When religion turns deadly: The exorcism of Joan Vollmer | Forensic Files

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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website on Sunday January 10 1993 54 year old pig
farmer Ralph Alma and his 49 year old wife Joan returned home from a week-long interstate trip the couple who lived in
the Victorian country town of Antwerp had driven four and a half hours west to attend a six-day religious convention in
the South Australian capital of Adelaide Ralph a devout and ardent Christian had
been eager to attend the event and while Joan didn't share her husband's fervor she attended church regularly and so
agreed to accompany him the vacation had passed without incident but shortly after their arrival home Jones started
to behave oddly she had difficulty concentrating on tasks would frequently change outfits throughout the day was
restless and struggled to fall asleep according to Ralph as time went on she also started making peculiar noises and
adopting different personas on one occasion she acted as though she were a sheep shearer speaking in a tone and
manner consistent with a farmhand on another she claimed to be a sex worker while describing the activities she had
participated in with supposed to clients it wasn't the first time Ralph had witnessed to Jane behaving this way two
years earlier she was hospitalized briefly for mental illness but had made a fairly quick recovery and had been in
good health ever since now it appeared her symptoms were returning over the course of the next two weeks
they seem to worsen particularly at nighttime on the evening of Friday January 22
Ralph returns home to find a Joan waving her arms and dancing in their properties
paddocks deeply troubled by the way his wife's well-being had deteriorated ralph
prayed to God for guidance [Music] the wimmer r is a regional inland district in Victoria's West
predominantly characterized by dry flat farmlands and a 278 kilometre intermittent river that bears the same
name passing through the region's unofficial capital city of Horsham the river winds west and then continues
north to Wentworth a tiny Outback town named after the Belgian home city of an early European settler in the 1860s two
Protestant missionaries arrived in Antwerp and to build a church and mission where they aimed to convert the
local indigenous population the mission was closed 40 years later due to low congregation numbers than today stands
as a tourist attraction towards the end of the 20th century int work was home to
just 63 inhabitants it had a license to general store a rail siding and a small station where residents could catch a
bus to Horsham twice a week the two-lane dambulla Rainbow Road carved through the
town's sprawling fields which were dotted by scrubs and eucalyptus trees and several disused grain silos stood
out against the mostly natural landscape Ralph and Joan Bulmer had moved to Antwerp in the late 1980s purchasing one
of the town's traditional farmsteads where they raised pigs born in Germany in 1938 right before the outbreak of
World War two Ralph had emigrated to Australia with his family when he was a teenager he had completed primary school
in Germany but the move interrupted his education and he never enrolled in secondary school his family moved to the
Melbourne suburb of Caulfield and his parents both worked in factory production eventually they saved enough
money from working overtime to afford a small rural property in Gippsland a region in the state's southeast ralph
grew up to be a softly spoken man who found it difficult to trust others and mostly kept to himself
when he did form friendships they were extremely strong he worked as a farmhand and performed odd jobs before meeting
his first wife and settling down in the Gippsland town of yaaram the couple had two sons the RAF's wife passed away in
the mid-1970s and he raised their children by himself when his sons were grown up they moved
away to start their own families Ralph remained single until 1986 when he met and fell in love with Joan Joan
Leonora Taylor was a petite woman with short wavy light brown hair who was typically described as shy gentle and
loving her childhood and early adulthood were marred by sexual abuse and she was
later diagnosed with schizophrenia resulting in several stints in mental health hospitals which left her with a
fear of psychiatric care she struggled to make friends and to maintain ongoing work though she adored her children and
had been employed as a nanny for a time as a young woman she married and had a baby that was left in a state of anxiety
and blame when her husband took his own life her life appeared to turn around in
her early 40s when she met Ralph who later compared their early relationship to a miracle the new couple decided to
start a fresh life together in an entirely different part of the state settling on the Wimmer region and
purchasing the farm in Antwerp in 1988 their new home was a single-story weatherboard farmhouse with a wide
veranda that sat at the end of a 500 meter dirt driveway framed by several trees the rear of the property backed
onto the banks of the Wimmer river Joan an avid gardener immediately set about planting a neat border of garden beds
around the house and establishing a greenhouse she also decorated her new home with the vases porcelain ornaments
and cat figurines the couple didn't involve themselves in the local community but those who met
Joan in town described her as friendly neither Ralph nor Joan had been religious when they met but several
years into their relationship they discovered their faith and became Christians they married at Horsham
Salvation Army Church in 1989 and began attending Sunday Mass there Ralph was a far more impassioned believer compared
to his wife spending his spare time listening to hymns and reading religious texts while Joan preferred to watch
television she was content to be involved with the church but in the words of one local minister not to be
fanatical about it in contrast Ralph was eager to learn as much as he could about
Christianity for most of his life he had only attended church for weddings and funerals but after converting he would
