Casefile True Crime - Case 11: Anneliese Michel

Episode Date: March 19, 2016

First came the seizures and sleep paralysis. Then came the hallucinations and violent behaviour. Anneliese Michel made endless visits to doctor’s and specialists only to be either referred to another doctor or placed on medication that wasn’t helping her. Her condition became so bad that at times she started to growl and speak in a horrific deep voice… For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-11-anneliese-michel

First came the seizures and sleep paralysis, then came the hallucinations and violent behavior. Annalise Mckell made endless visits to doctors and specialists only to be either referred to another doctor or placed under medication that wasn't helping her. Her condition became so bad that at times she started to growl and speak in a horrific deep voice, destroy religious objects, and complain religious sites like churches were too painful for her to go near. She convinced her parents and several priests she was possessed by demons. It led to the Catholic Church making the unusual decision to grant two priests permission to perform a nexusism ritual on Annalise. I know what you're thinking.

This story must be from the Dark Ages, but it's not. It happened in Germany in the 1970s. But was Annalise really possessed by the devil? The medical community doesn't think so. After her death, they were certain of what Annalise was suffering from. They just couldn't diagnose it while she was alive. Four people were eventually charged with negligent homicide after her death. The trial that followed was described as the biggest criminal trial in Germany outside of the Nazi war crime trials. The story of Annalise McKell is as heart breaking as it is horrific. Incredibly, some of the nexusism rituals were actually recorded. The tapes were never allowed to be played in court. But you'll hear some of them in this show.

Annalise McKell was born on the 21st of September 1952. Her parents Anna and Joseph McKell were devout Catholics from Klingenberg in Germany. Joseph and Anna had an older daughter, Martha, who died at just eight years of age due to complications that arose during an operation she had to remove a tumour from her kidney. Along with Annalise, Anna and Joseph gave birth to three other daughters, Gertrude, Barbara and Roswita. Both Joseph and Anna came from strict Catholic families. Joseph's mother actually hoped he would become a priest. Instead, Joseph would go on to fight in World War II, where he actually became a prisoner of war. When the war was over, he went on to take over the family's sawmill business.

By all accounts, Joseph was loving and caring towards his children, but he had that cold, hard, emotionally vacant stare that many veterans have. At times, this left him being distant and unable to display affection or emotion. He was most likely affected by what we know today as PTSD. Anna was an extremely religious, strict and protective parent. Some have gone as far to describe her as overbearing and suffocating. The girls were controlled in every aspect of their lives and were forbidden to mingle with boys. Anna and Joseph both determined what the girls would wear, what they could read, what they could talk about and so on. It was a very controlled, suppressive household. Having said that, it's important to remember Anna and Joseph grew up in

and lived through a different time. Post-World War I, Germany was tough enough, but then you add in the rise and fall of the Nazi regime and all the horrors that came along with that, and it's something none of us will ever be able to understand. Annalisa was described as a very good student who excelled in her studies. She was friendly, happy, playful, she liked to sing and play the accordion and piano. She was well-behaved, generous, described as just like any other normal girl her age. Here's a snippet of Annalisa talking. We've got no idea what she's saying, it's in German, but it just gives you a snapshot of what she was like, how normal she sounded.

Church was a big part of the family's life. They visited church every Sunday, and sometimes again on weekdays. It was common for the entire family to pray together at home, and the girls would always say a morning and evening prayer. When Annalisa was 16 years old, she experienced her first seizure. She was in class and completely blacked out. She went into a trance-like state for a brief period. Despite giving her friends a scare, Annalisa quickly laughed it off and blamed it on being over-tired. She didn't think too much more of it until about midnight that night. At midnight, Annalisa describes waking up in bed but being unable to move.

It felt as though something was pinning her down. She struggled to breathe, she couldn't speak, she couldn't cry out, she couldn't move at all. The frightening incident didn't last long, and many cite this as the first signs of Annalisa becoming possessed. But as somebody who has experienced some bouts of sleep paralysis before, I can tell you that is exactly what Annalisa was describing. It's exactly how it feels. Annalisa didn't go to school the next day, however it appeared to be just a one-off. The next day and night were uneventful, as were the following weeks and months. She slowly forgot about the incident and life returned back to normal for almost a year.

