Trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson

The United States' first known court case where a defense argued demonic possession to prove innocence was the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, often referred to as the "Devil Made Me Do It" case. Johnson was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter on November 24, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, for the death of his landlord, Alan Bono.

The Glatzel family testified that 12-year-old David Glatzel had been hosting a demon. After a series of increasingly troubling events involving David, his frightened and exhausted family sought help from Ed and Lorraine Warren as a last resort. The Warrens and the Glatzels then arranged for multiple priests to request a formal exorcism from the Catholic Church for David. This process lasted several days, ending when, according to those present, a demon left David's body and entered Johnson. These events were recorded in Gerald Brittle's book The Devil in Connecticut.

Months later, Johnson killed his landlord at a party. His lawyer argued in court that Johnson was possessed, but the judge ruled this defense could not be proven and was not viable in a legal setting. Johnson was convicted and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, though he served only five.

The case drew global media attention and gained notoriety through numerous literary and television portrayals. A live-action TV prequel, Where Demons Dwell, aired on August 31, 2006. The story was later adapted into the film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) and a documentary, The Devil on Trial, in 2023.

Arne Cheyenne Johnson and Debbie Glatzel gave firsthand accounts for the Discovery Channel episode "Where Demons Dwell" on A Haunting. They stated their father witnessed demonic possession. Both insisted the Warrens' version of events was accurate. They said paranormal activity began after they went to clean a rental property they had just acquired.

David recalled an old man suddenly appearing, pushing and frightening him. The couple initially thought David was making excuses to avoid cleaning, but David said the old man threatened to harm the Glatzels if they moved in. David's visions included the old man transforming into a demonic beast that muttered Latin and threatened to steal his soul. The family heard strange noises from the attic, but only David saw the old man.

After David experienced night terrors, odd behavior, and unexplained scratches and bruises, a Catholic priest was called to bless the house. The family, terrified, decided not to rent the property.

David's visions worsened, occurring during the day. Twelve days after the first incident, the family called demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Lorraine saw a black mist appear near David, which she interpreted as a malevolent presence. Debbie and her mother told the Warrens they had seen David beaten and choked by invisible hands, leaving red marks on his neck.

David began growling, hissing, speaking in otherworldly voices, and reciting passages from the Bible or Paradise Lost. The Glatzels said a family member stayed awake with David each night as he suffered spasms and convulsions. After the Warrens diagnosed multiple possessions, David underwent three "lesser exorcisms." Lorraine claimed David levitated, stopped breathing for a time, and showed precognition, specifically about the manslaughter Johnson would later commit. In October 1980, the Warrens warned Brookfield police that the situation was becoming dangerous.

According to eyewitness testimony, Arne Johnson challenged one of the demons inside David to possess him during the exorcisms. A Haunting then diverges from the accounts of those involved. In the show, a few days after Johnson provoked the demon, it attacked him, allegedly taking control of his car and driving it into a tree, but Johnson was unharmed. Afterward, Johnson returned to the rental property to inspect an old well believed to house the demon.

In both the dramatized version and his personal account, Johnson said this was his last fully lucid encounter with the demon. After making eye contact with it at the well, he became possessed. The Warrens claimed they warned him not to do this, though A Haunting did not mention this warning. As David's condition worsened, Debbie and Johnson, then living in her mother's home, decided to move.

Debbie was hired by Alan Bono, a new Brookfield resident, as a dog groomer. They rented an apartment near her work. After moving in, Johnson began showing odd behavior similar to David's, leading Debbie to fear he was also possessed. According to Debbie, Johnson would fall into a trance, growl, and hallucinate, but later had no memory of it.

On February 16, 1981, Johnson called in sick to his job at Wright Tree Service and joined Debbie at the kennel where she worked.