The Devil Made Me Do It
Morbid
06/05/23
•77m
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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.
—. 1981. "Critics bedevil demonolgist, attorney in slaying case ." Hartford Courant, June 22: B1.
—. 1981. "'Demon' murder case sent to Danbury jury." Hartford Courant, November 21: 8.
—. 1981. "Exorcism, demons' role argued." Hartford Courant, March 15: 1.
—. 1981. "Johnson guilty in demons case." Hartford Courant, November 25: 1.
—. 1981. "Judge bars demonic possession defense." Hartford Courant, October 29: 1.
Healion, James. 1981. "A barmaid testified Thursday that murder suspect Arne Cheyenne..." United Press International, November 5.
—. 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.
—. 1981. "The murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson in Danbury." United Press International, November 13.
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.
—. 1981. "Suspect's alibi: He was possessed." Buffalo Evening News, August 5: 2.
Stagis, Julie. 2014. "Killer's defense: He was possessed." Hartford Courant, April 22: B1.
2006. A Haunting. Directed by Stuart Taylor. Produced by Tom Naughton.
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.
Walzer, E.B. 1982. "Appeal dropped in 'demon' case." The Reporter Dispatch, March 19: 2.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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Previous Episode
The Pamela Smart Case (Part2)
June 1, 2023
•99m
A little after 10:00 pm on the evening of May 1, 1990, Pamela Smart returned home from work to find her husband, twenty-four-year-old Gregg Smart, lying dead just beyond the front door of their condominium, a single bullet hole in his head. Detectives from the small town of Derry, NH arrived to find what appeared to be the scene of a robbery; though, very little looked to have been stolen and to investigators the scene felt staged. Two days later, Derry Police Captain Loring Jackson announced that Gregg Smart’s death wasn’t a random attacked, he’d been murdered by someone who knew him. The murder of Gregg Smart, and the trial that followed, shocked the population of New Hampshire, where it remains perhaps the most notorious criminal trial in the state’s history. As the first criminal trial to be televised from beginning to end, the case of Pamela Smart and her teenage lover captivated a national audience, leading to television and feature films, several nonfiction books, and countless television specials in the decades that followed.
Special thank you to the brilliant David White for research assistance
References
Baker, Frank. 1990. "Smart to be jailed until trial." Concord Monitor, August 14: 1.
—. 1990. "Widow charged as accomplice." Concord Monitor, August 2: 14.
Carton, Barbara. 1991. "The Pamela Smart story." Boston Globe, Marcg 21.
1991. NH v. Smart: Opening Statements. Directed by Court TV. Performed by Court TV.
Derry News. 1990. "Family and friends puzzle over murder." Derry News, May 4: 1.
Englade, Ken. 1991. Deadly Lessons. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
Gaines, Judith, and Alexander Reid. 1991. "Jurors say tales a key to their decision." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
Hernandez, Monica. 2023. Accomplice in Smart murder asks for sentence reduction. January 10. Accessed May 1, 2023. https://www.wmur.com/article/smart-murder-vance-lattime-sentence-reduction/42449265.
Hohler, Bob. 1991. "3 guilty in N.H. killing." Boston Globe, January 30: 1.
—. 1991. "Confidant was wired by police." Boston Globe, March 15: 21.
—. 1991. "Smart is found guilty." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
—. 1991. "Smart pleaded for life, N.H. teen-ager testifies." Boston Globe, March 6: 19.
—. 1991. "Tales of seduction." Boston Globe, March 12: 1.
—. 1990. "Tape offered at Smart hearing." Boston Globe, August 14.
—. 1991. "Witness: Smart asked for tips on reaction." Boston Globe, March 3: 27.
—. 1991. "Youth says blood flowed, tears did not." Boston Globe, March 13: 35.
Kilgannon, Corey. 2023. "Smart, who plotted with a teen lover to kill her husband, loses a parole bid." New York Times, March 30.
Kittredge, Clare. 1991. "A verdict to take to son's grave." Boston Globe, March 23: 1.
—. 1991. "Smart trial garners big TV audience." Boston Globe, March 17: 1.
Richardson, Franci. 1990. "Mrs. Smart absolutely convinced husband surprised thief." Derry News, May 9: 1.
Sawicki, Stephen. 1991. Teach Me to Kill: The Shocking True Story of the Pamela Smart Murder Case. New York, NY: Avon Books.
Schweitzer, Sarah. 2015. "5 years later, shooter to go free: William Flynn was 16 when he was lured into murder by Pamela Smart." Boston Globe, March 13: A1.
State of New Hampshire v. Pamela Smart. 1993. 622 A.2d 1197 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, February 26).
Wang, Beverley. 2005. "Pamela Smart accomplice released." Concord Monitor, June 15: 10.
West, Nancy. 2016. Breaking Silence: Cecelia Pierce Speaks. October 12. Accessed April 24, 2023. https://www.nhmagazine.com/breaking-silence-cecelia-pierce-speaks/.
West, Nancy, and David Mendelsohn. 2016. Pamela Smart: innocent of (still) guilty. October 13. Accessed April 29, 2023. https://www.nhmagazine.com/pamela-smart-innocent-or-still-guilty/
https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/03/09/brother-of-pamela-smarts-victim-killer-did-his-time/
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Next Episode
Listen Now: Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
June 7, 2023
•9m
From Wondery and Bloomberg, the makers of The Shrink Next Door, comes a new story of incredible wealth, betrayal, and what happens when “doing good” goes really, really bad.
When nerdy gamer Sam Bankman-Fried rocketed to fame as the world’s richest 29-year-old, he pledged to donate his billions to good causes. But when Sam's crypto exchange FTX collapsed, billions of dollars went missing, and Sam was in handcuffs, those who knew him were left wondering — who was Sam really? A well-meaning billionaire who made a mistake? Or a calculated con man?
Listen to Spellcaster: Wondery.fm/SC_Morbid
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