The true story behind Netflix’s The Devil on Trial is more baffling than anything you’ll see on screen.

A new spooky true crime documentary on Netflix sounds like something that should be a horror movie – and that's because it is. 

The Devil on Trial explores the first (and only) time when demonic possession was used as a defence in a murder trial in the US, which inspired the 2021 horror movie sequel The Conjuring: The Devil Told Me To Do It. 

The documentary takes a look back at the 'Devil Made Me Do It' case, the trial of 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, and plays actual recordings of alleged possessions and exorcisms.  

What is Netflix's The Devil on Trial about? 

The Netflix documentary will reexamine the 'Devil Made Me Do It' case, which is the story of Arne Cheyenne Johnson who claimed he'd been possessed by a demon when he murdered his landlord Alan Bono in 1981. 

The film sheds light on the events that led up to the murder and the following trial that took place, featuring interviews with the people involved, along with reenactments and home videos.

The Netflix documentary aims to start "a new conversation about what happens when assumptions about reality are in direct conflict with strongly held beliefs".

The movie begins with a cassette labeled “possessed child speaking vulgarities, 8/14/80.” The youngest brother-in-law of Arne Johnson, David Glatzer, claims to have been the one initially possessed when he was young boy, and begins the documentary by saying, “When I was 11, I was possessed by the devil.”

Watch The Devil On Trial trailer here. Post continues after video.

What's the true story The Devil on Trial is based on?

Arne Cheyenne Johnson's story begins with a young David Glatzer, whose sister Debbie was engaged to Johnson.

In the early 1980s, David lived in Connecticut with his parents and three siblings, Debbie, Alan and Carl, all of whom feature in the documentary besides Debbie who has since passed away.  

David says that one day as the family was moving into a new home, when he was in his new bedroom, he could feel someone watching him. He claims he was then knocked over by an invisible force, which was the start of what the family claims was David's possession. 

The house would frequently shake and David started to have violent and explicit outbursts where he had to be physically restrained.  "He would kick, bite, spit, swear - terrible words," David's mother told The New York Times in 1981.

At this point, his mother decided to contact Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were known as paranormal investigators and self-professed demonologists. At the time, the Warrens were most known for their investigation into the haunting of the Amityville house where Robert DeFeo murdered six of his family members.

The couple recommended the family start documenting the strange behaviour.

The Warrens claimed that they found "43 demons" inhabiting the boy's body. In a 1981 interview with PEOPLE, Lorraine spoke about her experience with David. "The child was complaining that invisible hands were choking him — and there were red marks on him," she described. 

“David made numerous references to murder and stabbings."

David Glatzel and parents. Image: Netflix. 

Each night, a family member had to stay awake to keep watch over David, who would often randomly break out into 30-minute frenzies of sit-ups.

The possessions became so severe that the family recruited a Catholic priest to perform an exorcism, but then something unexpected happened.

Arne noticed David was struggling during the exorcism and he intervened. “I yelled at this thing to the top of my lungs,” he said in the documentary. “I said, ‘Leave this little kid alone. Take me on. I’m here. Take me on.’ I felt this coldness come over me, ice cold. Lorraine said, ‘Oh my God, what did you do?’”

It is presumed that the spirit or entity then entered Arne. 

Five months later, 19-year-old Arne and his then-fiancée Debbie were out with 40-year-old landlord and dog groomer, Alan Bono. The night would end with Arne fatally stabbing Alan four times in the chest. Arne claims that he blacked out and has no recollection of killing Bono. 

Arne Cheyenne Johnson. Image: Netflix. 

Arne was arrested on a first-degree manslaughter charge but plead not guilty, becoming the first and only person in the US to use "demonic possession" as a defence in a murder trial. Lorraine told police that Johnson was possessed when the crime was committed.

But not everyone agrees that Arne was innocent. Debbie's brother, Carl, disputes Arne's story. “The murder of Alan Bono, I never even thought it was connected to David,” Carl says in the film. “There’s nothing demonic in this. Arne was very possessive of Debbie. There was speculations and rumors that Debbie was having an affair with Alan Bono..”

As Arne's case went to trial, judge Robert Callahan rejected the defense that Johnson was possessed. The jury deliberated over the course of three days and eventually convicted Johnson of first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 10-20 years in prison, but he was released after five years for good behaviour.

Did the real story inspire The Conjuring?

The 2021 horror movie sequel The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was inspired by Ed and Lorraine Warren's investigations into David Glatzel and Arne Cheyenne Johnson. 

Where can I watch The Devil on Trial?

The full documentary is streaming on Netflix. 

Feature image: Netflix.