constantly engage others on the topic listening enthusiastically to those who claim to deep knowledge of the Bible in
their homes kitchen he hung a plaque that read Christ is the head of this house the unseen guests at every meal
the silent listener to every conversation within two years of moving to Antwerp Joan began exhibiting signs of a mental
health crisis in the spring of 1990 she suddenly became extremely Restless was unable to sleep and struggled to
concentrate on tasks or conversations yet seemed oblivious that something was wrong she also became fixated on her
childhood discussing it frequently in a childlike voice one day she told Ralph that she had done a painting for him
only to reveal she had coded his car in house paint from the beginning Ralph suspected that dark forces were
responsible for his wife's changes in behavior he noticed an expression in her eyes that terrified him describing them
as being bright red almost glowing almost like coals when she was overcome with a bit of Rage outside a frightened
Ralph locked himself in the house he consulted Salvation Army captain's at the church the couple attended seeking
guidance on the matter rejecting his suggestion there was quote an evil presence in Joan the captain's instead
offered the couple marriage counseling displeased with this response Roth scheduled a doctor's appointment for
Joan at a medical clinic in the nearby town of dambulla the general practitioner concluded that Joan was
suffering from mental illness and should be admitted as an involuntary patient to
a psychiatric hospital in late September she was taken to lakeside mental health
hospital in the regional city of Ballarat a three-hour drive southeast from her home psychiatrists there
diagnosed - Joan with anxiety depression schizophrenia and hypomania a mood disorder which can cause increased
energy difficulty concentrating restlessness and irritability she remained at the hospital for three weeks
and by mid-october her sleep pattern had proved though what still wasn't back to
normal upon release doctors prescribed to join an anti-psychotic medication called IO
redesign which was then commonly used to treat schizophrenia they instructed her
to take it for 12 months cautioning her that if she stopped there was a strong possibility of relapse within the next
two years nine days after James release she was still struggling with persistent
restlessness so she and Ralph made another doctor's appointment although Joan was coherent the doctor
noted she had difficulty remaining seated and expressed that the problem might have been the thioridazine his
agitation was a side effect of the drug Joan's dosage was half and she was also prescribed a second medication to help
manage the restlessness the doctor asked the couple to return in five days for a
follow-up appointment but she never saw them again Jones continued suffering convinced Ralph that the doctors were
unable to help he suggested to Jane that she submit to deliverance a form of ministry similar to an exorcism in which
an individual is cleansed of evil spirits and demons gern refused telling her husband there's nothing wrong with
me Ralph then turned to his religious friends for advice and was instructed to pray to God to bind the spirits he did
so and when Joan's health improved shortly after Ralph attributed her recovery to his prayers and she ceased
taking her medication seeing Jane's recovery increased to Ralph's faith in God even further and
religion became the focal point of his life one neighbor would later recall that
while he could have a normal conversation with the Joan it was impossible to talk to Ralph without the
subject of religion being raised in his quest to find a like-minded people Ralph
had become acquainted with a couple named - John and Julianne Reichenbach both aged 30 who had encouraged him to
pray for Jane's recovery the RIKEN backs resided on a remote farm stead in the town of Glen Lee located roughly 28
kilometers west of Antwerp they had met through their involvement in the Lutheran faith with Leanne attending
services in a town south the portion and John's family being well regarded orders
of another nearby church they married and by the early 1990s had four children over time they found themselves
increasingly drawn to charismatic Christianity abundant mentalist a movement that emphasizes abilities
believed to be bestowed by the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues performing miracles and being able to
heal the sick during the early 1990s the charismatic movement was on the rise throughout the Wimmer region becoming
increasingly popular with individuals who had previously practiced the more conventional branches of Christianity
John and Leigh Ann Rokenbok believed they had a divine calling to exorcise demons and began performing deliverances
they also established their own prayer circle at their home with groups ranging from 6 to 25 people gathering there to
sing hymns and study biblical passages soon ralph of alma was a regular attendee and developed a close
friendship with the couple considering them to be the only to truly spirit-filled people of their entire
congregation however the RIKEN box involvement with the maduk movement led to clashes with their
Lutheran minister when he pointed out that some of their new beliefs contradicted the Bible's teachings they
would argue that the Lord had spoken to them personally their disagreements with
the Church's doctrine eventually led to them being excommunicated from their congregation in late 1992 in early
January 1993 Ralph and Joan traveled to Adelaide to attend a six-day charismatic
movement convention that the Reichenbach had recommended to them the week-long event was characterized by lots of
singing preaching and people performing minor miracles such as healing and casting out demons throughout it all
jones seemed Moody and withdrawn but the trip passed without any significant incidents when the couple arrived to
back home on Sunday January 10 Jones manic symptoms returned and quickly worsened she was once again Restless and
unable to sleep and according to Ralph would snort like a pig make aggressive facial expressions that he compared to
