On the evening of February 16, 1981, nineteen-year-old Arne Johnson stabbed his friend and landlord Alan Bono to death during an argument, after which Johnson fled the scene and was arrested several miles away later that night. Under normal circumstances, the murder of one man by another in a small town would hardly register on the scale of national, or even regional news, but if Arne Johnson was to be believed, these weren’t ordinary circumstances. According to Arne, the devil made him do it.
Thank you to Dave White for research assistance.
References:
Associated Press. 1986. "Man released early in 'demon murder case'." Hartford Courant, January 23: 47.
Brozek, Diane. 1981. "Teen-ager charged in 'possession' case." Hartford Courant, March 20: 11.
Carl Glatzel Jr. et al v. Gerald Brittle et al. 2010. DBCV-08-4008461-S (Connecticut Superior Court Judicial District of Danbury, October 25).
Christoffersen, John. 2007. "Suit vs. psychic says demon murder was a hoax." Record-Journal, October 10: M3.
Clendinen, Dudley. 1981. "Defendant in murder puts the devil on trial." New York Times, March 23: B1.
Galup. n.d. Religion. Accessed May 10, 2023. https://news.gallup.com/poll/1690/religion.aspx.
Harris, John. 1981. "Bizarre happenings surround killing in Brookfield." Hartford Courant, February 27: 2.
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—. 1981. "A judge Wednesday threw out the 'demon defense'." United Press International, October 28.
—. 1981. "Judge Robert J. Callahan Thursday refused to reconsider his decision." United Press International, October 29.
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Pionzio, Melissa. 2007. "'Factual' exorcism book evokes past pain." Hartford Courant, October 14: B1.
Putcamp, Luise. 1981. "Supernatural episodes form prelude to killing." Buffalo Evening News, July 30: 1.
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United Press International. 1981. "'Demon slayer' gets 10-to-20 year sentence." United Press International, December 18.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. n.d. Exorcism. Accessed May 8, 2023. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/exorcism.
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