When she was 17, Annalisa experienced her second seizure. It was identical to at first where she blacked out and momentarily went into a trance-like state. And again that night she had another frightening episode of sleep paralysis, where she was awake, alert to everything going on, but unable to move or speak. As it was now the second time this had happened, Annalisa went to visit her family doctor, Dr. Vok. He immediately referred her to a specialist, Dr. Luthi, who was a neurologist. Dr. Luthi performed a number of tests, but they all came back negative. The EEJ test, which is a test that tracks and records brainwave patterns, showed Annalisa had normal brainwave

activity. Dr. Luthi couldn't determine anything wrong from a neurological or psychological perspective. Dr. Luthi suspected Annalisa was suffering from cerebral seizures and was possibly displaying symptoms of epilepsy. Dr. Luthi didn't prescribe any medication, as there had only been two incidents and they were spread out about a year apart. Soon after this, Annalisa's physical health started to go downhill. She suffered bouts of tonsillitis, pleurisy and pneumonia. The illnesses were bad enough they forced her to miss school. Away from her school friends, Annalisa was confined mostly to a bedroom with her overbearing strict parents looking after her. At home, Annalisa wasn't allowed to disagree

with her parents or express any individuality. Whenever there was a disagreement, her mother Anna would simply ignore her and just pray loudly over the top of her. Annalisa's health didn't improve and on 28 February 1970, she was admitted to hospital. Doctors soon discovered Annalisa was also suffering from heart and circulation problems and she was transferred to another hospital. These were environments completely different to what she was used to at home. She struggled to interact with other teenagers in the hospitals and she felt isolated, became depressed and withdrawn. Other teenagers in the hospital started giving her a hard time and making her life a misery. Some referred to her as snot nose.

On the 3rd of June 1970, she suffered her third sleep paralysis episode. When it was over, she screamed, causing nurses to come rushing to her aid. But as far as I could tell, she was fine. This little episode didn't go down well with her fellow patients. They already didn't like her. Some started making fun of her saying she was possessed by the devil. Annalisa relied on her faith to get her through these tough times. She was extremely religious, and still prayed many times a day. Once when praying the rosary in hospital, she reported smelling a sweet odor and having a euphoric feeling. She became convinced she had been touched by the Virgin Mary. On the 16th of June 1970, Annalisa was referred to another

neurologist, Dr. von Haler. Dr. von Haler ran another series of tests, including another EEG test. He found irregularities in Annalisa's brainwave patterns. He prescribed her any seizure medication, the same medication given to people with epilepsy. All Annalisa wanted to do was experience that same feeling she had just gotten back when praying the rosary. But she couldn't get that feeling back. She rationalised this by saying the Virgin Mary was busy helping other people. But maybe the medication she was now taking had something to do with it. But several weeks after seeing Dr. von Haler and taking the medication, other symptoms started to develop. She reported seeing a demonic looking face when saying the

rosary. Then it started to develop to the point where she would see demonic faces regularly, not necessarily just when she was praying. It's important to note she did not start seeing these faces until after being placed on the any seizure medication. Whilst the medication had stopped the seizures and the sleep paralysis episodes, she was now starting to hallucinate and see demonic faces. The medical explanation is that Annalisa was experiencing epilepsy related hallucinations. Despite these new symptoms developing, her actual physical health, the heart and circulation problems had improved, and Annalisa was discharged from hospital and sent home on the 29th of August, 1970.

Everybody noticed a change in Annalisa when she returned home. She was now irritable and always unhappy. She would display sudden outbursts of anger for no apparent reason, and these got more frequent and more violent as time went on. She always seemed distant and moody. Annalisa also started experiencing seizures again. She would freeze up in rigid positions with an angry contorted look on her face. Along with her hallucinations of seeing demonic faces, Annalisa was now complaining about rotten smells, described like burning fecal matter. But no one else could smell anything. Annalisa's behaviour caused the mother and her to become even more controlling. Annalisa returned to school, but she was now behind her friends as she had missed an entire

