"The Devil Made Me Do It" Case - Arne Cheyenne Johnson - Inspired The Conjuring 3

05/25/21 • 45 min

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 defendant's claim of demonic possession and denial of personal responsibility for the crime. On November 24, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the killing of his landlord, Alan Bono.

According to testimony by the Glatzel family, 11-year-old David Glatzel had allegedly played host to a demon. After witnessing a number of increasingly ominous occurrences involving David, the family, exhausted and terrified, decided to enlist the aid of self-described demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren in a last-ditch effort to "cure" David. The Glatzel family, along with the Warrens, then proceeded to have multiple priests petition the Church to have a formal exorcism performed on David.The process continued for several days, concluding when, according to those present, a demon fled the child's body and took up residence within Arne.

Several months later, Arne killed his landlord during a heated conversation. 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. Arne was subsequently convicted, though he only served five years of a 10- to 20-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. The trial was later made into a film adaptation titled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021).

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