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{{short description|American court case alleging demonic possession}}
{{Infobox Court Case
{{Infobox Court Case
| name = Demon Murder Trial
| name = '''"Devil made me do it" case'''
| court = Connecticut Superior Court
| court = Connecticut Superior Court
| image =
| image = Seal of Connecticut.svg
| imagesize =
| imagesize = 100
| caption =
| caption =
| full name =
| full name =
| date decided = November 24, 1981
| date decided = November 25, 1981
| citations = https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/arne-cheyenne-johnson
| citations =
| transcripts =
| transcripts =
| judges =
| judges =
| defendant = Arne Cheyenne Johnson
| prior actions =
| verdict = Found guilty of first degree manslaughter charge and sentenced to 10 to 20 years prison, serving 5 for good behavior.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/arne-cheyenne-johnson | title=Arne Cheyenne Johnson &#124; Archives & Special Collections | access-date=2023-08-29 | archive-date=2023-08-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829074318/https://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/arne-cheyenne-johnson | url-status=live }}</ref>
| subsequent actions =
| opinions =
| opinions =
| italic title = no
}}
}}


The '''Demon Murder Trial''' is the first known [[court case]] in the [[United States]] of a [[lawyer]] claiming his client was innocent due to [[demonic possession]].<ref name="people"/><ref name="danbury">{{cite web|date=2007-10-10|author=John Piro|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19687/devil-in-connecticut|title=Brookfield man sues over ‘demon’ book|publisher=The News-Times|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref> It involved the conviction, on November 24, 1981, of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a resident of [[Brookfield, Connecticut|Brookfield]], [[Connecticut]], for first-degree [[manslaughter]] of his [[landlord]] Alan Bono.<ref name="nyt">{{cite web|date=1981-11-25|author=|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E2D91638F936A15752C1A967948260|title=THE REGION; Man Is Convicted In Friend's Death |publisher=[[New York Times]]|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref> In the year leading up to the attack on Bono, Johnson had been staying with his fiancee, whose younger brother supposedly had been possessed by demons and whose family called in the self-described demonologists [[Ed and Lorraine Warren]]. Johnson supposedly taunted and was possessed by demons from the boy, and several months later killed his landlord during a heated conversation. His defense lawyer tried to argue in court that he was possessed, but the judge ruled that no such defense existed, and Johnson served 5 years of a 10 to 20 year sentence. The trial attracted media attention from around the world.
The '''trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson''', also known as the '''"devil made me do it" case''', is the first known [[court case]] in the United States in which the [[defense (law)|defense]] sought to prove innocence based upon the claim of [[demonic possession]] and denial of personal responsibility for the crime.<ref name="people" /><ref name="danbury">{{Cite news |last=Piro |first=John |date=2007-10-10 |title=Brookfield man sues over 'demon' book |work=The News-Times |url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19687/devil-in-connecticut |access-date=August 17, 2008 |archive-date=2008-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012055242/http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19687/devil-in-connecticut |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 24, 1981, in [[Brookfield, Connecticut|Brookfield]], [[Connecticut]], Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of first-degree [[manslaughter]] for the killing of his landlord, Alan Bono.<ref name="nyt">{{Cite news |date=1981-11-25 |title=THE REGION; Man Is Convicted In Friend's Death |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E2D91638F936A15752C1A967948260 |access-date=August 17, 2008}}</ref>


According to testimony by the Glatzel family, 12-year-old David Glatzel allegedly had played host to a demon. After witnessing a number of increasingly ominous occurrences involving David, his family, exhausted and terrified, decided to enlist the aid of [[Ed and Lorraine Warren]] in a last-ditch effort to "cure" the child. The Glatzel family, along with the Warrens, then proceeded to have multiple priests petition the [[Catholic Church]] to have a formal [[Exorcism in the Catholic Church|exorcism]] performed on David.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cleninden |first=Dudley |title=Defendant in a Murder Puts the Devil on Trial |work=The New York Times |date=23 March 1981 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/23/nyregion/defendant-in-a-murder-puts-the-devil-on-trial.html |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=24 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524082909/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/23/nyregion/defendant-in-a-murder-puts-the-devil-on-trial.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The process continued for several days, concluding when, according to those present, a demon fled the child's body and took up residence within Johnson. These events were documented in the book ''The Devil in Connecticut'' by Gerald Brittle.<ref name="The Devil in Connecticut" />
==Events preceding the attack==
On July 3, 1980, Arne Johnson's fiancee, Debbie Glatzel, claimed to have discovered that her youngest brother David woke sobbing, saying that he had a vision of an "awful beast", describing it as "a man with big black eyes, a thin face with animal features and jagged teeth, pointed ears, horns and hoofs", and saying it had warned him to "Beware".<ref name="people"/>


Several months later, Johnson killed his landlord during a party. His defense lawyer argued in court that he was possessed, but the judge ruled that such a defense could never be proven and was therefore infeasible in a court of law. Johnson was subsequently convicted, though he served only five years of a ten to twenty-year sentence.
In another version from "A Haunting" on Discovery Channel, both Arnie Johnson and Debbie Glatzel were interviewed for the storyline and claimed to be eyewitnesses to the demonic possession. Debbie said David was like a little brother to Arnie. During the interview and reenactment Debbie cried she was still so distraught. This is important because Lorraine Warren was subsequently sued by the Glatzels allegedly because it supposedly wasn't demonic possession but David's mental illness which caused him to have these problems. They claimed David started having problems after they went to clean up a rental property they had just acquired, which unbeknownst to them had an old well in the back of the house. He was asked to sweep the master bedroom for them. It was there that an old man in a plaid shirt and jeans pushed him and frightened him so badly he ran outside refusing to go back inside the home. They thought he just got bored and didn't want to help them. Later that same night when Arnie and Debbie went back to her mother's home to live before moving into the rental home David told them that the old man had said he would harm them if they moved into the rental home. He said the old man was angry with him for telling them and that he was going to harm him because of it. He told them a wild animal had scratched the front door because it was angry at the old man. They didn't take him seriously until they went back to the rental home and saw the scratch marks. It was then they decided not to take the rental property because it was evil.