school year. She tried to reach out to her school friends about her experiences, but they were more interested in teenage girl stuff. This caused Annalisa to spiral down even further. She became more withdrawn and her depression got worse. As a result, her grades started to suffer. Teachers noticed a change in her. Due to her experiencing seizures again and seeing ever-increasing hallucinations, Annalisa saw another specialist, Dr. Rykel. Dr. Rykel discovered some more circulatory irregularities and referred her to another specialist, Dr. Packhalser. Dr. Packhalser expressed concern about the seizures and liaised with Annalisa's family

doctor, Dr. Vokht, about them. They decided Annalisa would go back and see Dr. Luthi. Dr. Luthi changed her medication and put her on to Centropil. It's another any convulsant drug. The side effects of Centropil may affect the central nervous system and cardiovascular system. It can also cause headaches, insomnia, rashes, and it affects the gums and liver. Annalisa went back for several check-ups with Dr. Luthi. The last of these series of check-ups was in June 1973. Annalisa reported the new drug seemed to have stopped the seizures, however she was still experiencing hallucinations, seeing demonic faces. However, Dr. Luthi's main concern was that the seizures had stopped, so he felt the medication was doing its job.

He performed another EEG test, which revealed Annalisa had normal brainwave activity. But the hallucinations got worse. Annalisa started to hear knocking sounds. She reported these were coming from inside a closet from the floor and from the ceiling. This resulted in yet another visit to another specialist. This time it was a hearing specialist. Here are some tests, but couldn't find anything wrong with Annalisa. By now, Annalisa had just about had it with the medical community. Despite constant doctor's visits, all doctors ever seemed to be able to do was either refer her to another doctor or put her under any convulsant medication, which was doing nothing to help her hallucinations.

Nobody seemed to be able to give her a definitive diagnosis. And remember, Annalisa's older sister died when she was just 8. Died as a result of complications arising from a medical procedure. So Annalisa and her family already had a certain mistrust of doctors, and their recent experiences weren't exactly restoring the faith. Annalisa started to become convinced there was a greater power at work, and the reason doctors couldn't help her is because she was being made to suffer for a greater spiritual reason. Around this time, Annalisa started to behave strangely around

holy objects. She displayed her first signs of resentment towards the Catholic Church and towards religious symbols. This was unusual for the extremely religious devout Catholic girl. Her mother, Anna, reported that one time she walked in on Annalisa staring at a statue of the Virgin Mary. Anna described Annalisa as having jet black eyes and a look of extreme hatred on her face. Annalisa started to complain about praying and that she couldn't attend church as it was painful trying to get through the entrance. Annalisa's father, Joseph, organised a trip to San Damiano. It is a holy site, deeply sacred to the Catholic religion, located in Italy. It attracts thousands and

thousands of visitors every year, and many report experiencing encounters with the Virgin Mary at the site. When they got there, Annalisa was unable to enter. She said the soil burned her feet. Joseph bought her a holly medal. However, Annalisa said she couldn't wear it as it pressed against her chest, stopping her from breathing. Despite her worsening condition, Annalisa graduated from high school and commenced college in 1973. She was studying to become a teacher, but the once bright energetic student really struggled with the work. She couldn't pay attention in class and she even struggled to get out of bed to attend class. She was spiraling into a severe bout of depression and started to contemplate suicide. Annalisa was still suffering from

hallucinations of demonic faces and extreme smells. In September 1973, Annalisa met with Dr Luthi again. Annalisa told Dr Luthi the devil was inside her and judgment of fire would be visited upon everyone. Dr Luthi noted in his visit that Annalisa appeared obsessed with Satan being inside her. She appeared disorientated, indecisive and all over the place with her thoughts. He believed her condition was so bad that she was incapable of making decisions for herself. There are a couple of contentious points here. The first being Anna swears Dr Luthi suggested to them that Annalisa may be suffering from demonic possession and he suggested to go and see a priest. This claim is strongly denied by Dr Luthi.

