Arne Cheyenne Johnson purportedly (his defense claimed) was under the influence of demonic possession when he stabbed Alan Bono more than 20 times with a pocketknife on February 16, 1981. The history behind the recent film, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, is so incredible it is hard to believe.
The violence of the murder shocked the small town of Brookline, Connecticut which had never seen a single homicide in its 193-year history. That wouldn’t be the only first in the town’s history, in fact, the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson was the first criminal trial case in which the defendant claimed to be not responsible for the crime because he was under the influence of demonic possession.
Naturally, this true history made for an electric movie script for the studios who have a habit of using the “based on a true story” concept to enhance horror films. It’s said that during the exorcism of 11-year-old David Glatzel there were an identified 42 different demons inside the boy. During the exorcism, Arne supposedly challenged the demons to leave David and take him instead. This is what’s seen in the movie.
Gerald Brittle documents the terrifying possession of 11-year-old David Glatzel in his book The Devil in Connecticut. ‘From this New York Times bestselling author comes a shocking case of demonic possession, exorcism, and murder starring the legendary demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who battled the Amityville Horror and whose real-life case files inspired The Conjuring Universe, which includes The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Nun films.‘
Arne Cheyenne Johnson
On November 24, 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the murder of Alan Bono, his landlord on February 16, 1981. Arne was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. He served only 5 years and was released on good behavior.
Supposedly 11-year-old David Glatzel was a walking host for a powerful demon that plagued the Glatzel family for years. Exhausted and defeated, the family requested the help of famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Upon their arrival, they were convinced that this was a real case of demonic possession. They quickly petitioned the Catholic church for permission to perform an exorcism.
During the exorcism of David Glatzel, it’s said, the demon escaped the young boy and took up residence in the 19-year-old Arne after he challenged it and offered up himself instead. Arne then went on to murder his landlord.
Gerald Brittle documents the terrifying possession of 11-year-old David Glatzel led by the infamous Ed and Loraine Warren in his book The Devil in Connecticut. Check the price on Amazon.
After a heated argument between Arne and his landlord Alan Bono, Arne murdered Alan by stabbing him repeatedly with a pocketknife. Unfortunately for Arne, the court ruled that a defense of demonic possession could never be proven and was therefore infeasible in a court of law.
The murder of Alan Bono is alarming, given the fact that Arne Johnson had never committed a crime before. However, this was not enough to convince a jury of his innocence.
Martin Minnella, Arne’s defense attorney argued for a defense based on demonic possession, citing some British court cases where such a defense was permitted. The judge in Arne’s trial, Judge Robert Callahan, did not allow it. Martin instead chose to go with self-defense.
Attributions
CC BY Image courtesy of The Courtroom Sketches of Ida Libby Dengrove, University of Virginia Law Library
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