In Conjuring 3, Ed mentions the Michael Taylor case and another British example of demon possession as a defense. What are the stories behind them?
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It It’s based on Arne Johnson’s murder trial in real life, but what are the explanations behind the Michael Taylor story and the other demon legal case Ed mentions? The last Prestidigitation The installment follows the aforementioned 1981 case, when 19-year-old Johnson (played by Ruairi O’Connor) brutally stabbed his landlord to death in Brookfield, CT. The gruesome act of violence was made even more shocking when Johnson insisted that he was innocent of his crimes. He cited demon possession as the cause of his behavior, and the “The Devil Made Me Do It” case sparked an understandable media frenzy.
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The Conjuring 3 develops the timeline necessary for the case, starting with one of the exorcisms of David Glatzel (the younger brother of Johnson’s girlfriend, played by Julian Hilliard) and quickly diving into Johnson’s alleged possession and murder. It also shows the participation of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren with Glatzel and Johnson. After they first meet Johnson in jail, they try to explain the idea of the demon murder defense to his lawyer. When the woman expresses her initial unwillingness to run with him, Ed assures her that it has already been done twice in England.
He mentions one of them by name: the case of Michael Taylor. This real life story was as disturbing (if not more) than the Conjuring 3the Arne Johnson trial. Taylor was a 30-year-old family man from the town of Ossett, England. His demeanor seemed to change dramatically out of nowhere after he became heavily involved with a local church. Taylor blamed his increasingly hostile and erratic behavior on demon possession, prompting a botched exorcism that lasted all night. Only some of the demons were believed to have been exorcised, but Taylor was sent home before continuing. Unfortunately, he killed and mutilated both his wife and the family dog that very morning. Like Arne Johnson in The Conjuring 3, the police are said to have found him while he was wandering in a haze, and also claimed that the blood in which he was covered was the “satan’s blood. “After using a demon possession legal defense, Taylor was acquitted on the grounds of insanity. He spent four years in a mental hospital and a security room before being released.
Although Ed Warren mentions two previous legal cases of demons from England in The Conjuring 3It appears that the other “case” you refer to was a story that caused a public stir, but did not actually enter the judicial system. In 1788, in the town of Yatton, England, 44-year-old local tailor and freight forwarder George Lukins was the subject of a widely publicized alleged possession. It was said to have been prone to demonic-looking attacks, including screaming and strange sounds, for nearly two decades. Even doctors were unable to diagnose or treat her mysterious condition. His exorcism was eventually performed, primarily by an Anglican priest, and was deemed successful. And the story was published by a local newspaper later.
The Arne Johnson case was certainly not the first time that the idea of demonic possession firmly captured the public’s interest. Y The Conjuring 3 is another film, among many, that capitalizes on that fascination. But it’s intriguing to think that the seemingly unique idea of using possession as an actual legal defense happened before the “The Devil Made Me Do It” case.
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Reference-screenrant.com