The trial attracted media attention from around the world and has obtained a level of notoriety due to numerous depictions of the events in literature and television. A live-action TV prequel titled ''[[A Haunting|Where Demons Dwell]]'' was released on August 31, 2006. The story was later made into a film adaptation titled ''[[The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It]]'' (2021), and was the subject of a documentary, ''[[The Devil on Trial]]'', in 2023.
In yet another version from Lorraine and Ed Warren's book "Ghost Hunters" the claim was David became possessed after his parents took him to a house to visit and he took a nap. He awoke when an old man who was charred with hooves ("charred" and "hooves" being common signs for a demon) wearing a plaid shirt and jeans said "Beware". It happened again at home. His mother thought he had a nightmare but reconsidered after it reoccurred. As his visions persisted, Debbie requested that Johnson come and stay at her family's home.<ref name="people"/>


== Background ==
Once again in the different version from "A Haunting" Arnie Johnson was already living with Debbie at her mother's home before moving into the rental home. In this version later that same night after his first encounter with the old man David claimed the old man turned into a beast at night had flown over the trees and was inside the mother's home. David claimed the old man muttered Latin and was coming for his soul. But nobody ever saw the old man except David. At this time the demon was invisible except to David. David kept screaming "He's coming for me, he's coming for me" and couldn't be comforted. They heard noises but attributed it to the wind or animals in the attic. But later on the same night David started being beaten by the invisible entity. This started happening on a regular basis. It was then they went to a Catholic priest for help. Later on a Catholic priest came to their house and blessed it, but to seemingly no effect on David.
Arne Cheyenne Johnson and Debbie Glatzel provided firsthand accounts for the version of events depicted in [[Discovery Channel]]'s ''[[A Haunting]]'', episode "Where Demons Dwell". They said their father was an eyewitness to demonic possession. Both Johnson and Debbie were adamant in their support of the Warrens' recollection of events. They asserted that paranormal activity began after they went to clean up a rental property they had just acquired. David recalled an old man suddenly appeared, pushing and terrifying him. The couple initially thought David was using the old man as an excuse to avoid cleaning, but David informed them that the old man had vowed to harm the Glatzels if they moved into the rental home. David's visions of the old man included the man appearing as a demonic beast who muttered Latin and threatened to steal his soul. Although the family allegedly heard strange noises coming from the attic, no one but David ever witnessed the old man. After David experienced night terrors, exhibited strange behavior, and obtained unexplained scratches and bruises, the family called upon the services of a Catholic priest, who attempted to bless the house. The terrified family concluded that the house was evil and would no longer continue to rent it.


Visions began to occur in the daytime soon afterwards, in the form of an old man with a white beard, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans.<ref name="people"/> Twelve days after the first incident, the family called upon [[Demonology|demonologist]]s [[Ed and Lorraine Warren]] of Monroe, Connecticut to assist after being referred by their priest. Their own Parish priest felt it was demonic, but didn't want to attempt an exorcism because of his poor health.<ref name="post"/> This was one reason it was referred to other priests. Lorraine, who claims to be [[clairvoyant]], stated that she saw a black, misty form next to David, indicating a malevolent presence, and that David complained of invisible hands choking him, and the feeling of being hit. Again in the version from "A Haunting" Arnie, Debbie and their mother had witnessed David being hit and choked by the invisible hands. They claimed that afterwards, there were red marks on his neck.<ref name="people"/> Supposedly he was possessed by more than one demon. He also began to growl, hiss, speak in strange voices, and suddenly recite passages from the [[Bible]] or ''[[Paradise Lost]]''. He saw spirits and demons. Each night, the family says that a family member would remain awake with David through sometime 30 minute long rapid spasms and convulsions.<ref name="people"/> The Warrens claim that three "lesser exorcisms" took place, the first with four priests in attendance, and that when asked how many demons where inside him, David listed 43 names.<ref name="people"/> She also claims David had marks all over his body, [[levitation (paranormal)|levitated]], and demonstrated the supernatural ability of [[precognition]] relating to the murder Johnson would later commit. At one point he stopped breathing, they thought he had died and they had to briefly stop the exorcism to revive him<ref name="recordjournal">{{cite journal|date=2007-10-10|author=John Christoffersen|title=Suit vs. psychic says demon murder was hoax |publisher=Record-Journal|accessdate=August 18, 2008}}</ref> In October 1980, the Warrens contacted Brookfield police to warn them that the situation was becoming dangerous.<ref name="post"/>
David's visions worsened, occurring in the daytime as well.<ref name="people" /> Twelve days after the original incident, the family summoned the [[Demonology|demonologist]]s [[Ed and Lorraine Warren]] to assist.<ref name="post" /> Lorraine witnessed a black mist materialize next to David, an indication of a malevolent presence. Debbie and her mother told the Warrens they had seen David being beaten and choked by invisible hands and that red marks had appeared on his neck afterward.<ref name="people" /> David had started to growl, hiss, speak in otherworldly voices, and recite passages from the Bible or ''[[Paradise Lost]]''. The Glatzels recounted how each night a family member would remain awake with David as he suffered through spasms and convulsions.<ref name="people" /> After receiving a prognosis of multiple possessions from the Warrens, David was subjected to three "lesser exorcisms.” <ref name="people" /> Lorraine asserts that David [[levitation (paranormal)|levitated]], ceased breathing for a time, and even demonstrated the supernatural ability of [[precognition]], specifically in relation to the manslaughter Johnson would later commit.<ref name="recordjournal">{{Cite news |last=Christoffersen |first=John |date=2007-10-10 |title=Suit vs. psychic says demon murder was hoax |work=Record-Journal}}</ref> In October 1980, the Warrens contacted Brookfield police to warn them that the situation was becoming dangerous.<ref name="post" />