an angry dog sway loudly and speak about lewd activities Ralph attributed Jones behavior to spiritual problems when he
had prayed to bind the evil spirit within her two years earlier he believed he had rendered it ineffective but
failed to caster they are now his suspected that had been reawakened by the strong spiritual atmosphere and a
nourishment of the convention and was rebelling against it over the next 10 days ralph prayed often for guidance but
worried that he was harassing God with concerns that he was already aware of as a reminder to himself
Ralph painted the words stop telling father your needs in red paint on an outside wall of the properties peeps
dire on Thursday January 21 63 year old Roma Karras caught the bus from Horsham to
Antwerp to stay with her friend to join Vollmar it was the middle of summer and temperatures in the region were
consistently soaring above 40 degrees Celsius when Roma greeted Joan she was shocked to find her friend too dressed
in a nightie and heavy dressing gown but with ice-cold hands throughout the visit
Joan restocked crockery pulled apart flowers from a bouquet Roma had given her and sang in a peculiar voice that
roma described as lovely like a nightingale Roma also observed that Joan's stomach appeared to be swollen
Joan told Roma that she was both expecting a baby and that the swelling was due to a cancerous tumor she
insisted that there were people on the property who wanted to rape her but when she tried to point them out to her
friend Roma saw nothing believing that Joan was heading for quote a nervous breakdown Roma told ralph of her
concerns on the following morning of Friday January 22 before returning home that evening
Ralph returned home from shopping to find a Joan dancing barefoot in the paddocks while waving her arms and
calling out to him he has scored her into the house only for Joan to run away and be found for later that night four
kilometers away deeply disturbed ralph prayed to God for guidance as to where he should turn for help
believing he received an answer to reach out to the rocking backs he phoned to John and asked him to come over John
arrived at the Vollmer residence at around 11:30 p.m. he and Julie Ann had participated in as many as twenty
deliverances by this time and upon seeing the state that Joan was in John quickly deduced that she was a victim of
demonic possession he told Ralph that deliverance was no longer an option but a necessary action
in order to save her soul Ralph agreed and the two of them stayed awake all night praying for Joan and reading
passages aloud from the Bible the next morning of Saturday January 23 lien Reichenbach arrived and took her
husband's place by joan side while john returned home to the couple's children she found other members of their circle
to ask for their guidance and assistance in praying for Joan at the top of her list was Lia clucksten a 77 year old
Baptist who resided in the town of rainbow 52 kilometers north of Antwerp the rockin backs considered a lair to be
something of a spiritual leader as she claimed to speak directly with God after consulting with Lianne over the
telephone Leah came to the conclusion that Joan was possessed by not one but ten demonic entities and provided advice
on how to expel the evil spirits following Leah's instructions Ralph and Leanne had to joan sit in a chair at one
end of the kitchen while they sat at the other reciting biblical passages praying
and asking joan questions while christian music played in the background this pattern repeated over the next two
days Ralph enter Leanne's deliverance sessions commenced during the mid-afternoon and continued throughout
the night sometimes not concluding until 5 a.m. occasionally John Reichenbach would join them in person but other
times they regularly called him for advice along with Lia and several other prayer circle members after 3 days with
no change in Joan's behavior it was decided that they needed someone else to join them and strengthen their efforts
David clinger was a 28 year old contract harvester who had grown up in northern New South Wales but now lived in South
Australia he had attended the Reichenbach sprayer circles on a number of occasions where he had become
acquainted with the Ralph Ulmer as well David had also met Joan and already harbored some suspicions about her even
before receiving phone calls from Milly an Reichenbach explaining that Joan was undergoing a deliverance he had seen the
volmers at a New Year's Eve prayer gathering four weeks earlier and thought that Joan had a blank expression on her
face during the service at one stage he believed he saw her eyes roll back into her head
from that moment he suspected there was a demonic presence in her and now that had seemingly been confirmed when the
group asked him to join them he felt it was his duty to assist on Tuesday January 26 David made the considerable
journey across the state border to Antwerp upon arriving at the property he felt that the atmosphere there was like
that of a quote spiritual battle between God and Satan he prayed and read from the Bible along with Ralph and Leanne
the trio maintained their efforts throughout the entire day and into Wednesday as well regularly checking in
with their prayer circle associates according to David June became increasingly verbally abusive and
aggressive as time went on by Thursday January 28 Joan's restlessness had worsened to the point that she refused
to stay seated and resisted the group's prayers in response growth suggest that they tie her feet to wooden planks to
prevent her from moving around and making what he described as satanic gestures they also began depriving Joan of food
and water as a way of starving the demons inside her when she complained of her hunger and thirst they would pray
even louder to drown out her cries their questioning of Joan persisted and if she
didn't provide satisfactory replies they slapped her face as a means of telling her in rafts words come on give us an
answer on a couple of occasions ralph became distressed that witnessing the torment his wife was enduring including
the bruises that had formed on her skin when he voiced his concerns that this could not be God's will LeeAnn and David
