Brothers sue world famous psychic Lorraine Warren for false accusations in Devil book

MMD Media Wire ^ | October 8, 2007

[Alex Murphy]

DANBURY, CT: A major lawsuit is pending against world famous ghost-buster Lorraine Warren of Monroe, Connecticut, for her involvement in the authoring of the book, The Devil in Connecticut, originally published by Bantam Books in 1983. The book details the supposed case of demonic possession of an 11 year old boy which lead to the much publicized “demon murder” stabbing death of forty-year old Alan Bono by nineteen year old Arne Cheyenne Johnson in Brookfield, Connecticut in 1981. Carl Glatzel Jr. and David Glatzel of Brookfield are suing Warren, along with author Gerald Brittle, IUniverse.com, the agency who recently republished the book, and the William Morris Agency of New York, who represents both Warren and Brittle. Other charges and defendants are expected to follow.

According to Glatzel’s attorney, Greg T. Nolan of Febbroriello, Conti, and Levy Law Firm of Torrington, Connecticut, both Warren, Brittle, and their agencies are facing several charges including invasion of the right to privacy, libel, and intentional affliction of emotional distress for the supposed false information contained in the book, The Devil in Connecticut, which was reprinted by IUniverse.com in 2006 without the Glatzel’s knowledge or consent. According to Carl Glatzel Jr., who was sixteen at the time, and other members of his family, his younger brother David suffered from a mental illness that Lorraine Warren and her late husband, Ed, who died in August of 2006, diagnosed as “demonic possession.” The Roman Catholic Church, under advice and consult of the Warrens, attempted four minor rites of exorcism on the young boy in 1980 to rid him of “forty-two demons,” all of which were failures. The Warrens also claimed in the book that Carl Jr. was ‘oppressed by demons’ and they used him “as a pawn to instigate violence and arouse skepticism.” The Warrens’ concluded that a ‘Satanic death curse was placed on both the Glatzel boys."
 
On February 16, 1981, an acquaintance of the Glatzel family, Arne Cheyenne Johnson stabbed his landlord, forty-year old Alan Bono to death. His attorney, Martin J. Minella of Waterbury, Connecticut, attempted to enter an unprecedented plea of “not guilty by virtue of demonic possession” into the Danbury Superior Court. Minella stated that Johnson, who was the boyfriend of Debbie Glatzel, David’s older sister, had also become possessed as a direct result of challenging the demons to “take him on” during the minor rites of exorcism in which he assisted, and therefore was not responsible for the crime which took place in front of a dog grooming kennel then located on Federal Road in Brookfield. When the trial began in September of 1981, acting judge, Robert J. Callahan rejected the plea, stating there was no such defense, and that it would be “irrelative and unscientific” to allow it as such. Minella later changed his tactic, claiming Johnson acted in self-defense instead. Johnson, after a much-publicized trial, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and served five years in prison. While the Arch Diocese of Bridgeport acknowledged involvement in the case at the time, they have since remained silent on the matter.
 
Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are devout Catholics, received much publicity in the late 70s from their involvement in “The Amityville Horror” case, which many today claim to have been a hoax, and have since published ten books about their supernatural investigations and adventures. Glatzel challenges the Warren’s credibility, stating that, “My brother was never possessed. He, along with my family, was manipulated and exploited, something the Warrens were very good at, and along with their author, Gerald Brittle, they concocted a phony story about demons in an attempt to get rich and famous at our expense, and we have the evidence to prove it.” Glatzel also states, “The Warrens told my family numerous times that we would be millionaires and the book would help get my sister’s boyfriend, Arne, out of jail. I knew from day one it was a lie, but as a child, there was nothing I could really do about it.”
 