While staying with Debbie's family, Arnie Johnson supposedly taunted the demons said to be within David to possess his own body while participating in David's exorcisms.<ref name="people"/><ref name="danbury"/> "Take me on, take me on instead of him" Johnson is purported to have said.<ref name="post"/> In the other version from "A Haunting" Arnie threatened the demon(s) after the family was exhausted by their constant vigil and they witnessed yet another brutal beating on David by the demon(s). In the version from "A Haunting" a few days later when Arnie went out to run some errands by himself he was then attacked by the demon(s). As soon as he got in the car it went out of control. He actually saw a demon "whom he described as looking exactly like the Devil" point to a tree. He tried to get out of the car but the doors wouldn't open or unlock. The car was damaged but fortunately he wasn't. Later on after David told him the Beast came out of the old well in back of the rental property he went out to check and had another encounter with the Beast. Arnie claims it was after looking deep into its black eyes he became truly demonically possessed. In this version an exorcist told him this was the wrong thing to do. The Warrens claimed to have warned him not to do this, but Johnson refused to listen (this wasn't mentioned nor was the subsequent murder and incarceration in Arnie and Debbie's version in "A Haunting" ).<ref name="post"/> As David's condition worsened, Debbie and Johnson moved out; Debbie was hired by Alan Bono, a new resident of the town, as a dog groomer at the Brookfield Pet Motel, and given a nearby apartment to stay at. It was then that Johnson's behavior supposedly began to change, and made Debbie fear that he had become possessed as well. According to Debbie, Johnson would go into a kind of [[trance]], where he would growl, and say he saw a beast, but later have no memory of it.<ref name="people"/>
According to eyewitness testimony, Arne Johnson coerced one of the demons, purportedly within David, to possess him while participating in David's exorcisms.<ref name="people" /><ref name="danbury" /> It is here that ''A Haunting'' veers away from the circumstances of Johnson's possession as described by those involved. According to the show, a few days after Johnson egged the demon on during the exorcism, he was attacked rather viciously by the demon, which allegedly took control of his car and forced it into a tree, but Johnson was unharmed. After this incident, Johnson returned to the rental property to examine an old well that supposedly housed the demon. In both the dramatized version and his personal account, Johnson said that this was his final encounter with the demon while completely lucid. After encountering the demon at the well, and making eye contact with it, he became possessed. The Warrens claim to have warned him not to do this (although their warning was not mentioned in ''A Haunting'').<ref name="post" /> As David's condition worsened further, Debbie and Johnson, who had been living in her mother's home, decided it was time to move. Debbie was hired by Alan Bono, a new resident in Brookfield, as a dog groomer. Debbie and Johnson began renting an apartment close to her place of employment. After moving in, Johnson started to exhibit odd behavior that was strikingly similar to David's, causing Debbie to fear that he had become possessed as well. According to Debbie, Johnson would fall into a trance-like state, wherein he would growl and hallucinate but later have no memory of it.<ref name="people" />


==The attack==
== The killing ==
On February 16, 1981, Johnson called in sick to his job at Wright Tree Service, claiming he had a sore throat.<ref name="post">{{cite journal|date=1981-09-13|author=Lynn Darling|title=By Demons Possessed|publisher=[[Washington Post]]|accessdate=August 18, 2008}}</ref> He joined his girlfriend Debbie at the animal clinic where she worked along with her sister and cousin. Alan Bono, the couple's 40 year old landlord and Debbie's employer at the kennel, bought the whole group lunch at a local bar, with Bono, Johnson, and Debbie all drinking wine, Bono more than the rest of the group.<ref name="post"/> After lunch, the group returned to the dog kennels, where Johnson fixed Bono's stereo, which blared noisily.<ref name="post"/> Debbie then took the girls to get pizza, but insisted they return quickly, saying "There's going to be trouble."<ref name="post"/> When they returned, Bono invited everyone up to his apartment above the kennel, and when the television was turned on, it too was very loud, and Bono became agitated, punching his fist into his palm.<ref name="post"/> Everyone left the room at Debbie's urging, except Bono, who seized Debbie's nine-year-old cousin Mary and would not let go.<ref name="post"/> Johnson, who had walked to the car, headed back to the apartment and told Bono to release Mary.<ref name="post"/> Wanda Johnson, who recounted her story to the police, stated that "it just broke".<ref name="post"/> Mary ran for the car, as Debbie stood between the two men.<ref name="post"/> Wanda, who was holding on to Johnson, remembers he was "like stone", and couldn't be moved. Wanda heard Johnson growling like an animal, saw a flash through the air, and stated that "it just stopped".<ref name="post"/> Johnson walked towards the woods, staring straight ahead, and Bono continued to punch his fist into his palm, before falling on his face.<ref name="post"/> Bono had suffered "four or five tremendous wounds" according to Johnson's lawyer from a {{convert|5|in|mm|sing=on}} pocket knife, mostly on his chest, and one that stretched from his stomach to the base of his heart.<ref name="post"/> Bono died several hours later from his wounds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bean|first=Phillip|title=Crime|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2003|pages=17|isbn=978-0-415-25268-3|url=http://books.google.com/?id=HFeOTY8hMpoC}}</ref> Johnson was discovered two miles (3&nbsp;km) from the site of the murder and was held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center on bail of 125,000 [[USD]].<ref name="people"/> It was the first murder in the history of [[Brookfield, Connecticut]].<ref name="people">{{cite web|date=1981-10-26|author=Lynne Baranski|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080531,00.html|title=In a Connecticut Murder Trial, Will (demonic) Possession Prove Nine-Tenths of the Law?|publisher=[[People Magazine]]|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref>


On February 16, 1981, Johnson called in sick to his job at Wright Tree Service<ref name="post">{{Cite news |last=Darling |first=Lynn |date=1981-09-13 |title=By Demons Possessed |newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/09/13/by-demons-possessed/3479fa6b-eee3-4233-a2fc-b9defa403504/|url-status=live|archive-date=2021-06-29|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210629072233/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/09/13/by-demons-possessed/3479fa6b-eee3-4233-a2fc-b9defa403504/}}</ref> and joined Debbie at the kennel where she worked, along with his sister Wanda and Debbie's nine-year-old cousin Mary. Bono, the couple's landlord and Debbie's employer at the kennel, bought the group lunch at a local bar and proceeded to drink heavily.<ref name="post" /> After lunch, the group returned to the kennel.<ref name="post" /> Debbie then took the girls to get pizza but insisted they return quickly, anticipating trouble. When they returned, Bono, intoxicated at this point, became agitated.<ref name="post" /> Everyone left the room at Debbie's urging, except Bono, who seized Mary and refused to let go.<ref name="post" /> Johnson headed back to the apartment and ordered Bono to release Mary.<ref name="post" /> Wanda recounted the following events to the police.<ref name="post" /> Mary ran for the car as Debbie attempted to mitigate the situation by standing between the two men.<ref name="post" /> Wanda tried in vain to pull Johnson away. Johnson, growling like an animal, then drew a {{convert|5|in|cm|adj=on}} pocket knife and stabbed Bono repeatedly.<ref name="post" /> Bono died several hours later. According to Johnson's lawyer, Bono had suffered "four or five tremendous wounds,” mostly to his chest, and one that stretched from his stomach to the base of his heart.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bean |first=Phillip |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HFeOTY8hMpoC |title=Crime |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-415-25268-3 |pages=17}}</ref> Johnson was discovered {{convert|2|miles|km}} from the site of the killing; Sgt. Gordon Fairchild of the Brookfield Police Department, said he helped arrest Johnson on a charge of assault (while Alan Bono was still being treated at the hospital). He said Johnson told him he did not mean to hurt anyone and was unable to remember anything.
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==Media reaction and legal proceedings==


