"The Devil Made Me Do It" case is the popularized name for the truly strange trial of 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who, per the New York Times, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for killing his landlord in 1981. The most bizarre part was the defense that he used in court: demonic possession. Apparently, a demon from 11-year-old David Glatzel's body took host in Johnson (the fiancé of David's sister Debbie), according to witnesses of Glatzel's exorcism. The Glatzel family had moved into a new rental home in Brookfield, CT, when David started saying that an old man would steal his soul. David had night terrors and unexplained cuts and bruises in addition to bizarre behavior. That's when the Warrens got involved and determined that there was a malevolent spirit afoot.
According to AP News, the demonic possession defense didn't stick in court, but Johnson only served five years of a sentence of up to 20. The incident inspired a TV movie on NBC called "The Demon Murder Case" and Gerald Brittle's book, "The Devil in Connecticut" (the latter was written with Lorraine Warren's help). Per The News-Times, The Glatzels later sued the publisher because of how its publication affected their family. Carl Glatzel, David's brother, said that the story was a hoax conjured by the Warrens to exploit the family. "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" explores this case further.
