David Glatzel's house

This is David Glatzel's former home.

It is located at 3 Oak Grove Road in Brookfield, Connecticut.

The Glatzel family no longer owns this house. Property records show that it was sold twice between 2012 and 2018.

David claimed that he encountered a demonic entity at a rental property in the nearby town of Newtown. The entity then possessed him and followed him back to this address in Brookfield.

The events surrounding his story inspired the 1983 book The Devil in Connecticut and, later, the 2021 supernatural horror film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

The supposed possession began on July 2nd, 1980, when David's older sister, Debbie Glatzel, and her boyfriend, Arne Cheyenne Johnson, were moving into a secluded cottage in Newtown.

That day, both of their families were helping them by cleaning the place and carrying furniture.

David, then aged 11, said that he was tidying the bedroom by himself when he saw a small, withered old man with black eyes. The man was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans that were ripped at one knee. His face appeared to be blackened, almost as if it had been burned. The entity then shouted, "Beware!" before pushing him onto the waterbed.

After hearing David's story, Arne and Debbie decided not to rent the cottage. Instead, they moved into an apartment beside the Brookfield Boarding Kennels.

The story goes that the spirit followed David back to the Glatzel family home on Oak Grove Road. Later that night, the old man visited him again. However, this time, he was accompanied by other evil creatures.

David continued to have visions in the months that followed. At points, he would speak unintelligibly, scream obscenities, and growl like an animal. His family also claimed that an invisible force appeared to attack him on a number of occasions.

When the Glatzels reached out to a local Catholic priest, the church refused to sanction a formal exorcism until David underwent a full psychological evaluation. Although his mother, Judy, reportedly hired a psychiatrist for one session, she could not afford to pay for regular appointments.

Having priests bless the house failed to have any effect. As a result, the Glatzels contacted renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Warrens said that they immediately heard strange noises when they arrived at the Glatzel residence. After meeting David, he allegedly looked up and said, "They don't want you here. They're going to throw you right out the window."

Lorraine claimed that she could see a black mist beside the boy. Ed later told one paranormal researcher that a deep, threatening voice emanated from one of David's toys.

The Warrens concluded that more than 40 demonic entities were possessing David. To combat the spirits, they performed a number of unofficial exorcisms.

During one of the exorcisms, David's sister's boyfriend, Arne Cheyenne Johnson, reportedly shouted at the demons and challenged them to possess him instead. His girlfriend said that he began acting strangely after the incident and would sometimes go into a trance.

When Johnson stabbed his landlord, Alan Bono, to death at the Brookfield Boarding Kennels in February 1981, his defense team tried to argue that he wasn't responsible for the crime because he had been possessed. However, the presiding judge refused to allow such a plea because demonic possession lacked any scientific evidence.

Later that year, Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and sentenced to 10–20 years in prison.

David Glatzel still maintains that a demonic entity took control of him during the summer of 1980. However, his older brother, Carol, disagrees.

Carol is of the belief that their mother, Judy, was secretly drugging them with Sominex to keep them calm. At high doses, the sedative can potentially cause hallucinations and delirium.

His mother wrote everything down because she had OCD. Following her death, he found a note in her belongings that read, "The family had their medicine tonight, and everything was good."

Carol said that David only started cursing and reciting Bible passages after the Warrens spoke about such "symptoms" directly in front of him. In his opinion, it seemed as though they were trying to coach him on how to behave.

He also recalled how "the devil" would immediately fall silent whenever their father threatened David with corporal punishment.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

3 Oak Grove Road

Image source: Google Maps

This Google Street View image of 3 Oak Grove Road was taken in November 2022.

The ranch-style house was built in 1958. It has three bedrooms and is roughly 1,120 square feet in size.

It was last sold for $280,000 in May 2018. In January 2024, Zillow estimated that it was worth approximately $430,000.

The Glatzel family no longer lives at this address. Furthermore, there was nothing in their story to suggest that the house itself was haunted.