pointed out to Ralph that it wasn't his wife they were physically battling that a demonic presence they reassured him
that they were quote not harming Joan in any way we were just dealing with the evil spirit nevertheless the group were
at a loss as to why they couldn't see any improvement in Joan's well-being despite the growing intensity of their
deliverance Lia advised them over the phone that they would need to call for more reinforcements if the demons still
remained by Saturday throughout the exorcism the group had also been consulting fellow prayer
circle attendee Kathleen must be over the phone like Lehr clucksten Kathleen lived in rainbow and felt it was her
obligation to assist with prayers and guidance in the face of the group's continued failure to exercise Jones
demons Kathleen suggested that her son 22 year old Matthew Paul now ski join them
Matthew believed to nearly 400 kilometres away in the Melbourne suburb of Warren diet and was employed as an
assistant green keeper at a golf course he had never participated in a deliverance before the kathleen advised
that he was particularly sensitive to the message of God and the presence of evil having previously detected demons
that resided in a house that he lived in when Saturday January 30 dawns with no perceivable change in Joan Kathleen
called her son and he agreed to make the long drive to win twerp it was another hot day with the temperature reaching 40
degrees by noon when Matthew paln a ski pulled up to the property in anticipation of his arrival the group
had removed all of the kitchens furniture with the exception of a single chair that Joan was restrained in her
stockings had been used to tie her feet to wooden planks that had been nailed together she had barely had anything to
weed or drink for days Matthew later said that when he entered the room Joan was unable to look at him
which he attributed to her detecting the presence of Jesus in him as they began the day's deliverance
Matthew blessed some olive oil and anointed those present with it before running around to the exterior of the
house seven times holding up a 30 centimeter square shade of cling film in an attempt to prevent evil spirits from
entering he then decided they needed to destroy or that Jane loved as they were shrines and
altars for her devil worship Ralph and David used a hammer to smash Jones porcelain ornaments jewelry and divisors
while Matthew ripped out the flowers in her beloved a garden and a greenhouse once Matthew had prepared for the
exorcism Jiri entered the kitchen and sent to Joan in the name of Jesus I demand you
to sit down while the other three attempted to pinned her down Joan was distressed and struggled against them
with what they perceived as an inhuman strength over several hours she was repeatedly interrogated while Leanne
pressed forcefully against her stomach abdomen and chest in an effort to push out the demons that were inside her
David held to Joan in a headlock and deprived her eyes open with his fingers so that she had to look at Matthew while
he preached saying over and over in the precious name of the Lord Jesus released
this woman the slapping continued with the Joan receiving approximately 20 hits to the face at one stage her jaw was
wrenched open in an effort to remove a demon Leanne continued to call her husband John and to Leia clucksten
keeping them up to date with proceedings and following their directions through their questioning of Joan the group
believed to they had identified one of the demons as the Legion a powerful spirit that Jesus had once cast from her
possessed the man they claimed that when controlled by Legion Joan adopted a masculine persona this contrast that
with another spirit called baby Joanie or baby princess Joan who spoke in a childlike voice and detailed sexual
abuses that had been inflicted on her as a young girl after several hours the group believed they had successfully
driven out a number of demons including baby princess Joan and a that resembled a pig but that legion and
another strong male spirit remained hiding in Jones womb at 4 o'clock in the afternoon she was moved to her bedroom
for the exorcisms final stage once in the bedroom the group took it in turns to sit on Joan and push on her
stomach chest neck and head to force the panel to demons out concentrating most of their attention on her abdomen before
moving up her body by around 4:30 p.m. they were focusing on Joan's neck firmly massaging it when she suddenly shuddered
and emitted a loud groan before falling still those present interpreted this as the demons leaving her and Matthew
declared that the evil spirits had finally been defeated as the others began to celebrate ralph noticed that
his wife was no longer breathing and felt her wrists for a pulse failing to find one he alerted the others and to
they attempted to revive Joan via mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when this failed Matthew reassured the
group that entering a state such as this was normal for an individual who had just undergone a successful deliverance
after consulting with Leia Klug's than by telephone Matthew announced that Joan would arise
by the next the morning restored to perfect health he told the others to pray over her then departed the property
to attend to other matters the remaining trio pulled a quilt over Jane's body and began to sing songs of
God's victory the following day Sunday January 31 Joan had failed to wake as promised
Leanne Rokenbok phoned to Leah clucksten and Kathleen dusky who agreed to visit the property so they could lay hands on
Joan and to pray for her in person when the women arrived they pressed their hands on Joan's forehead and commanded
her to rise up and to walk to no avail Leah repeated the process three times before leaving in the afternoon
those that the farm continued to hold a vigil and sing hymns while at home Leah prayed for further instructions
regarding what she had seen at the vomer residence on Monday morning after consulting with her sister-in-law Leah
believed she had received another otherworldly message telling her to call the authorities
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Senior Constable Jeffrey Yana was on duty in the town of Jared on Monday February 1 when a call came through from
