Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In February 1981, a man named Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed his landlord Alan Bono four times in the chest. After Bono died, authorities arrested Johnson for the landlord’s murder. However, during the trial, Johnson denied killing his landlord based on claims of demonic possession. The shocking case of Arne Cheyenne Johnson’s alleged possession is featured in the Netflix documentary The Devil on Trial.
Authorities apprehended Arne Cheyenne Johnson for the murder of Alan Bono and leveled charges of first-degree manslaughter against him. Fox News reported that during his arrest, Johnson said that he didn’t remember killing someone and called Bono his “friend.” During the pre-trial hearing, Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charges. Moreover, in one of the pre-trial hearings, he asserted that the devil had possessed him at the time he murdered Bono, per Associated Press.
Although the case went on to garner considerable attention, the judge refuted Johnson’s claims and didn’t allow his team to use any exorcism evidence as the defending argument. As a result, it became difficult for them to defend their client. The court eventually found Arne Cheyenne Johnson guilty and sentenced him to 10 to 20 years in prison, according to Time Magazine. However, authorities released Johnson after he served almost five years in prison for good behavior.
Although there’s little information about Johnson’s whereabouts, Business Insider reported that he worked as a landscaper after getting out of prison.
The Devil Made Me Do It case explored
The documentary The Devil on Trial came forward with many startling details about the crime and what led to Bono’s murder. Time Magazine reported that an 11-year-old boy named David Glatzel was possessed by the devil in 1980. He encountered the devil for the first time in Arne Cheyenne Johnson and Debbie’s house. David was Debbie’s little brother. In the documentary, Glatzel talked about the devil and said, “It looked like the devil from a Halloween costume.”
When the situation escalated beyond control, they called famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for the exorcism. After the duo got approval from the Catholic Church, they initiated the exorcism process. However, David struggled during the exorcism, and Johnson instructed the demons to leave the kid and take him instead. Moreover, Time Magazine stated that the demon resettled in Johnson’s body and resurfaced five months after the exorcism. On this occasion, the demon took over Johnson’s body and compelled him to kill Alan Bono.
During the trial, the defense team tried to prove how a demon forced Johnson to kill Alan Bono, but the court didn’t allow them to move forward with demonic possession claims. On the other hand, Arne Cheyenne Johnson’s sister signed police statements in which they confirmed that they saw their brother stabbing Bono. As per Time Magazine, Johnson’s team of lawyers changed their strategy and noted that he killed Bono in self-defense. By doing so, Johnson aimed to secure a conviction for manslaughter rather than first-degree murder.
Johnson served only five years in prison
The gamble worked, and the jury convicted him of manslaughter in the first degree. While in prison, he married Debbie Glatzel and received a high school degree. Associated Press noted that he received a lot of educational certificates during his sentence. Citing the authorities, the Associated Press stated, “His mental condition was carefully examined. They found no negative factors.”
The case went on to become a phenomenon in popular culture. In 1983, a film titled The Demon Murder Case was loosely based on the brutal slaying. Most recently, in 2021, the third film in The Conjuring franchise explored Arne Cheyenne Johnson’s story in great detail. Titled The Devil Made Me Do It, the film primarily focused on Johnson’s possession and the slaying.