While putting him into a police cruiser, Johnson said, “''I need help because I’ve got a drinking problem'',” Fairchild said. When Johnson was informed at police headquarters that Bono had died, Fairchild said the suspect became incoherent and then fell asleep for 20 to 25 minutes.
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Lorraine Warren called Brookfield police the day after the murder to tell them that Johnson was possessed.<ref name="post"/> A "media blitz" began to surround the story, and the Warrens began to spread the story throughout the press, promising to lecture about it, write a book, and make a movie about it through their agents at William Morris.<ref name="post"/> Martin Minnella, Johnson's lawyer, said he received calls from all over the world about the case, and news spread to the point that Minnella was recognized on the streets of London by passersby.<ref name="post"/> Minnella traveled to England to meet with lawyers who had been involved in two similar cases (though neither ever went to trial), planned to fly in exorcism specialists from Europe, and threatened to subpoena the priests involved if they would not cooperate.<ref name="people"/><ref name="post"/>


When Johnson awoke, Police Detective Sgt. John Lucas advised him of his rights and charged Arne Johnson with first-degree murder;<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 13, 1981 |title=Victim Stabbed Five Times |pages=7 |work=Manchester Evening Herald |publication-place=Danbury (UPI) |url=http://www.manchesterhistory.org/News/Manchester%20Evening%20Hearld_1981-11-13.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=October 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231026125259/http://www.manchesterhistory.org/News/Manchester%20Evening%20Hearld_1981-11-13.pdf |archive-date=October 26, 2023}}</ref> he was held at the [[Bridgeport Correctional Center]] on bail of $125,000.<ref name="people" /> This was the first unlawful killing in the history of [[Brookfield, Connecticut]].<ref name="people">{{Cite magazine |last=Baranski |first=Lynne |date=1981-10-26 |title=In a Connecticut Murder Trial, Will (demonic) Possession Prove Nine-Tenths of the Law? |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080531,00.html |magazine=[[People Magazine]] |access-date=August 17, 2008 |archive-date=2015-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905135727/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080531,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The trial took place in Danbury, Connecticut Superior Court beginning on October 28, 1981.<ref name="people"/><ref name="brook">{{cite web|date=2007-10-12|author=Scott Benjamin|url=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18911235&BRD=1656&PAG=461&dept_id=13278&rfi=6|title='Devil' book reissuance leads to suit |publisher=Brookfield Journal|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref> Minnella entered the unprecedented plea of not guilty by virtue of possession by the [[devil]], but the presiding judge, Robert Callahan, rejected Johnson's lawyer's attempt to show that Johnson was under the influence of a demon at the time of the murder. Callahan stated that there was no such defense, and it would be "irrelative and unscientific" to allow such testimony, forcing the defense attorney to argue instead that Johnson acted in self-defense.<ref name="people"/><ref name="nyt"/><ref name="brothers">{{cite web|date=2007-10-08|author=Alex Murphy|url=http://www.mmdnewswire.com/brors-sue-world-fmous-psychic-lorrine-wrren-for-flse-ccustis-in-devil-book-2347-2.html|title=Brothers sue world famous psychic Lorraine Warren for false accusations in Devil book|publisher=Mass Media Distribution Newswire|accessdate=August 17, 2008|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080829012011/http://www.mmdnewswire.com/brors-sue-world-fmous-psychic-lorrine-wrren-for-flse-ccustis-in-devil-book-2347-2.html <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archivedate=August 29, 2008}}</ref> The jury thus never heard Minnella's theory.<ref name="courant2">{{cite web|date=2007-10-14|author=Melissa Pionzio|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19688/the-devil-in-connecticut|title=Factual Exorcism Book Evokes Past Pain|publisher=[[The Hartford Courant]]|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref> The jury deliberated for 15 hours over three days before convicting Johnson on November 24, 1981, of first-degree [[manslaughter]], and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, of which he served 5.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="brothers"/><ref name="courant2"/>