When asked why he waited twenty seven years to address the problem, Glatzel explained it wasn’t until a friend of his brought his attention to the fact that the book, The Devil in Connecticut, was not only back in print, but was also being planned as a major motion picture by a production company in Hollywood who has since had to halt production due to internal conflicts. “Reluctantly, I read the book for the first time in twenty-seven years and was simply mummified. How could anyone believe this?” he asked by telephone from his parent’s home in Brookfield. “Many instances in the book are complete lies, and I appear as the villain in the book simply because I had a sane voice and knew that the story was false since the beginning. There were no demons. It was all about money, he said. When asked about the movie, Glatzel replied “If there is anything I can do about it, there is no way there will be a movie about me and my family based on these lies. It took me twenty seven years to get where I am today and there is no way I am putting that in jeopardy by allowing this to happen all over again.” Glatzel goes on to say, “I had to drop out of school in tenth grade due to the ridicule and negative attention the story brought and was unable to further my education. I had to learn to deal with ridicule and people being afraid of me. I had to learn to fight to protect myself and my younger brothers. I finally understood why I lost friends, relationships, business opportunities, and ultimately had to be ashamed of my own family name based upon a lie.”

Upon finding out that Warren has been lecturing about his family for over two decades, has had their story written up in several of her books, and has been selling a video about his family, prompted him to see a lawyer. “I am not in the business of suing people,” he said from his parent’s home in Brookfield, “but enough is enough and it about time people knew the truth and stop making money off a malicious lie. I want to put this both behind me and my brother David for good. I just hope it lets other people like us know they are not alone and maybe they will come forward as well and name fraud for what it is and know there is somewhere they can get help.” Glatzel also created a website that tried to dispel the myth of "The Devil in Connecticut," (www.geocities.com/devilbustedinct ) but he could not keep up with the amount of emails he received. “I got email from Europe, Australia, and all over the world. I never dreamed so many people knew about it. It was too much. I figured there had to be a better way to answer everybody’s questions. They want to know the truth.”

Glatzel, the owner of a construction company, along with his brother David and scores of others who wish to contribute, are currently writing a book, entitled "Alone Through The Valley" where they plan to expose the Warrens as charlatans and tell what really happened in the summer of 1980 and its sad aftermath. They have already turned down several offers from various publishers, stating “We just don’t want to give this story to anyone. We want to find a publisher that recognizes its importance.” Their hopes are the story will bring more people forward who were victims of the same type of fraud and exploitation. He also hopes to start a non-profit agency named “The Glatzel Foundation,” which would be a nationwide network of qualified therapists and doctors that help people deal with the unusual type of trauma Carl and his brother faced over a quarter century ago. More information on the Glatzel Foundation can be found by emailing alonethroughthevalleythebook@yahoo.com.

Despite the past, Carl and David remain optimistic about the future, “Put simply, they robbed us of our childhood and our education, something we can never get back. It’s not a matter of vengeance, but justice, and I think it’s important that people know the truth. If we can show that to them, it may save others the grief and hardship we faced. Nobody should have to go through what we did.” The pending lawsuit was filed with the Danbury Superior Court, the same town in which Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of manslaughter in over twenty-six years ago in the world publicized "Demon Murder Trial."

[Alex Murphy]

Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are devout Catholics, received much publicity in the late 70s from their involvement in “The Amityville Horror” case, which many today claim to have been a hoax, and have since published ten books about their supernatural investigations and adventures.

[frithguild]

When asked why he waited twenty seven years to address the problem, Glatzel explained it wasn’t until a friend of his brought his attention to the fact that the book, The Devil in Connecticut, was not only back in print, but was also being planned as a major motion picture by a production company in Hollywood who has since had to halt production due to internal conflicts. “Reluctantly, I read the book for the first time in twenty-seven years and was simply mummified. How could anyone believe this?” he asked by telephone from his parent’s home in Brookfield.

[pgkdan]

Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are devout Catholics...

Oh. Now I see why you posted this.

[Alex Murphy]

Now I see why you posted this.

Do tell.

[dangus]

“a rite of minor exorcism”???

OMG, they had the kids BAPTIZED! Yes, folks... the “rite of minor exorcism” is an element of the Catholic Baptismal rite. It’s the part where the catechumen (or, in the case of infants, their godparents speaking on their behalf) reject Satan, all his evil works, and all his empty promises.

[dglowicki]

I was just wondering how the brothers came to the conclusion that the Warrens took away their childhood? It just sounds to me like they are being a bit money grubbing and “I should have thought of that first!”