the local Lutheran minister requesting an officer's presence at a property in Antwerp 26 kilometers south the minister
had just been summoned to there himself and it was disturbed by what he had found
when constable Arnott arrived at the volmers farmhouse at around 2 p.m. he was greeted by a balding man who
identified himself as David cleaner and stated it's a long story entering the house the policeman saw
Ralph Vollmer and Dooley in rock and back seated at the kitchen table Leigh Ann reading aloud from a Bible and Ralph
using a marker to highlight passages relating to resurrection continuing down a hallway to the bedroom
constable arnott's or a female body with noticeable facial and arm bruising in an
advanced state of decomposition lying on the bed flies and maggots had gathered on the body under which there was an
enormous stain on the mattress and a foul odor permeated the room constable Arnott estimated the woman had been dead
for several days upon returning to the kitchen he saw Ralph still reading his Bible and noticed there was quote a
strange atmosphere of calm constable Arnott queried Ralph as to whether he would be making funeral arrangements for
his wife the Ralph's respondent that there wouldn't be a funeral and he was about to witness the greatest miracle as
Joan would soon walk out of the bedroom alive with a completely restored body shocked
constable Arnott made no further comment and called for backup Ralph returned to reading his Bible
David told other responding officers that Joan had died as the group had been physically reading the demonic spirits
from her when queried as to how Jones body had become so bruised he explained that the demons had given her enormous
strength and she had to be forcefully held down the homicide squad arranged to have the
body taken to Melbourne for a post-mortem examination that afternoon Ralph Leanne and David were all taken to
Horsham Police Station to be formally questioned they were interviewed for several hours by local police before
homicide squad detectives arrived from Melbourne and commenced the second phase of interviews in his account
Ralph Alma claimed that he had discovered disturbing things about his wife during the exorcism such as that
her parents had sacrificed two of their other children at birth and had baptized
her in the name of Satan when she was three years old after this alleged baptism she became known as baby
princess Joan - those who worshiped Satan Jones family who avoided the public spotlight following her death
denied these claims Ralph also said that Joan had been very distraught by her admission to lakeside mental health
hospital so he had made her a promise that she would never have to return to psychiatric care this had been a factor
in seeking divine intervention for his wife instead of medical attention he stated that his fellow worshippers
Leanne Rokenbok and David cleaner were more sensitive to the voice of God than he was so for the most part he followed
their lead when it came to extracting information from Joan in regards to the mistreatment and injuries inflicted
against Joan Ralph insisted she wouldn't have felt any physical pain quote that would have
hurt my wife terribly but it wasn't my wife we weren't dealing with my wife anymore this is the whole point see I
wouldn't allow anything like that to happen to my wife you can't believe that she wasn't my wife she was an evil
spirit that needed to be dealt with despite having witnessed the decomposition of her body
he remained adamant that Joan would be revived stating his expectation that God would provide her with a new body and
quote through a complete resurrection job LeeAnn Rokenbok expressed her surprise that Joan had died due to the
group pressing on her neck saying that they believed they were doing what was necessary to do she told police she'd
been involved in deliverances for 18 months but had never encountered anything locked Joan's case before David
cleaner acknowledged that while it would have been appropriate to call an ambulance for Joan quote in worldly
terms the group had been dealing with a spiritual matter he said God had provided him a message that the case
would receive worldwide attention leading to those who had performed the exorcism being criminally charged and
possibly imprisoned in response to these consequences God would return Joan to life and quote show he is victorious in
this day and age the three individuals were permitted to return home in the early hours of Tuesday February 2 later
that day detectives visited the Vollmer property and filmed ralph as he took them on a
tour of the homestead providing a narrative of the exorcism and pointing out where particular events had taken
place an autopsy determined that the thyroid cartilage in Jones neck had been fractured due to the amount of pressure
that the perpetrators had applied and she died of cardiac arrest within two days of police finding her body both
Australian and international media outlets were reporting on the bizarre case Ralph's openly spoke to the
journalists who turned up at his property sharing all of the details about the exorcism in one newspaper
report published on Wednesday February 3 he described at the moment that his wife
died quote there was a great noise of hissing screaming and groaning as the noise died down I looked at her eyes and
I saw the light leaved them he explained to that her death wasn't reported because they had received messages that
the Lord would raise her up Jones funeral was scheduled for Friday February 5 less than a week after her
death Ralph's informed to the media he knew with absolute certainty that she would be resurrected before her body was
laid to rest stating she will tell God's story to people around the world and get
sinners to repent he was eager that the media shared the story and invited journalists to attend so that they could
witness the miracle for themselves the modest service was hold in Horsham at the Salvation Army Hall where Joan and
her Ralph had occasionally worshiped roughly 60 of Joan's friends and fellow churchgoers attended but her family were
absent reportedly too distressed by the manner of her death to be there as many as 30 journalists and photographers as