The second point, and one that's often overlooked in the story of Annalisa McKell, is that 1971 was when the Exorcist novel was released. The novel was then made into a movie in 1973. It got its release in Germany in 1974, which is right around this time. And this wasn't a small-time novel or a movie with just a small cult following. It was a worldwide smash hit. The book has sold over 13 million copies and the movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and it won two. It was the first ever horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture. Some sites report that if an adjustment was made for inflation, the Exorcist would actually be the ninth highest grossing movie of all time. If you're not familiar with the story, briefly it revolves

around a young girl who starts showing signs of demonic possession. Unable to get any help from the medical community, her mother seeks the help of a priest and they perform an exorcism. The timing of the Exorcist release is important and something to keep in mind as we move forward. Annalisa continued to get worse. Her mother, Anna, started to become worried what her neighbors and other people in town were thinking and saying about them. The never-ending medical visits and reports of hallucinations were starting to generate rumors around town. The last thing Anna wanted was Annalisa to be suffering from a mental illness. When one of her friends at church suggested that maybe Annalisa was suffering demonic possession, Anna liked that idea much better than mental illness.

Annalisa and Anna decided to start seeing a priest as the doctors weren't helping her. Annalisa said the medication was doing nothing but making her feel depressed and tired. Her hallucinations remained and were getting worse. Annalisa and her parents met with Father Habiga and his associate, Father Roth. Father Habiga concluded that Annalisa seemed entirely normal, maybe a little bit shy, but definitely no suggestion she was possessed. He actually referred her back to her doctors. Not satisfied with this, they contacted a priest who was an expert in possession, Father Rodwick. He became interested in Annalisa's case when he heard about what happened on her

visit to San Damiano. He believed that possession was definitely a possibility, however he was now 79 years of age, so he said he was too old to get involved. He referred Annalisa to another priest, Father Herman. Father Herman met with Annalisa 10 times. She explained to him the hallucinations, the demonic faces, and her odd behavior around holy objects and around holy places. However, Father Herman found no evidence of possession either. They prayed together several times during their meetings and each time Annalisa remained calm and displayed no odd behavior during prayer or towards any of the holy objects. After meeting with her, he suggested she go back and see a neurologist. Annalisa wasn't happy with

this. She had already seen several neurologists and no one could seem to help her. Father Alt was a friend of Father Roth. Father Roth explained Annalisa's case to Father Alt and he immediately became interested. Upon hearing about Annalisa's case, Father Alt claims he experienced several strange occurrences. He said suddenly, without warning, without explanation, he knew everything about Annalisa and her family, despite the fact he had never met any of them before. He also claimed he started to experience the foul smells and started hearing the knocking noises at night time. Throughout this time, Annalisa was still attending college. By now, she had met Peter, who became her boyfriend. Peter stuck by Annalisa through these tough

times and was determined to help her get better. It was Peter who convinced Annalisa to see yet another doctor. Together, they visited Dr. Lena. Dr. Lena was convinced Annalisa was suffering epilepsy, so Dr. Lena referred Annalisa to yet another neurologist. This time, she saw Dr. Schlepp. Dr. Schlepp performed all the usual tests and discovered irregular brain patterns in the left temporal area of Annalisa's brain. Dr. Schlepp was convinced this was definitive proof of epilepsy and changed Annalisa's medication to Tegretol. Tegretol is also an enic convulsant medication with side effects of fatigue, nausea, dizziness and it can affect the blood. Around this time, Annalisa started having physical meetings with Father Alt.

She was still seeing demonic faces. The medication change didn't help. She did go back and see Dr. Schlepp again where she reported having severe headaches and that she was struggling to get out of bed now and she was always slow and lethargic. She also said that she started to feel as though one side of her body was developing paralysis like symptoms. Despite all this, Dr. Schlepp instructed her to keep taking Tegretol. And it's around this time Annalisa's behaviour really started to spiral out of control. Her angry outbursts were now outright fits of violence and rage. She destroyed holly objects such as rosary beads and crucifixes. She smashed pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

She threw objects at her boyfriend Peter and her sisters and tried to bite, punch and kick them at times. But when she wasn't behaving violently like this, she would be in extreme lows. She couldn't get out of bed, severely depressed. Annalisa had several more visits with Dr. Schlepp and each time he told her to keep taking Tegretol. Annalisa was no longer able to visit the church at all. She said it was too painful to get past the entrance. Annalisa was starting to lose all touch with reality. She started to behave as different personalities, but hallucinations were now all too frequent, as were her intense fits of rage. During the rages, she wouldn't sleep at all. She would, despite bizarre behaviour like kneeling

