In the new film “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”, the trial of Arne Johnson is explored. Johnson is on trial for murder. His defense: not guilty by way of demonic possession.

There have been other instances of this defense outside the U.S., but unfortunately for Johnson, Judge Robert Callahan refused his defense due to its unexplainable nature. Johnson’s attorney then plead self defense instead in order to get around the halting of their demonic defense.

“While admitting he’s not sure whether demon possession is possible,” Callahan said, “He knows it’s not a legal defense and considers evidence of it irrelevant, unprovable and needlessly confusing to a jury,” The Courant reported.

In an interview with People, Johnson’s girlfriend at the time, Debbie Glatzel explained Johnson’s behavior and how it was similar to her brother’s possession.

“[He] would go into a trance,” Glatzel told People. “He would growl and say he saw the beast. Later he would have no memory of it. It was just like David.”

According to the family, Johnson’s possession began after he told the demons inhabiting David’s body to take him instead during an exorcism. Not long after said exorcism, Johnson killed Alan Bono with a pocket knife on Feb. 16, 1981, according to the Virginia law archives.

In an interview at the time of the murder, Glatzel explained how Johnson prompted the demons to enter him.

“He wanted to do what he could to help David,” Glatzel said. “He said, ‘I’m not afraid of you. I’ll fight you.’ I said, ‘Oh my God, Cheyenne,’ why did you say that?’ He said, ‘I don’t like to see your brother like that.’ “

Arne was eventually found guilty of first degree manslaughter and sentenced to 10 to 20 years. He served five years of his sentence due to good behavior and married Debbie while imprisoned.

There are few other reported cases of attempted defenses of demonic possession, but on the flip side many people who attempt to perform exorcisms that end badly are left with murder charges. 

Skeptics of demonic possession are quick to deny the defendants’ claims after a death caused by an exorcism and because of this, there is a continued question of how to handle such cases. Due to the inability to prove or deny possession, like Johnson’s judge, many judges find the claims to be unable to stand in court. 

Something used in the film by Ed Warren, a demonologist who aided Arne Johnson, was the fact that people are sworn in on a Bible in court. Therefore, he believed it was unfair to accept the realness of God but not the Devil.