a very close relationship with Holder and claimed he was a "recruiter" for the "Vinlander" group.
As per the attorneys, the word "Vinlander" is interchangeable with those who practice "Odinism." They said that Messer was allegedly in the Delphi area with his "Vinlander buddies" on or around Valentine's Day 2017, the day the girls were found dead.
"Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, Taylor Hornaday, told police that Johnny Messer and Patrick Westfall were like brothers," mentioned the document.
It continued, "She also told police that she had allowed Johnny to borrow her car on or around Valentine’s Day 2017 and that Johnny drove her car 'up there' [to Delphi] to hang with his Vinlander friends."
The memorandum further alleged that when Messer returned the vehicle to Hornaday, she purportedly told cops there was dried blood on the side of the car and that he allegedly refused to discuss the details behind the same.
"Johnny Messer’s ex-girlfriend further stated that it took her several car washes to finally remove the blood," added document continued, along with, "Meanwhile, Messer has claimed that he had never, not once in his life, been to Delphi, home of his 'brother' Patrick Westfall, and near the home of his other Odinite brother, Brad Holder."
As per the filing, his ex-girlfriend described him and Holder as two of the most "violent" people she knew. She allegedly claimed that they, in her opinion, were "fully capable of being involved in the murders."
"Johnny Messer’s ex-girlfriend further stated that a motive for their involvement in the murder of Abby and Libby might be the concept of 'blood in and blood out,' which means 'social acceptance into their secret circles'," said the memorandum.
"All this information was relayed to Liggett and the Unified Command team, yet Unified Command provided no guidance as to what to do to capitalize on this information in order to work toward solving the murders. Additionally, Unified Command learned that Johnny Messer’s ex-girlfriend had been listening to and recording Johnny Messer’s phone calls," further read the filing.
It also included the claim that "police secured the phone and listened to three phone calls involving Johnny Messer. In two of those phone calls, Messer was 'offering money to other people to find someone so they can be injured or killed'."
"The third call involves Messer 'bragging about holding a subject hostage and shooting them at his house'," stated the document.
Allen's attorneys went on to say that investigators said "nothing to see here" regarding Messer despite the presence of the alleged evidence.
They said that officials did not issue any search warrant for Messer's home and neither "attempt to utilize an age-old investigative tool referred to as an 'interrogation' to pursue the truth about the involvement of Johnny Messer, Brad Holder, or Patrick Westfall in these crimes."
Who killed Abigail Williams and Liberty German?
The slaying of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, usually referred to as the "Delphi murders," garnered widespread attention, especially due to the video and audio recordings recovered from the latter's phone, which recorded an individual believed to be the killer.
Their bodies were reportedly discovered near the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana, on February 14, 2017, a day after they disappeared from the area.
Richard Allen was taken into custody in October 2022 and booked into Carroll County Jail on two counts of murder. As per the Daily Mail, prosecutors previously said that he admitted to killing the teens five times while speaking to his wife on the phone.
Attorney Andrew Baldwin previously claimed Allen was the "wrong guy" while the latter pleaded not guilty to both counts of murder.
While officials are yet to name Allen's potential accomplices, Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland openly admitted that he believes "Allen is not the only actor involved in this."