down violently on the ground, then standing straight back up, then kneeling down violently on the ground again as hard as she could. She would repeat this for hours. She ran through the house screaming. She started eating flies and spiders. She continued to shatter crucifixes and razor beads and any other holy objects she could find. She started to growl and make horrific screams. Father Olt became convinced Annalisa was possessed. With the permission of his bishop, he started saying exorcism prayers over Annalisa. This wasn't a full-blown exorcism ritual, which would come later. These were just prayers, described as like a trial exorcism. During these prayers, Father Olt says Annalisa growled, she was burning, and then tried to

knock the book of prayers out of his hand. Annalisa started to mention that demons were controlling her. The medical community has since described this behaviour as epilepsy with extreme episodes of schizophrenic psychosis. Father Olt described it as demonic possession. On the 15th of May 1975, with all this going on, Annalisa's grandmother died. Annalisa was very close to her grandmother, and so it was yet another traumatic event. Annalisa didn't always act out in violent fits of rage. Often she would calm down, but even when she was calm, she would still talk about demons and how they were controlling her, and that all she felt was despair and hopelessness. And on top of that, she would say she was not

mentally ill. She made sure to constantly stress that point. In fact, she went on to comment that she feared being diagnosed as mentally ill, and that she didn't want to go to a mental hospital. By now, Annalisa had lost her appetite, and she was hardly eating at all. Father Olt being convinced Annalisa was possessed by demons started to make arrangements to perform a full-blown exorcism ritual. He enlisted the help of Father Rends. Father Rends paid several visits to Annalisa, but he wasn't entirely convinced she was possessed. During these visits, Annalisa displayed none of her violent psychotic behaviour, and she didn't mention demons at all. In fact, Father Rends described her as seemingly normal,

reserved and polite, which is unusual because the accounts of Father Olt and the family members say that she was constantly violent, psychotic, and when she wasn't, she was severely depressed and still talking about demons. So there's a clash of accounts there. But Father Olt himself was convinced that Annalisa was possessed, and on the 23rd of September 1975, the Bishop Green had permissioned for a full-blown exorcism ritual to be performed on Annalisa. The first exorcism ritual was performed the day after permission was granted, on the 24th of September 1975. Father Olt and Father Rends performed the ritual, along with Annalisa's parents, Anna and Joseph, her boyfriend, Peter, and her sisters.

The ceremony began by sprinkling holy water on Annalisa. She reacted violently. She roared with rage and scream, put away that shit. Annalisa had to be held down to try to kick and bite everyone present. She was growling and hissing, making horrific screams. All of the prayer readings were done in Latin, which Annalisa was actually fluent in. Annalisa describes this first ritual as being like a spectator. She says it was her body and her voice, but she had no control over either of them. She could only look on while the demons that were possessing her controlled her. Many more exorcism rituals were performed after this

first one, and many of them were recorded. Annalisa would go on to say during future sessions that she was possessed by six demons, Lucifer, Judas, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann. Lucifer, in fact, is the only demon, so to speak. The rest were humans. Judas was the disciple of Jesus who ended up betraying him. Nero was the Roman emperor from the years 54 to 68. His reign was one of tyranny. He was responsible for murdering his own family members, and he had Christians burnt alive. Cain is another person from the Bible, and along with his brother Abel, they were the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain ended up murdering Abel. Hitler doesn't need an explanation. Fleischmann was a Catholic priest in the 1500s. He was accused of murder and excommunicated

by the church, and he was actually a German priest. Not only was Annalisa devout Catholic, she was also very well read. She would read all kinds of books, both religious and otherwise, and would have had a great deal of knowledge about Lucifer, Judas, Nero, and Cain. That's also thought she would have learned about priest Fleischmann in her studies, particularly as he was German. And then there's the Hitler angle, which is obvious. And by now, the exorcist novel and movie were worldwide smash hits. There's no evidence Annalisa read the book or saw the movie, but given how big it was at the time and how much Annalisa liked to read, there's every possibility that Annalisa had read the book or seen the movie, or both.

Did Annalisa's mental illness combine her knowledge of Lucifer, Nero, Cain, Judas, Fleischmann, and Hitler with what she had read or seen in the exorcist, somehow convincing herself that she was possessed as well? The exorcisms performed on Annalisa were horrific. She would scream, her face would contort, her body would violently thrash about. She would then stop and go completely rigid and stiff for a period of time, before violently exploding again. Here's an interesting conversation I found during one of the rituals. Annalisa claims she was actually Lucifer at this point in the conversation.