⚫
== Media reaction and legal proceedings ==
⚫
==Aftermath==
After he served his sentence, Johnson went on to marry his fiancee.<ref name="danbury"/> The alleged incident led to the creation of a [[Television movie|made for TV movie]] called ''The Demon Murder Case'' on [[NBC]] and a [[major motion picture]] which has stalled due to internal conflicts.<ref name="danbury"/><ref name="recordjournal">{{cite journal|date=2007-10-10|author=John Christoffersen|title=Suit vs. psychic says demon murder was hoax |publisher=Record-Journal|accessdate=August 18, 2008}}</ref> In 1983, Gerald Brittle, with the assistance of Lorraine Warren, published a book about the incident entitled ''The Devil in Connecticut'', which Lorraine Warren says the profits of which were shared with the family.<ref name="recordjournal"/><ref name="The Devil in Connecticut">{{cite book|last=Brittle|first=Gerald|title=The Devil in Connecticut|publisher=[[Bantam Books]]|date=1983|isbn=9780553237146|url=http://books.google.com/?id=VsmvAAAACAAJ}}</ref> Two-thousand dollars was paid by the book publisher to the family.<ref name="recordjournal"/> Upon the books republication in 2006 by iUniverse Inc., Carl Glatzel Jr. and David Glatzel sued the authors and book publishers for violating their[[right to privacy]], [[libel]], and "intentional affliction of emotional distress"; further, he claims the book alleges he committed criminal and abusive acts against his family and others.<ref name="brothers">{{cite web|date=2007-10-08|author=Alex Murphy|url=http://www.mmdnewswire.com/brors-sue-world-fmous-psychic-lorrine-wrren-for-flse-ccustis-in-devil-book-2347-2.html|title=Brothers sue world famous psychic Lorraine Warren for false accusations in Devil book|publisher=Mass Media Distribution Newswire|accessdate=August 17, 2008}}</ref><ref name="courant2"/> Carl Glatzel Jr. has stated that the possession story was a hoax concocted by [[Ed and Lorraine Warren]] to exploit the family and his brother's mental illness, and that the book presents him as the villain because he disbelieved in the supernatural claims.<ref name="danbury"/> He also asserts that the Warrens said that the story would make the family "millionaires", and would help get Johnson out of jail.<ref name="brothers"/> He is currently writing a book titled ''Alone Through The Valley'' about his version of the events surrounding his brother.<ref name="brothers"/> Further, the publicity generated by the alleged incident forced Carl to drop out of school, and lost friends and business opportunities.<ref name="danbury"/>Lorraine Warren defends her work with the family, claiming that the six priests who were involved in the incident agreed at the time that the boy was possessed, and that the supernatural events she described were real.<ref name="danbury"/> Gerald Brittle, the book's author, says he wrote the book because "the family wanted the story told", that he possesses video of over 100 hours of his interviews with the family, and that they signed off on the book as accurate before it went to print.<ref name="danbury"/> Glatzel's father, Carl Glatzel Senior, denies telling the author that his son was possessed.<ref name="recordjournal"/> Johnson and his wife Debbie believe the account of demonic possession to be true, and that Glatzel is suing to make money.<ref name="recordjournal"/>


⚫
The day after the killing, Lorraine Warren informed the Brookfield Police that Johnson was possessed when the crime was committed.<ref name="post" /> A "media blitz" soon surrounded the story, fueled in part by the Warrens, whose agents promised that lectures, a book, and a movie detailing the gruesome case were in the works.<ref name="post" /> Martin Minnella, Johnson's lawyer, received calls from all over the world about what was being called the "Demon Murder Trial.” Minnella traveled to England to meet with lawyers who had been involved in two similar cases (though neither went to trial). He planned to bring in exorcism specialists from Europe and threatened to subpoena the priests who oversaw David Glatzel's exorcisms if they did not cooperate with the defense.<ref name="people" /><ref name="post" />
⚫
==References==
⚫
{{Reflist|2}}


The trial took place in Connecticut's Superior Court in Danbury, beginning on October 28, 1981.<ref name="people" /><ref name="brook">{{Cite web |last=Benjamin |first=Scott |date=2007-10-12 |title='Devil' book reissuance leads to suit |url=http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18911235&BRD=1656&PAG=461&dept_id=13278&rfi=6 |access-date=August 17, 2008 |publisher=Brookfield Journal |archive-date=2008-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223191427/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18911235&BRD=1656&PAG=461&dept_id=13278&rfi=6 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Minnella attempted to submit a plea of not guilty by virtue of possession, but the presiding judge, Robert Callahan, promptly rejected this defense. Callahan argued that no such defense could ever exist in a court of law due to lack of evidence and that it would be "irrelative and unscientific" to allow related testimony. The defense chose to imply that Johnson acted in self-defense.<ref name="people" /><ref name="nyt" /><ref name="brothers">{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Alex |date=2007-10-08 |title=Brothers sue world famous psychic Lorraine Warren for false accusations in Devil book |url=http://www.mmdnewswire.com/brors-sue-world-fmous-psychic-lorrine-wrren-for-flse-ccustis-in-devil-book-2347-2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829012011/http://www.mmdnewswire.com/brors-sue-world-fmous-psychic-lorrine-wrren-for-flse-ccustis-in-devil-book-2347-2.html |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |access-date=August 17, 2008 |publisher=Mass Media Distribution Newswire}}</ref> Because of this, the jury was not legally allowed to consider demonic possession as a viable explanation for the killing.<ref name="courant2">{{Cite news |last=Pionzio |first=Melissa |date=2007-10-14 |title=Factual Exorcism Book Evokes Past Pain |work=[[The Hartford Courant]] |url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19688/the-devil-in-connecticut |access-date=August 17, 2008 |archive-date=2008-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202140320/http://www.religionnewsblog.com/19688/the-devil-in-connecticut |url-status=live }}</ref> The jury deliberated for 15 hours over three days before convicting Johnson on November 24, 1981, of first-degree [[manslaughter]]. On December 18, 1981, he was sentenced to 10–20 years in prison, though he served only five (or approximately one month short of five years).<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="brothers" /><ref name="courant2" /><ref name="Woodward">{{cite web |url=https://todayincthistory.com/2020/12/18/december-18-connecticuts-20th-century-demonic-possession-murder-trial-3/ |title=Connecticut's 20th Century "Demonic Possession" Murder Case |last=Woodward |first=Walter |date=18 December 2020 |website=Today in Connecticut History |publisher=Office of the Connecticut State Historian |access-date=13 December 2021 |quote=A jury found Johnson guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced on December 18, 1981 to the maximum 10 – 20 years in prison. |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214000627/https://todayincthistory.com/2020/12/18/december-18-connecticuts-20th-century-demonic-possession-murder-trial-3/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{good article}}


⚫
== Aftermath ==
⚫
[[Category:Trials in the United States]]
Lorraine Warren defended her work with the family, claiming that the six priests who were involved in the incident agreed at the time that the boy was possessed and that the supernatural events she described were real.<ref name="danbury" /> No independent verification of this claim about the priests' alleged views was provided. Glatzel's father, Carl Glatzel Sr., denies telling the author that his son was possessed.<ref name="recordjournal" /> Johnson and Debbie (now married) wholeheartedly support the Warrens' account of demonic possession and have stated that the litigants were suing simply for the money.<ref name="recordjournal" />
⚫
[[Category:1981 in law]]
⚫
[[Category:1981 in the United States]]
⚫
[[Category:1981 in religion]]
⚫
[[Category:Murder trials]]


== Depiction in media ==
[[it:Processo ad Arne Johnson]]