well as Horsham police officers monitored proceedings Salvation Army captain Colin Corkery presided over the
service stating in 10 years of ministry we have never known any experience to be
so traumatic in the two years we have known Ralph and Joan we have to be gentle simple and caring people he
cautioned against a Lone Ranger exorcists who operated outside the bounds of churches
Lorna caiman her salvation army sister said Jones legacy would be that of a happy caring loving woman who walked
with the Jesus following the ceremony the casket was taken to Horsham cemetery for burial we're curious spectators
gathered around the perimeter awaiting the alleged miracle Ralph had promised after a Bible passage was shared Joan's
coffin was slowly lowered into its grave and Ralph closed his eyes tilting his head to the sky to pray when the casket
touched the ground Ralph began sobbing for the first time turning to his sons for support as he
finally realized Joan was gone he willingly spoke with reporters after the burial theorizing that perhaps Joan
hadn't wanted to return because she loved heaven so much David clinger also spoke with the press stating that he had
nothing to hide and if the police wanted to speak with him again quote then I guess they'll find me he revealed that
he and John Rokenbok had already performed a deliverance on another woman just four days after Joan's death but
this one had been a success sometime after the funeral Ralph moved in with the rock and backs helping out on the
couple's farm and taking care of their children while one of his sons took over the property at Antwerp the rocking box
prayer circle disbanded but they and Ralph maintained their faith regularly attending services at another Church in
Horsham police prepared a report for the coroner and three months after Joan's death Ralph's OMA LeAnn Rokenbok David
Klinger and Matthew na ski were all charged with the manslaughter all four received the bail and were
ordered to face a three day committal hearing in two Tambor on Monday September 13 the four
defendants each carrying a Bible filed into Horsham Magistrates Court two religious experts about just the
illusion and a Catholic Church official gave evidence that while they believed in demonic possession such cases were
rare an improved understanding of mental health had led them to believe many so-called possessions of the past had
been misdiagnosed psychological disorders Jones mental health diagnosis two years earlier was relayed to the
court and tell the rockin backs history with exorcisms had led to them being expelled from their church on the
hearings second day Leah clucksten took the stand telling the court that she had
regularly consulted the defendants throughout the exorcism and while she had never met Joan God had repeatedly
confirmed that she was possessed Lia stated that after visiting the property on January 31 and the laying hands on
Joan's deceased body she alerted the local minister after much prayer on the matter at various stages she would
shudder and interrupt her own testimony to channel the voice of God exclaiming I'm sorry daddies God speaking yes the
pathologist who performed to Joan's autopsy testified that it was highly probable that her cardiac arrest was a
result of the pressure the defendants had placed on her neck however as Joan died five minutes or longer after the
force was applied her cause of death could not be determined with absolute certainty and there was insufficient
evidence to prove it was a consequence of the exorcism on Thursday September 16 Magistrate Tim McDonald conceded that
although the four defendants had in all likelihood contributed to Joan's death his decision was to drop all of the
charges stating I find the prosecution has not produced enough evidence of sufficient weight for a jury to find the
cardia arrest was caused by application of pressure on the neck of the deceased though surprised by the magistrate's
decision all four defendants were pleased with the result they sobbed clapped and embraced to
their relatives and the newspaper photographers captured some of them smiling broadly as they left the
courthouse all four remained staunchly committed to their faith and felt vindicated by the ruling with Ralph ulna
telling journalists God's will has been done and I just praise and rejoice in the Lord he gave media interviews the
following day in which he remarked that God had been on trial telling Melbourne newspaper The Sunday age that he
disagreed with the finding that he and the others had most likely contributed to Jones death but that the magistrate
had been as understanding as he could be when asked what he would do if he had his time over ralph said he would still
choose to exercise Jone quote I still maintained that she was possessed and it was God's will to take her home the
broader community did not share the defendants views and were deeply disturbed by the ruling Jones death had
sent shockwaves through Antwerp and the wider wimmer a region although many in the area are identified as religious the
majority of them attended a mainstream church and felt that the legal system was not holding extremists accountable
for their actions a number of locals said their grievances to the media with longtime Antwerp resident Ivan Pollock
telling the Sunday aged newspaper everyone reckons we can do anything to our wives now and get away with it
as long as we preach the gospel nobody's happy about it everybody's disgusted absolutely Church spokespeople pointed
out that this sort of event was the risk people took when taking matters into their own hands
rather than calling in a religious authority the Royal Australian and to New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
called for a review of the case mental health workers expressed the concern that vulnerable people may be targeted
for recruitment by unconventional churches as some people suffering from schizophrenia believed themselves to be
possessed by demons professor graham burrows chairman of the Mental Health Foundation told the age if
people have a psychiatric disease they should receive appropriate treatments and exorcism is not one of them in the
