The Devil in Connecticut
The Devil in Connecticut
By Gerald Brittle
Photo: (left to right) Arne, David, Lorraine Warren
The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely):
This is the story of the possession of David Glatzel. This is where the focus of this book is. The movie, while dramatized follows Arne. Originally published in the mid 80’s the end result at the time was 10-20 for Arne and a devil that seems to be entrenched in a small town in Connecticut.
The Glatzel Kids
I’m gonna get this angry rant done here at the beginning which, consequently it’s aimed at sections of the book that are at it’s conclusion. The church authorities in that area are fucking assholes. There was plenty of evidence to support a full exorcism however not only did that not happen they left the case in the hands of the local clergy who had only rudimentary or no experience in these matters. No exorcist was assigned to the case and in the end after four attempts (1 High Mass and three “deliverance exorcisms”) the church abandoned the Glatzel family. They even sent an asshole in a limo to (a bishop or something) insult the family (he was there to determine if another intervention by the church was needed and they turned their back). David was still being “lightly” possessed, Carl Jr was acting violent and menacing (police were called multiple times to intervene and were made aware of the situation by the Warrens on many occasions) and Arne was having moments of black out. The Warrens finally got help from a more traditional dioceses up in Canada. It’s shameful that they had to go to another country to get the help that was needed. Unfortunately the damage was already done but at least David got relief. The Roman Ritual was never performed. The church here has made it clear time and again that they are more concerned with public opinion and reputation than actually helping people. It’s run by politics and capitalism. Bishop – Senator, Cardinal-Governor….all synonymous…worthless politicians and liars.
Lets talk about the police in this case….REALLY GUYS! I agree that it looked bad for Arne BUT you have witnesses that are telling you that there was a fight but no one ever saw Arne stab Bono. The statements should have been thrown out…really there should have been a mistrial because of them. Taking statements from minors without the presence of a guardian (parent, guardian or social worker) is not allowed. These children didn’t even know what they were signing and they certainly did not understand the ramifications that these statements could have. Anything that did not match the narrative that they were spinning was discounted. I consider these officers to be corrupt. Your job is to find out the truth not fabricate shit because it’s easier. Lazy fucks. Un-fucking-real!
Oh and this so called victim…Bono…this guy should have been locked up himself. Not only was he guilty of cruelty to animals he also assaulted a minor in the process of all this (I suspect this was not the first time his excessive drinking caused something like the assault). I know that the family, the Warren’s, even most people would disagree with this but this man was NOT innocent. In my eyes it was just a matter of time that someone took this worthless human being out! Whether it was one of the owners of animals that his neglect killed or someone that he got into a confrontation with while in one of his regular drunken stupors/rages. The real victim here is Arne! So many systems failed this young man I can’t even…there was NO PROOF that Arne did the stabbing. None. He didn’t even have blood on his clothing or shoes, no finger prints on the “murder weapon”…nothing. How this was not thrown out is confounding to me. Between the coerced/fabricated statements and the lack of physical evidence I have no idea how they got a conviction. Oh and the Grand Jury…don’t even get me started….Just goes to show how truly flawed our legal system is.
Luckily there is a positive ending here for Arne. He and Debbie were married while he was in prison and he only served 5 years. I watch a lot of crime shows and honestly he served more than many of the perps in those shows. Watch “First 48” or “Crime 360” and you’ll see. And these are cases with police officers that work their asses off to get the truth! Cases that have evidence, physical evidence.
Closing thoughts:
This family went through hell. David went through hell. The rest of their lives are going to be marked by this experience and it seems the town is one that this particular entity has become attached to. Arne’s family did end up moving out of the rental house which seemed to be the start of all of this. Unfortunately, as we find out, this was not the case. This started with a twisted, piece of shit couple who used the Glatzel family (who they called friend) to gain power through the practice of black magic. As the movie states they were cursed and were unlucky enough to be exposed to a possessed house where the curse attracted the entity to them. The asshole losers that cursed them were never found. The lives that were supposed to be lost were not (David and Carl Jr; later Arne and Debbie) so we can be thankful for that.
David on the Netflix Doco
Alan Glatzel - Netflix Doco
Carl Galtzel Jr - Netflix Doco
Netflix Doco
Debbie Glatzel - Netflix
If you have a chance to see the Netflix documentary it’s worth a watch. David does still struggle, Alan is doing well, Carl Jr is still an asshole and Arne and Debbie are living a normal life. It was good to see him doing well especially after reading this book and knowing how much he was willing to put on the line (his life, his soul) for David and his family. The Warren’s also fought for this family, were over there at all times of the day and night. It surprised me that Ed was critical of the church but honestly he and Lorraine have a faith that surpasses organized religion. It’s a pure, strong unwavering faith that deserves respect. A harrowing, well written account. While the movie is very entertaining this book gives us the true story of what happened and it’s amazing that any of these people are alive let alone living normal lives. Debbie and Arne had two children and were together until Debbie passed away in 2021.