=== Book ===
In 1983 Gerald Brittle, with the assistance of Lorraine Warren, published a book about the incident entitled ''The Devil in Connecticut''.<ref name="The Devil in Connecticut" /> Lorraine Warren stated that profits from the book were shared with the family.<ref name="recordjournal" /><ref name="The Devil in Connecticut">{{Cite book |last=Brittle |first=Gerald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VsmvAAAACAAJ |title=The Devil in Connecticut |date=1983 |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |isbn=9780553237146}}</ref> Sources confirmed that $2,000 was paid to the family by the book publisher.<ref name="recordjournal" />

Upon the book's republication in 2006 by [[iUniverse]], David Glatzel and his brother, Carl Glatzel Jr., sued the authors and book publishers for violating their [[right to privacy]], [[libel]], and "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Carl also claimed that the book alleged he committed criminal and abusive acts against his family and others.<ref name="brothers" /><ref name="courant2" /> He said that the possession story was a hoax concocted by Ed and Lorraine Warren to exploit the family and his brother's mental illness, and that the book presented him as the villain because he did not believe in the supernatural claims.<ref name="danbury" /> He asserted that the Warrens told him the story would make the family millionaires and would help get Johnson out of jail.<ref name="brothers" /> Brittle, author of ''The Devil in Connecticut'', says he wrote the book because "the family wanted the story told," that he possesses videos of over 100 hours of his interviews with the family, and that they signed off on the book as accurate before it went to print.<ref name="danbury" />

According to Carl Glatzel, the publicity generated by the incident forced him to drop out of school and lose friends and business opportunities.<ref name="danbury" /> In 2007 he began writing a book, titled ''Alone Through the Valley'', about his version of the events surrounding his brother.<ref name="brothers" />

=== Film ===
The event inspired the premise of the 2021 film ''[[The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dressler |first=Jacob |title='The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' Official Title Of 'The Conjuring 3'; Releases September 2020 |url=https://www.screengeek.net/2019/12/08/the-conjuring-the-devil-made-me-do-it-title-reveal/ |access-date=9 December 2019 |website=ScreenGeek |date=8 December 2019 |archive-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209093247/https://www.screengeek.net/2019/12/08/the-conjuring-the-devil-made-me-do-it-title-reveal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An earlier made-for-TV-film based on the case, ''The Demon Murder Case'', was produced in 1983 and starred [[Kevin Bacon]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mazzeo |first=Esme |date=2023-10-28 |title=Everything we know about the Glatzels — the family from Netflix's 'The Devil on Trial' who inspired a 'Conjuring' movie |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/glatzel-family-devil-on-trial-conjuring-arne-johnson-2023-10 |work=[[Business Insider]] |access-date=2024-03-31}}</ref> [[Netflix]] produced a documentary in 2023, ''[[The Devil On Trial]]'', based on this case.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The True Story Behind 'The Devil on Trial' |date=18 October 2023 |url=https://time.com/6325498/the-devil-on-trial-netflix-true-story/ |access-date=2024-03-25 |publisher=TIME |archive-date=2024-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224232005/https://time.com/6325498/the-devil-on-trial-netflix-true-story/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It includes interviews with Carl Glatzel, whose comments suggest a naturalistic alternative to demonic possession: the influence of [[Sominex]].<ref name="NewsweekInv">{{cite magazine |last=Lloyd |first=Sophie |date=2023-10-18 |title='Devil on Trial' Shock Reveal—Can Sleeping Pills Really Mimic Possession? |url=https://www.newsweek.com/devil-trial-netflix-sominex-demon-possession-1835765 |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=2024-03-31}}</ref>

=== Television ===
The incident led to the creation, in 1983, of a [[television film]] titled ''The Demon Murder Case'' on [[NBC]], and preparations for a feature film, the production of which was stalled due to internal conflicts.<ref name="danbury" /><ref name="recordjournal" />

The [[Discovery Channel]]’s paranormal series ''A Haunting'' produced the episode ''Where Demons Dwell'' based on David’s possession and the Warrens' investigation. The episode omitted the preceding of Arne’s crimes. In 2021, the TV series ''Shock Docs'' produced an episode titled ''The Devil Made Me Do It'' based on this case. Some deemed it more accurate than ''The Conjuring'' film, even if the events were depicted too dramatically.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cotter |first=Padraig |title=The Devil Made Me Do It Documentary Uncovered Conjuring 3's True Story |url=https://screenrant.com/devil-made-do-it-documentary-conjuring-3-true-story/ |work=[[Screen Rant]] |date=24 October 2022 |access-date=2024-03-31 |archive-date=2022-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104013610/https://screenrant.com/devil-made-do-it-documentary-conjuring-3-true-story/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[David Berkowitz]]
* [[Michael Taylor (British killer)]]
* [[The Devil on Trial]] (2023 film)

⚫
== References ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{The Conjuring}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Arne Cheyenne}}
⚫
[[Category:1981 in American law]]
[[Category:1981 in Connecticut]]
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[[Category:1981 in religion]]
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[[Category:1981 murders in the United States]]
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[[Category:1980s trials]]
[[Category:20th-century American trials]]
⚫
[[Category:Murder trials in the United States]]
[[Category:November 1981 events in the United States]]
[[Category:Demonic possession]]
[[Category:Trials in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Ed and Lorraine Warren]]

Latest revision as of 18:14, 3 December 2024

"Devil made me do it" case
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedNovember 25, 1981
VerdictFound guilty of first degree manslaughter charge and sentenced to 10 to 20 years prison, serving 5 for good behavior.[1]
DefendantArne Cheyenne Johnson
Citationhttps://archives.law.virginia.edu/dengrove/writeup/arne-cheyenne-johnson

The trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, also known as the "devil made me do it" case, is the first known court case in the United States in which the defense sought to prove innocence based upon the claim of demonic possession and denial of personal responsibility for the crime.[2][3] On November 24, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the killing of his landlord, Alan Bono.[4]

According to testimony by the Glatzel family, 12-year-old David Glatzel allegedly had played host to a demon. After witnessing a number of increasingly ominous occurrences involving David, his family, exhausted and terrified, decided to enlist the aid of Ed and Lorraine Warren in a last-ditch effort to "cure" the child. The Glatzel family, along with the Warrens, then proceeded to have multiple priests petition the Catholic Church to have a formal exorcism performed on David.[5] The process continued for several days, concluding when, according to those present, a demon fled the child's body and took up residence within Johnson. These events were documented in the book The Devil in Connecticut by Gerald Brittle.[6]

Several months later, Johnson killed his landlord during a party. His defense lawyer argued in court that he was possessed, but the judge ruled that such a defense could never be proven and was therefore infeasible in a court of law. Johnson was subsequently convicted, though he served only five years of a ten to twenty-year sentence.

