How Old Arne Johnson Is In The Conjuring 3

What was Arne Johnson’s age in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It? Played by Ruairi O’Connor, Johnson was a young man put on trial for murder after fatally stabbing his landlord 22 times. In The Conjuring 3, Ed and Lorraine Warren set out to prove that instead of being responsible for the killing, Johnson was actually a victim of demonic possession.

In keeping with the approach taken by the first two Conjuring movies, the third film was a fictionalized take on a case investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren in real life. The true story that inspired The Conjuring 3’s events pertained to the famous “The Devil Made Me Do It” case from 1981, in which it was claimed that Arne Cheyenne Johnson was possessed by a demon when he killed the victim, Alan Bono. The Warrens, who were heavily involved in this incident, argued that the demonic possession occurred as a result of the exorcism of a child named David Glatzel, who was the little brother of Arne’s girlfriend at the time. Supposedly, one of the demons within Glatzel’s body left and briefly inhabited Johnson.

Arne Johnson was 19 when he was arrested for murder in 1981. A specific age isn’t listed in The Conjuring 3, but it would seem that despite Ruairi O’Conner being 29, Johnson is approximately the same age as his real-life counterpart. The character is often referred to as “a kid” but is also treated as an adult, which would suggest that he’s somewhere between 19 and his very early 20s. David Glatzel was actually 11 when his exorcism happened in real life but was said to be eight years old in the movie, so it’s possible that Johnson’s age was also adjusted slightly.

As mentioned at the end of the film, Arne Johnson was sentenced to prison for manslaughter and remained behind bars for five years until he was let out for good behavior. It was reported by the Associated Press at the time of his release that he was 24 years old. That means that today, Johnson is 59, but what he’s doing now is unclear.

Very little is known about Johnson’s life after the trial, but some details have emerged over the years. The scene with Johnson and his girlfriend Debbie Glatzel suggested that the two stayed together despite his incarceration, and this is indeed true. A wedding was arranged at the prison in 1984. Also during this time, Johnson received his high school diploma and took college courses. Described as a model prisoner, Johnson seemingly stayed out of trouble while serving his time. After that, he remained married to Debbie until her death. According to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It director Michael Chaves, she died of cancer sometime while the movie was still in production. As for Johnson, he’s still alive, and continues to back his original account of the demonic possession to this day.

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