The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/crime)
Police and media coverage emphasized alleged links to Witchcraft and the occult in the case of Heather Jean Evans, 45, who pleaded guilty to arson and murder in a 2022 fire. Evans was also tied to additional fires marked by occult symbols and handwritten notes.
An Indiana judge has barred the use of Odinism as a defense in the trial of Richard Allen, who is accused of murdering two girls in 2017. The presentation of the Odinism defense last year prompted Heathen organizations to issue statements clarifying the practice of Heathenry.
The Heathen community responds to a murder trial defense in Indiana that claims the accused are Odinists and the crimes are a form of ritual sacrifice.
In this week’s Pagan community Notes, Kwanzaa begins, Benin bronzes in Germany returned to Nigeria, a tarot card reader is sued by a professor for allegations of involvement in Idaho murders, and more news and announcements.
A case before the Glasgow Scottish High Court revises the satanic panic of the 90s, and has drawn claims of reputational harm from the Scottish Pagan Federation.