The trial attracted media attention from around the world and has obtained a level of notoriety due to numerous depictions of the events in literature and television. A live-action TV prequel titled Where Demons Dwell was released on August 31, 2006. The story was later made into a film adaptation titled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), and was the subject of a documentary, The Devil on Trial, in 2023.

Background

[edit]

Arne Cheyenne Johnson and Debbie Glatzel provided firsthand accounts for the version of events depicted in Discovery Channel's A Haunting, episode "Where Demons Dwell". They said their father was an eyewitness to demonic possession. Both Johnson and Debbie were adamant in their support of the Warrens' recollection of events. They asserted that paranormal activity began after they went to clean up a rental property they had just acquired. David recalled an old man suddenly appeared, pushing and terrifying him. The couple initially thought David was using the old man as an excuse to avoid cleaning, but David informed them that the old man had vowed to harm the Glatzels if they moved into the rental home. David's visions of the old man included the man appearing as a demonic beast who muttered Latin and threatened to steal his soul. Although the family allegedly heard strange noises coming from the attic, no one but David ever witnessed the old man. After David experienced night terrors, exhibited strange behavior, and obtained unexplained scratches and bruises, the family called upon the services of a Catholic priest, who attempted to bless the house. The terrified family concluded that the house was evil and would no longer continue to rent it.

David's visions worsened, occurring in the daytime as well.[2] Twelve days after the original incident, the family summoned the demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren to assist.[7] Lorraine witnessed a black mist materialize next to David, an indication of a malevolent presence. Debbie and her mother told the Warrens they had seen David being beaten and choked by invisible hands and that red marks had appeared on his neck afterward.[2] David had started to growl, hiss, speak in otherworldly voices, and recite passages from the Bible or Paradise Lost. The Glatzels recounted how each night a family member would remain awake with David as he suffered through spasms and convulsions.[2] After receiving a prognosis of multiple possessions from the Warrens, David was subjected to three "lesser exorcisms.” [2] Lorraine asserts that David levitated, ceased breathing for a time, and even demonstrated the supernatural ability of precognition, specifically in relation to the manslaughter Johnson would later commit.[8] In October 1980, the Warrens contacted Brookfield police to warn them that the situation was becoming dangerous.[7]

According to eyewitness testimony, Arne Johnson coerced one of the demons, purportedly within David, to possess him while participating in David's exorcisms.[2][3] It is here that A Haunting veers away from the circumstances of Johnson's possession as described by those involved. According to the show, a few days after Johnson egged the demon on during the exorcism, he was attacked rather viciously by the demon, which allegedly took control of his car and forced it into a tree, but Johnson was unharmed. After this incident, Johnson returned to the rental property to examine an old well that supposedly housed the demon. In both the dramatized version and his personal account, Johnson said that this was his final encounter with the demon while completely lucid. After encountering the demon at the well, and making eye contact with it, he became possessed. The Warrens claim to have warned him not to do this (although their warning was not mentioned in A Haunting).[7] As David's condition worsened further, Debbie and Johnson, who had been living in her mother's home, decided it was time to move. Debbie was hired by Alan Bono, a new resident in Brookfield, as a dog groomer. Debbie and Johnson began renting an apartment close to her place of employment. After moving in, Johnson started to exhibit odd behavior that was strikingly similar to David's, causing Debbie to fear that he had become possessed as well. According to Debbie, Johnson would fall into a trance-like state, wherein he would growl and hallucinate but later have no memory of it.[2]

The killing

[edit]

On February 16, 1981, Johnson called in sick to his job at Wright Tree Service[7] and joined Debbie at the kennel where she worked, along with his sister Wanda and Debbie's nine-year-old cousin Mary. Bono, the couple's landlord and Debbie's employer at the kennel, bought the group lunch at a local bar and proceeded to drink heavily.[7] After lunch, the group returned to the kennel.[7] Debbie then took the girls to get pizza but insisted they return quickly, anticipating trouble. When they returned, Bono, intoxicated at this point, became agitated.[7] Everyone left the room at Debbie's urging, except Bono, who seized Mary and refused to let go.[7] Johnson headed back to the apartment and ordered Bono to release Mary.[7] Wanda recounted the following events to the police.[7] Mary ran for the car as Debbie attempted to mitigate the situation by standing between the two men.[7] Wanda tried in vain to pull Johnson away. Johnson, growling like an animal, then drew a 5-inch (13 cm) pocket knife and stabbed Bono repeatedly.[7] Bono died several hours later. According to Johnson's lawyer, Bono had suffered "four or five tremendous wounds,” mostly to his chest, and one that stretched from his stomach to the base of his heart.[9] Johnson was discovered 2 miles (3.2 km) from the site of the killing; Sgt. Gordon Fairchild of the Brookfield Police Department, said he helped arrest Johnson on a charge of assault (while Alan Bono was still being treated at the hospital). He said Johnson told him he did not mean to hurt anyone and was unable to remember anything.

While putting him into a police cruiser, Johnson said, “I need help because I’ve got a drinking problem,” Fairchild said. When Johnson was informed at police headquarters that Bono had died, Fairchild said the suspect became incoherent and then fell asleep for 20 to 25 minutes.