Annalisa says, The snot-nosed brat was cursed. She belongs to us. She is no longer alive. Father Alt says, Is she down with you? Annalisa says, No, I have to say everything. Therefore, the snot-nosed has to pay for it. Father Alt says, You have to get out of her. Annalisa says, I don't want out yet, because I have so much to say. This is interesting because if you remember back to when Annalisa was in hospital as a 17-year-old, other teenagers in there were giving her a hard time about her condition.

They referred to her as snot-nosed. Some even made fun of her after the episode of sleep paralysis, saying she was possessed by the devil. So was this really the devil possessing Annalisa? Or was Annalisa in a deep, deep stage of psychosis and delusion conjuring up a stressful, unhappy time in the past? The exorcism rituals continued throughout the rest of 1975 and into 1976. One thing that stands out is that when Annalisa wasn't in a rage, she constantly mentioned that things were going to get worse before they got better. She mentioned a few times that by July she would be free of the demons.

The July she was referring to was July 1976. During her rage times and during exorcisms, Annalisa started to self-harm. She bit herself, violently hit her head against the wall, rubbed her face up against the wall, even bit holes in the wall, causing her tooth to chip, and she even smashed her head through a window. As the exorcisms continued, Annalisa's physical state got worse and worse. She stopped eating completely and was literally wasting away. Despite her horrific physical condition, her parents and her priests failed to seek medical help. They persisted with exorcism.

The last exorcism ritual was performed on the 30th of June, 1976. Annalisa's body was unnaturally skinny. Her body and face were battered and bruised all over. She had two black eyes that were also swollen. Her physical condition was absolutely horrifying. She still wasn't eating or drinking. At 8am, the morning after her last exorcism ritual, Annalisa McCull was found dead. The date was the 1st of July, 1976. Annalisa was just 23 years of age. Eerily, just as she had predicted a few times, she was free of the demons by July.

Almost immediately after they found Annalisa died, her father Joseph rushed out to try and get a death certificate issued citing natural causes. Dr Keller was called and examined Annalisa, and there was no way he was issuing a death certificate citing natural causes. Annalisa's physical condition was horrible. He couldn't say that she died of natural causes, and he recommended a postmortem be conducted. The postmortem revealed that Annalisa died as a result of starvation and dehydration, possibly aggravated by physical exertion. Her internal organs, including her brain, were all found to be healthy.

Given the results of the postmortem, a criminal investigation was initiated. The investigation was extensive and took just over a year. On the 13th of July, 1977, Anna and Joseph McCull, and Father Renz and Father Olt, were all charged with negligent homicide. Prior to the trial, Joseph and Anna replied to have Annalisa's body dug up. The thinking behind that was that their belief Annalisa was possessed would be proven if her body hadn't decayed since it had been buried. Permission was actually greener to dig Annalisa's body up, however, the police refused to let Anna and Joseph view her body.

The police reported that Annalisa's body had shown the usual signs of decay, nothing out of the ordinary. The trial began on the 30th of March, 1978. The case received significant attention. Not including the Nazi war crime trials, it was described as the biggest criminal trial in the history of Germany. The trial was held in front of a judge only, no jury. Both priests had top lawyers appointed by the church, and Anna and Joseph also had a top defense lawyer, Eric Schmidt Leuchner, who had defended numerous people in the Nuremberg Nazi war crime trials. Other than appointing the two priests lawyers, the Catholic Church was trying to

distance itself from a case. The Catholic Church offered no cooperation in the trial, and basically left Father Olt and Father Renz defend for themselves. Father Olt testified first. He maintained this was a case of possession. He testified Annalisa was unable to eat due to the influence of the demons. He said there's nothing in the medical profession could have done to help her, and that's why they didn't seek any medical help. He also testified Annalisa repeatedly said she did not want to see a doctor. Annalisa refused any offer of medical help. She wanted to put herself in God's hands. But remember, Annalisa had also previously stated she was scared of being diagnosed insane,

