The Devil Made Me Do It: Arne Cheyenne Johnson

On February 16, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed his landlord, Alan Bono, to death. What followed was unprecedented in American legal history: Johnson’s defense would argue that he was not responsible for the killing because he was possessed by a demon. The case became famous as “The Devil Made Me Do It” trial, and decades later inspired the third Conjuring film.

The Glatzel Family

The case began not with Arne Johnson but with David Glatzel, an eleven-year-old boy. In July 1980, the Glatzel family was preparing a rental property in Brookfield when David encountered something he could not explain. He later described seeing an old man who threatened him, and from that point forward, David began exhibiting disturbing behavior.

David suffered from what his family interpreted as demonic attacks. He would growl, hiss, speak in voices not his own, and display knowledge he should not have possessed. He spoke of seeing a beast-like figure with black eyes, horns, and cloven hooves. The attacks became violent, with David contorting his body into impossible positions and exhibiting apparent superhuman strength.

The family sought help from Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous demonologists who would become central figures in the case.

The Warrens’ Involvement

Ed and Lorraine Warren had already achieved fame through their involvement in the Amityville Horror case. They agreed to help the Glatzel family, bringing in priests to perform exorcisms. Over several months, multiple exorcism rituals were conducted, during which the Warrens documented what they described as clear evidence of demonic possession.

According to the Warrens, David was possessed by multiple demons. During the exorcism sessions, Arne Johnson—who was engaged to David’s sister, Debbie Glatzel—allegedly challenged the demons, telling them to leave the boy and take him instead.

Lorraine Warren later claimed that the demons did exactly that.

The Murder

In the months following the exorcisms, Arne Johnson reportedly began experiencing his own disturbing episodes. He would fall into trance-like states, growl, and exhibit personality changes. On February 16, 1981, during an altercation with Alan Bono—the landlord of his fiancée’s apartment—Johnson stabbed Bono with a five-inch pocket knife, killing him.

Witnesses described Johnson as going into a trance-like state before the attack. His eyes reportedly rolled back in his head, and he seemed unaware of his actions.

The Trial

Johnson’s attorney, Martin Minnella, attempted to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of demonic possession—the first such defense in American legal history. The strategy was to argue that Johnson was not in control of his actions when he killed Bono because a supernatural entity had taken control of his body.

Judge Robert Callahan rejected the possession defense, ruling that it could not be demonstrated in a court of law. Johnson was instead allowed to plead self-defense and not guilty, but the possession evidence was largely excluded.

On November 24, 1981, Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to ten to twenty years in prison. He served five years before being released on parole for good behavior.

Aftermath

Arne Johnson and Debbie Glatzel married after his release from prison. They maintained that the possession was real and that Arne was not responsible for his actions.

The case became controversial within the Glatzel family itself. Carl Glatzel Jr., David’s older brother, later claimed that the entire possession was fabricated by the Warrens and their family, asserting that David suffered from mental illness rather than demonic possession. He sued Lorraine Warren and Gerald Brittle (author of a book about the case) for defamation, though the lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful.

The case inspired the 2021 film “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” which took significant creative liberties with the actual events.

Assessment

The Arne Cheyenne Johnson case raises fundamental questions about the intersection of religious belief, mental illness, and criminal responsibility. Whether David Glatzel was genuinely possessed or suffering from a psychological condition, whether Arne Johnson truly believed he was taken over by demons or was simply looking for a defense—these questions remain unanswered.

What is certain is that the case pushed the boundaries of what could be argued in an American courtroom. The possession defense failed legally, but it captured public imagination and became a landmark in the cultural history of demonic possession in America.