When Johnson awoke, Police Detective Sgt. John Lucas advised him of his rights and charged Arne Johnson with first-degree murder;[10] he was held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center on bail of $125,000.[2] This was the first unlawful killing in the history of Brookfield, Connecticut.[2]

[edit]

The day after the killing, Lorraine Warren informed the Brookfield Police that Johnson was possessed when the crime was committed.[7] A "media blitz" soon surrounded the story, fueled in part by the Warrens, whose agents promised that lectures, a book, and a movie detailing the gruesome case were in the works.[7] Martin Minnella, Johnson's lawyer, received calls from all over the world about what was being called the "Demon Murder Trial.” Minnella traveled to England to meet with lawyers who had been involved in two similar cases (though neither went to trial). He planned to bring in exorcism specialists from Europe and threatened to subpoena the priests who oversaw David Glatzel's exorcisms if they did not cooperate with the defense.[2][7]

The trial took place in Connecticut's Superior Court in Danbury, beginning on October 28, 1981.[2][11] Minnella attempted to submit a plea of not guilty by virtue of possession, but the presiding judge, Robert Callahan, promptly rejected this defense. Callahan argued that no such defense could ever exist in a court of law due to lack of evidence and that it would be "irrelative and unscientific" to allow related testimony. The defense chose to imply that Johnson acted in self-defense.[2][4][12] Because of this, the jury was not legally allowed to consider demonic possession as a viable explanation for the killing.[13] The jury deliberated for 15 hours over three days before convicting Johnson on November 24, 1981, of first-degree manslaughter. On December 18, 1981, he was sentenced to 10–20 years in prison, though he served only five (or approximately one month short of five years).[4][12][13][14]

Aftermath

[edit]

Lorraine Warren defended her work with the family, claiming that the six priests who were involved in the incident agreed at the time that the boy was possessed and that the supernatural events she described were real.[3] No independent verification of this claim about the priests' alleged views was provided. Glatzel's father, Carl Glatzel Sr., denies telling the author that his son was possessed.[8] Johnson and Debbie (now married) wholeheartedly support the Warrens' account of demonic possession and have stated that the litigants were suing simply for the money.[8]

Depiction in media

[edit]

Book

[edit]

In 1983 Gerald Brittle, with the assistance of Lorraine Warren, published a book about the incident entitled The Devil in Connecticut.[6] Lorraine Warren stated that profits from the book were shared with the family.[8][6] Sources confirmed that $2,000 was paid to the family by the book publisher.[8]

Upon the book's republication in 2006 by iUniverse, David Glatzel and his brother, Carl Glatzel Jr., sued the authors and book publishers for violating their right to privacy, libel, and "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Carl also claimed that the book alleged he committed criminal and abusive acts against his family and others.[12][13] He said that the possession story was a hoax concocted by Ed and Lorraine Warren to exploit the family and his brother's mental illness, and that the book presented him as the villain because he did not believe in the supernatural claims.[3] He asserted that the Warrens told him the story would make the family millionaires and would help get Johnson out of jail.[12] Brittle, author of The Devil in Connecticut, says he wrote the book because "the family wanted the story told," that he possesses videos of over 100 hours of his interviews with the family, and that they signed off on the book as accurate before it went to print.[3]

According to Carl Glatzel, the publicity generated by the incident forced him to drop out of school and lose friends and business opportunities.[3] In 2007 he began writing a book, titled Alone Through the Valley, about his version of the events surrounding his brother.[12]

Film

[edit]

The event inspired the premise of the 2021 film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.[15] An earlier made-for-TV-film based on the case, The Demon Murder Case, was produced in 1983 and starred Kevin Bacon.[16] Netflix produced a documentary in 2023, The Devil On Trial, based on this case.[17] It includes interviews with Carl Glatzel, whose comments suggest a naturalistic alternative to demonic possession: the influence of Sominex.[18]

Television

[edit]

The incident led to the creation, in 1983, of a television film titled The Demon Murder Case on NBC, and preparations for a feature film, the production of which was stalled due to internal conflicts.[3][8]

The Discovery Channel’s paranormal series A Haunting produced the episode Where Demons Dwell based on David’s possession and the Warrens' investigation. The episode omitted the preceding of Arne’s crimes. In 2021, the TV series Shock Docs produced an episode titled The Devil Made Me Do It based on this case. Some deemed it more accurate than The Conjuring film, even if the events were depicted too dramatically.[19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Arne Cheyenne Johnson | Archives & Special Collections". Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Baranski, Lynne (1981-10-26). "In a Connecticut Murder Trial, Will (demonic) Possession Prove Nine-Tenths of the Law?". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Piro, John (2007-10-10). "Brookfield man sues over 'demon' book". The News-Times. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c "THE REGION; Man Is Convicted In Friend's Death". New York Times. 1981-11-25. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  5. ^ Cleninden, Dudley (23 March 1981). "Defendant in a Murder Puts the Devil on Trial". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Brittle, Gerald (1983). The Devil in Connecticut. Bantam Books. ISBN 9780553237146.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Darling, Lynn (1981-09-13). "By Demons Possessed". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2021-06-29.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Christoffersen, John (2007-10-10). "Suit vs. psychic says demon murder was hoax". Record-Journal.
  9. ^ Bean, Phillip (2003). Crime. Taylor & Francis. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-415-25268-3.
  10. ^ "Victim Stabbed Five Times" (PDF). Manchester Evening Herald. Danbury (UPI). November 13, 1981. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  11. ^ Benjamin, Scott (2007-10-12). "'Devil' book reissuance leads to suit". Brookfield Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  12. ^ a b c d e Murphy, Alex (2007-10-08). "Brothers sue world famous psychic Lorraine Warren for false accusations in Devil book". Mass Media Distribution Newswire. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  13. ^ a b c Pionzio, Melissa (2007-10-14). "Factual Exorcism Book Evokes Past Pain". The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  14. ^ Woodward, Walter (18 December 2020). "Connecticut's 20th Century "Demonic Possession" Murder Case". Today in Connecticut History. Office of the Connecticut State Historian. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021. A jury found Johnson guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced on December 18, 1981 to the maximum 10 – 20 years in prison.
  15. ^ Dressler, Jacob (8 December 2019). "'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It' Official Title Of 'The Conjuring 3'; Releases September 2020". ScreenGeek. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  16. ^ Mazzeo, Esme (2023-10-28). "Everything we know about the Glatzels — the family from Netflix's 'The Devil on Trial' who inspired a 'Conjuring' movie". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  17. ^ "The True Story Behind 'The Devil on Trial'". TIME. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  18. ^ Lloyd, Sophie (2023-10-18). "'Devil on Trial' Shock Reveal—Can Sleeping Pills Really Mimic Possession?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  19. ^ Cotter, Padraig (24 October 2022). "The Devil Made Me Do It Documentary Uncovered Conjuring 3's True Story". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
[edit]
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