and scared of being sent to a mental institution. Dr. Luther also testified, where he vigorously denied ever suggesting to Annalisa and Anna that Annalisa may be possessed, and they should see a priest. Annalisa's boyfriend, Peter, and her sister, Roswita were also called to the stand. When Roswita was in the stand, she was asked why a doctor wasn't called. Her reply was, what would you call a doctor for? Possession is not like a broken leg, you know. So it was clear what she thought Annalisa had been suffering from. Professor Sadies was called by the prosecution to give expert testimony, even though he had never actually treated Annalisa, although he was a psychiatrist at one of the

neurological clinics that Annalisa had visited. He testified Annalisa's seizures had successfully been suppressed by the medication, although there's reports that say otherwise. He said, since the seizures had been suppressed, the disease she was suffering from sought another outlet, and developed into psychogenic psychosis. He testified she was delusional and psychotic, and also suffering depression, and eventually she totally lost control of her mind. She said her parents and family could have saved her by forcing her to eat, and that if the exorcisms weren't held and she was instead placed in medical care, she would still be alive. He said he would have treated her by

tranquilizing her, force-feeding her, and treating her with electric shock therapy. Two other psychiatrists testified, Dr. Lungerhausen and Dr. Kohler. They gave evidence that Annalisa's condition started with paranoid psychotic episodes, and by 1975, when the exorcism started, her condition had developed into a full-blown delusional state, psychogenic psychosis. They said the two priests had acted out of religious conviction and basically encouraged Annalisa's delusions. The exorcisms made things worse and contributed to Annalisa's spiraling totally out of control. Dr. Lungerhausen and Dr. Kohler

Dr. Kohler Dr. Kohler Dr. Kohler One question that I couldn't find in the institute is that all of these specialists seem so sure of what Annalisa was suffering from. Why didn't they work this out in one of the many visits she made to doctors and specialists when she was alive? This diagnosis wasn't made back then. All the doctors seemed to be able to do was either refer her to another doctor or put her under any convulsant medication. Importantly, a detailed psychiatric evaluation of Annalisa

was never conducted by any of the specialists she saw while she was alive. But now, after the poor girl had suffered horrendously and had since passed away, the specialist was so sure of a psychiatric state in what she was suffering from. As the case came to a conclusion, the prosecution asked that all four defendants be found guilty of negligent homicide. The charge is basically saying that they all failed to act to save Annalisa. They could have saved her by calling in a doctor and forcing her to eat. The prosecution requested that if a guilty verdict was reached, then the priests only be fined and Anna and Joseph received no punishment as they had lost enough. The judge read his verdict on the 21st of April, 1978. The expert medical opinions of the prosecution

witnesses were accepted. The defense's theory of possession was not. The official finding was epilepsy turned into full-blown psychosis. The exorcisms aggravated her condition and the parents and priests should have sought medical help. Had they done so, Annalisa would still be alive. All four defendants were sentenced to six months in jail, which was suspended with three years probation. So they didn't have to serve any time. The two priests also received a monetary fine. So the judge imposed a heavier sentence than what was requested by the prosecution. They all appealed their conviction, but later withdrew their appeal as they didn't feel as though they would ever get a fair go in the courtroom. Everybody was mostly against them. The church

didn't offer any public support and actually distanced themselves from the case. The general public and media opinion was mostly in favor of the prosecution. The 51 taped recordings of the exorcism rituals were not allowed to be used in evidence. To this day, all of the files and documents on the case are classified. Annalisa was fluent in Latin and well read with the Catholic church texts. So she didn't say anything during the exorcisms that was unusual that she couldn't have learnt before. Not only that, it's believed she was suggested to a lot by Father Alt, that basically he encouraged Annalisa into believing she was possessed. One theory even suggests that Father Alt had himself seen and read the exorcist and he wanted to try and make a name for himself

in real life based off the film and novel success. Today we know a lot more about mental illness and how to treat it than we did in the 1970s. Annalisa was let down by just about everybody, including the medical community who couldn't seem to help her when she was alive but was so sure of her condition after she was dead. No one from the medical community was ever held accountable for Annalisa's death. And she was obviously let down by her parents and her priests who should have gotten her help when she was in such a bad physical and mental state towards the end of her life. But instead... you