wake of the public outrage Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions continued to look into the case after
reviewing the evidence with assistance from at least four legal advisers the charges against the four acquitted were
reinstated on February 14 1994 ralph alma leanne Reichenbach david cleaner and matthew nasty was served with
notices to stand trial for manslaughter unlawful imprisonment and recklessly causing serious injury though the
exorcism of Joan Bulmer had lasted for over a week the charge is only related to their
actions between noon and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday January 30 1993 dl was leading up to her death all four entered pleas
of not guilty and to a granted bail once again the trial commenced on Monday October 17 1994 and was the sensational
event for the small single-story courthouse a jury of five women and seven men were sworn in and dozens of
journalists and spectators oversaw the proceedings rather than dismiss the defendants beliefs as outlandish the
prosecution's approach was to bring in their own religious experts to testify that the behavior of the four accused
did not align with mainstream Christianity the jury was told about Jones 1990 diagnosis of anxiety depression
schizophrenia and hypomania her decision to cease taking medication and her subsequent decline after attending the
charismatic Christian convention two years later the video shot by investigators that the Vollmer property
was also shown revealing the stockings and boards used their estranged own as well as Jones destroyed belongings and
garden it emerged two during the trial that Ralph had not informed Jones family about her cause of death
Jones brother-in-law Neville who was married to her sister Dorothy gave evidence about a phone call he'd
received from Ralph three days after Jane's death letting them know that an autopsy was being performed when asked
how her death had occurred Ralph's amelie said she died slowly the couple were left to learn the details from
media reports a psychiatrist who had treated Joan at lakeside a mental health hospital provided background on her
psychiatric history a senior Catholic official gave evidence that the number of exorcisms performed had significantly
declined over the years likely due to ongoing advances in the mental health field he also stated that an exorcism
typically involved prayer and possibly laying hands on the head of the possessed individual nothing like the
treatment that Joan had been subjected to though none of the accused took the stand Leanne's husband John Rokenbok
gave evidence he claimed to there Joan had been possessed by multiple spirits and described how she had appeared and
behaved went under the influence of the entities he identified as Legion and to baby Princess Joan he also asserted that
they had known Joan was possessed because she revealed information about the exorcists that she had no way of
knowing when Matthew nasbe had arrived at the farm Jones said 22 pisspot which those
present interpreted as a reference to his age and a problem he previously had with alcohol leah clucksten was also
called the testifier and again declared God was speaking directly to her just as
she heard at the committal hearing david cleanest defense attorney told the court
that his client would have viewed not participating in the exorcism as quote a serious neglect of his duty bali an Rock
and box lawyer said exorcisms were not unlawful and none of her actions could have led to Jane's death on Tuesday
October 25 Leanne tendered a letter to the court justifying the group's actions the letter stated that the group
performing the exorcism knew that they were acting in God's will because he gave them confirmation that their
actions were proper Leanne also noted that only God knew why Joan had not been resurrected after her death and that
some good had resulted from the situation because the story had quote gone worldwide to highlight the
existence of a spiritual realm ralph of Alma's barrister argued that his client was a reasonable person who had turned
to his religious community after seeing no improvement in Joan following her release from hospital in 1990 when Jones
seemed to recover shortly after Ralph prayed for her to get better he attributed this to the power of prayer
the defense pointed to references to exorcisms in the Bible saying that long tradition made demonic possession
entirely reasonable to someone of faith a psychologist called to give evidence about Ralph's personality and character
said a Ralph's trusted the few friends he had implicitly it had taken him more than a year to
accept that his wife was deceased and wouldn't be returning a month into the trial the barrister representing Matthew
Nass key requested to have the most serious charge against his client dropped his barrister argued that the
crown had failed to make a case for manslaughter against Matthew who was now 24 and studying to be a missionary had
the interdenominational College in Perth the trial judge justice Graeme crossly agreed there was insufficient evidence
to convict and instructed the jury to acquit Matthew of manslaughter a week later both sides gave their
closing address prosecutor Peter Jones argued that Ralph should have recognised his wife required professional medical
help but instead quote common sense gave way to zealotry which led to a volatile
exorcism he told the jury that the defendants had no right to confine Joan or assault her body adding they had no
consideration for Christianity they went right past that they were on a frolic of
their own and an unlawful frolic the defense urged jurors to reflect on the evidence without prejudice and set aside
sensationalist the media reports they might have read following Jones death they also pointed out that it was
possible that Joan had died from an asthma attack or an epileptic fit as the pathologist had not been able to
determine the cause of death with absolute certainty the jury had a difficult task ahead while the local
community wanted justice for Joan exorcisms in and of themselves were not illegal meaning they would have to
consider whether the actions performed by the group during the ritual were unlawful and amounted the man's florida
