The Devil Made Me Do It

In 1981, a 19-year-old man named Arne Cheyenne Johnson stood before a Connecticut judge and entered a plea that had never been used in American legal history: not guilty by reason of demonic possession. He claimed that a demon had entered his body during a failed exorcism and forced him to stab his landlord, Alan Bono, to death. The case became a media sensation, inspiring books, documentaries, and the Conjuring film franchise. But the truth behind the "Devil Made Me Do It" defense is far stranger—and more disturbing—than any movie.

In this episode, we investigate the case that blurred the line between supernatural horror and cold-blooded murder. We trace the timeline: the alleged possession of 11-year-old David Glatzel, the exorcism performed by Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the moment Johnson claimed the demon jumped from the boy into him. We examine the evidence that the prosecution presented—the autopsy, the witness testimony, and the question that haunts the case to this day: Was Arne Johnson a victim of demonic forces, or a young man who committed murder and needed an excuse? The judge rejected the possession defense. Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 20 years. He served five. But the question remains: What really happened in Brookfield, Connecticut, on February 16, 1981?

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