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[The Devil Made Me Do It: The Arnie Johnson Case and the Controversial Legacy of the Warrens]-[Episode 465: The Devil Made Me Do It]

Morbid · B2 · 2023-06-05

True crime
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📋 Summary

The Devil Made Me Do It: An Analysis of the Arnie Johnson Case

The case of Arnie Johnson, famously known as the inspiration for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, remains one of the most polarizing events in American true crime and paranormal history. It centers on the 1981 murder of Alan Bono by Arnie Johnson, a crime that Johnson's defense team—backed by the infamous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren—attempted to justify through the claim of demonic possession.

The Roots of the Alleged Possession

The narrative began with David Glatzel, the 11-year-old brother of Johnson’s girlfriend, Debbie. According to the family, David began experiencing terrifying visions of a "fiendish looking figure" described as an "old man burnt and black looking" after moving into a new rental home in Newtown, Connecticut. As the situation escalated, the family reported that David was "physically attacked by an unseen force," suffered from convulsions, and allegedly spoke in Latin. The family sought help from the Catholic Church, leading to a series of "minor exorcisms" performed by unnamed priests, a process the family claimed ultimately failed to fully resolve the issue.

The Role of the Warrens

Ed and Lorraine Warren, self-described demonologists and psychic mediums, were brought in to assist the family. The Warrens claimed that David was possessed by "43" demons. They famously introduced the distinction between a "haunted house and haunted people," arguing that the entities had attached themselves to David and would follow the family wherever they went. It was during this period that Arnie Johnson, then 19, reportedly began to "challenge the demon" to leave David’s body and enter his own, an act the Warrens later cited as the catalyst for his eventual possession.

The Murder of Alan Bono

On February 16, 1981, following a lunch where Johnson and Bono consumed a staggering "13 and 15 glasses of wine" between them, a violent argument erupted. Johnson stabbed Bono four times with a "five-inch folding knife." Bono died from his injuries. While the police viewed this as a straightforward case of a "drunken argument," the Warrens immediately pivoted to the media, asserting that Johnson was under "demonic influence" at the time of the killing.

A Legal Precedent Denied

The ensuing trial became a media circus. Defense attorney Martin Manella sought to argue that Johnson was not responsible for his actions due to demonic possession. However, Superior Court Judge Robert Callahan firmly rejected this, stating that evidence of possession was "simply not relevant" and rooted in "subjective religious beliefs, not scientific fact." The jury eventually found Johnson guilty of first-degree manslaughter, largely dismissing the supernatural defense.

Skepticism and Lasting Controversy

The case faced significant criticism from both legal experts and the paranormal community. Skeptics, including the "Amazing Kreskin," accused the Warrens of "preying on a superstitious public" to boost their own fame. Furthermore, later revelations—including a civil suit filed by David and Carl Glatzel against the author of The Devil in Connecticut—highlighted that family members had vastly different accounts of the events. Carl Glatzel Jr. described the period as a "living hell" and a "nightmare," suggesting that his brother David suffered from undiagnosed mental health issues that required medical intervention rather than theatrical exorcisms.

Ultimately, the case of Arnie Johnson serves as a grim intersection of tragedy, religious fervor, and the dangerous exploitation of vulnerable individuals. While the Warrens turned the events into a cultural phenomenon, the reality remains a sad, confusing narrative where a man lost his life and a family’s private trauma was turned into a public spectacle.

🎯Key Sentences

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I never want to pause it.
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Who am I to say?
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I just cannot get enough of it.
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Religious scary movies have a way of like really scaring the shit out of me.
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I want to be scared in a different way.
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📝Key Phrases

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go out of one's way
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take the guesswork out of
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touch upon
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right off the bat
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back out
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📖 Transcript

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