Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Conjuring 3.
The Conjuring films — and the eighth in the franchise universe overall — may be the most disturbing movie to date because it depicts aspects of Arne Cheyenne Johnson's murder of landlord Alan Bono. All of the films are based on Ed and Lorraine Warren's paranormal case files (all of which are embellished to various degrees), but in lieu of a haunting, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It turns its focus to a real-life court, and highly publicized, case and the events leading up to it.
Set in 1981, the horror sequel sees Ed and Lorraine called in to investigate the case of David Glatzel, who is presumably possessed by a demon. When an exorcism goes awry, Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor), the boyfriend of David's sister Debbie, provokes the demon to leave David alone and take him instead. Shortly thereafter, Johnson kills his landlord and claims he did it while possessed. The murder itself is blacked out in the film, though the general summary of events that audiences saw are based on Johnson, Debbie, and the Warrens' s of what happened during this time.
However, there are certain details about Johnson's case, as well as what happened to him after, that The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It doesn't really focus on. Here is what happened to Arne Johnson leading up to the murder and the life he led following his sentencing.
The True Story Behind The Conjuring 3’s Arne Johnson
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It isn't all fiction when it comes to depicting aspects of Arne Cheyenne Johnson's and the murder he commits. According to Ed and Lorraine Warren, Arne was indeed present during the exorcism of David Glatzel, the brother of his girlfriend Debbie, in which he taunted the supposed demon possessing David. The exorcisms, because there were more than one, occurred in the summer and fall of 1980. Following the exorcisms, Debbie told police that Johnson started acting weird — he would growl like an animal and hallucinate, followed by no recollection of any of these behaviors. It was similar to how David acted when he was presumably possessed (David's brother Carl, who isn't in the film, believes his brother had a mental illness).
While the actual events of the exorcism are up for debate, the facts are that Johnson stabbed Alan Bono, his and Debbie's landlord multiple times with a five-inch pocket knife after previously going to lunch with him, Johnson's two sisters, Debbie and her younger cousin, where Bono allegedly became drunk. After getting home, Bono and Johnson reportedly got into a fight right before the latter killed Bono. The murder was the first to ever occur in Brookfield, Connecticut at the time, which is why it was so shocking to the community at large. Johnson was found by the cops two miles from where he killed Bono that same day, claiming he didn't what happened. Debbie alleges Johnson was in a trance during the stabbing. He was arrested and taken into custody, pleading not guilty to Bono's murder on of demonic possession. At the time, the Warrens were major players in publicizing what happened because of their prior involvement in David's exorcism, though Carl Glatzel argues they were in it for the money and attention.
Arne Johnson’s Trial & Demonic Possession Defense
Johnson's trial began in October 1981 and, while his defense attorney Martin Minnella, backed the claim that Johnson had been possessed when he murdered Bono and believed the defense to be legitimate, Judge Robert Callahan rejected the defense and threw it out because he didn't think it could be genuinely backed up by evidence. The case itself made headlines and waves on of it being the first "devil made me do it" defense on record in the U.S. However, the jury never heard any arguments regarding the possession because it never got past the judge. After 15 hours of jury deliberation, which took place over the course of three days, Johnson was charged with first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to serve 10-20 years in prison. He was only in prison for five years, however, getting out early on parole for good behavior.
What The Conjuring 3 Changed About Arne Johnson's Story
For one thing, Johnson's case didn't actually involve an occultist who wanted him to murder someone before dying by suicide. That part of the story was created solely for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and had no bearing on any of the real-life events the film depicts. Because of The Occultist's presence in the horror sequel, the time Johnson spends in prison before his trial is also changed to reflect the fictitious nature of the film as there are no s of him attempting suicide or of anything out of the ordinary occurring during his lock-up..
The film also changed Johnson's relationship with Bono. Many have claimed that the two were friends before Johnson killed him, which is why they went out to lunch together the day of the crime. The police argued that the pair's argument on the day of the murder stemmed from Johnson's jealousy over Debbie and Bono's relationship, which they suspected to have been more than platonic. The film touches upon some of this tension between them, but doesn't spend too much time on Bono (who is renamed Bruno Sauls in the film).
What Happened To Arne Johnson After The Conjuring 3
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It glossed over Johnson's actual trial to instead focus on The Occultist. Johnson and Glatzel stayed together throughout the years, with the couple marrying while Johnson was still in prison. There isn't much information regarding what happened to him after he was released and he's largely kept the details of his life private. What information can be gleaned comes mostly from Lorraine Warren, who once revealed that Johnson had gotten a job with a landscaper after getting out of prison and was settling back into his life while surrounded by family.
He was 24 when he was released from prison in 1986; he had also obtained his high school diploma while behind bars. After getting out on parole, Johnson moved in with Debbie and her parents. The couple went on to have two children together, though Debbie ed away before the release of The Conjuring 3. Johnson himself has not really discussed the murder outside of court, though he and Debbie are the only of the family who still stand by the Warrens' of what happened and continued to believe that Johnson was indeed possessed when he killed Bono. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It provides the audience a couple of tidbits about what happened to Johnson after he committed the crime, but he has maintained a low profile since.
