From the Enfield poltergeist to the terrifying Annabelle doll, the Conjuring universe has at all times drawn from precise tales. Headed to HBO Max this June, The Conjuring 3: The Satan Made Me Do It takes a step in a true-crime path, following paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they delve into Arne Cheyenne Johnson and David Glatzel’s demonic possession case. When you’re a mystical fanatic, likelihood is you have possible heard of Johnson’s “The Satan Made Me Do It” story. After fatally stabbing his landlord, 19-year-old Johnson tried to make use of demonic possession as a protection in courtroom.

Earlier than you try The Conjuring’s interpretation of this unusual true story, here is what that you must know concerning the homicide and the way the Warrens acquired concerned within the case.

How the Homicide Unfolded

The homicide occurred in February 1981 within the small city of Brookfield, CT, which had by no means seen a homicide after almost 200 years of existence. Cheyenne Johnson, a tree arborist, was arguing along with his 40-year-old landlord, Alan Bono. Unexpectedly, Johnson, who had no prior felony file, repeatedly plunged a five-inch pocket knife into Bono’s chest and killed him. Johnson’s fiancée, Debbie Glatzel, watched in horror because the homicide unfolded, however she would later come to his protection in courtroom.

How the Warrens Turned Concerned

To get a full image of the supernatural background of this case, we have to rewind to a yr earlier than the homicide. For the reason that summer season of 1980, Glatzel’s 11-year-old brother, David, had been seeing “a person with massive black eyes, a skinny face with animal options and jagged enamel, pointed ears, horns, and hoofs.” He writhed on his mattress, shouting, spitting, and kicking — David apparently flinched from invisible knife cuts and invisible fingers choking him. Glatzel requested Johnson to maneuver in together with her household to assist together with her brother’s state of affairs. Her dad and mom even introduced in a priest to bless the home, however nothing appeared to work. They ultimately recruited the Warrens, who knowledgeable them that there have been 43 demons inside David.

Johnson and Glatzel moved out of Glatzel’s household house as a result of David’s troubles and habits turned an excessive amount of for them. Based on Johnson, he dared David’s demons to enter his personal physique throughout an exorcism and killed his landlord whereas he was possessed. Earlier than Bono’s homicide, Glatzel recalled her boyfriend coming into unusual trances. 4 months earlier than the homicide, Lorraine apparently even referred to as the police to warn them that there was hazard within the Glatzel family. She later helped Gerald Brittle write The Satan in Connecticut, which carefully follows this odd case.

What Occurred in Court docket and Afterward

A number of months after Bono’s dying, Johnson pleaded not responsible to his homicide cost, claiming that the satan made him do it. A superior courtroom decide would not permit Johnson’s protection of innocence by demonic possession, so issues did not pan out in courtroom. Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter, spending 5 years in jail. He later married Glatzel in 1984 whereas nonetheless serving his sentence. The couple have backed up the Warrens’ model of the story, however Glatzel’s siblings, David and Carl, later claimed the Warrens fabricated the demonic possession hoax to benefit from David’s psychological sickness.