after a day's deliberation the jury returned to deliver the verdict too late on Wednesday November
they found Ralph volna not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of one count of recklessly causing serious injury and
one count of false imprisonment as per the judges instructions Matthew Nucky was acquitted of
manslaughter but convicted on one count of false imprisonment LeeAnn Rock and back and David clinger were both
convicted of false imprisonment and manslaughter making them the only ones hold directly responsible for killing
Joan when sentencing the perpetrators judge Crossley explained that they were not being sentenced for performing the
exorcism but for the undue force they had used against - Joan as the law did not allow accesses in the name of
religion he noted that regardless of whether Joan had suffered from a mental illness or been possessed by demons the
level of violence inflicted on her was rough unwarranted and absolutely unjustified while judge Crossley
observed that it was difficult to perceive any remorse in the for as they all accepted Jones death was God's will
he did not use this as an aggravating factor due to the unusual nature of the case he stated you put Joan through an
ordeal that can only be described as bizarre and quite extraordinary seen objectively that ordeal was cruel yet I
do accept that you said about subjecting her to that ordeal honestly believing that it was for her own good and she was
truly possessed by demons judge Crossley sentenced who yen rockin back to two years in prison 20 months of
which were suspended for two years David clinger was given 18 months 15 of which were also suspended for two years
Ralph Vollmer was sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years and Matthew nos
key received three months suspended for 18 months of the four only Leanne and David would serve any prison time
Leanne fought to hold back tears as she was escorted from the courtroom to begin
her four month sentence Jones family had deliberately avoided a media attention since her death but two members gave
brief statements following the sentencings one of her sisters Dorothy commented that Jones death had
traumatized their family while another sister Lorraine added that she hoped the ordeal was finally over quote it's just
something we have to put behind us now in May 1995 all four perpetrators appealed their convictions at the
Supreme Court of Victoria the defendants argued that the crown had failed to adequately show that by pressing on
Joan's neck they had caused her death and claimed that the offence of manslaughter had not been committed as
Joan had consented to the acts that were performed on her they also submitted that the charge of
false imprisonment did not apply as Joan's mental state and behavior meant she was a danger to herself and others
and she had agreed to quote necessary restraint the perpetrators attorneys also objected to some of the evidence
supplied by the prosecution including exhibits of the wooden planks Joan's feet had been strapped to portions of
the police interviews with the defendants and testimony regarding the destruction of the farms garden and
Joan's prized possessions on September 7 1995 the Supreme Court of Victoria rejected all grants of Appeal and upheld
the convictions little is known about the perpetrators lives following their convictions though all appear to have
maintained to their faith Ralph Vollmer eventually married for a third time and left Victoria to live with his new wife
in Queensland selling his and a Jones Antwerp property in 2001 an editorial published in Melbourne newspaper the age
in September 1993 voice to the anxieties felt by much of the public in the wake of Jones death read in part most
Australians call themselves Christians but most would have no doubt that the four who tried to exorcise the mentally
ill Jones Vollmer were dangerously deluded how can such many evil thinking persist in the face of a modern
medicines ability to diagnose mental disturbance the Vollmer case demonstrates the darker
side of some forms of belief and the dangers of a religious certainty those who do not question their actions who
carry within them the assurance of divine inspiration at all times a capable of harm that is as great as it
is unknowing for the past 20 years the farmhouse where Joan was killed has lain empty the buyers who purchased it in
2001 never moved in and sold again in 2013 for just under eighty seven and a half thousand dollars but remained
uninhabited according to an article published in 2016 by news.com dot a you breaking into the abandoned residence
has become a popular pastime for local teenagers Ivan Pollock the Antwerp resident who spoke of the community's
disgust in the wake of Joan's death told reporter Candace Sutton that the house made people feel unsettled quote it put
into a pond the map so to speak people still talk about what happened in that house nearly 60 kilometres south a
simple headstone marks Joan volmers final resting place at Horsham Cemetery beneath the rendering of a crucifix and
her name other words always in our hearts in God's care [Music]

Case 128: Joan Vollmer

On Sunday, January 10 1993, 54-year-old pig farmer Ralph Vollmer and his 49-year-old wife Joan returned home from a week-long interstate trip...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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Brief Summary

Joan Vollmer died during a misguided exorcism, leading to manslaughter charges against her husband and friends.

Key points

Joan's Disturbing Behavior. After returning from a trip, Joan exhibits increasingly erratic behavior, alarming Ralph.
The Spiritual Crisis. Ralph believes dark forces are at play as Joan's mental health deteriorates.
The Deliverance Attempt. Ralph and friends engage in intense prayer sessions to expel supposed demons from Joan.
The Disturbing Exorcism. Joan's condition worsens, leading to extreme measures by her group. 'They tied her feet to wooden planks.'
The Final Moments. Ralph believes Joan will rise again after her death. 'You are about to witness the greatest miracle.'
The Funeral and Aftermath. Ralph remains hopeful for Joan's resurrection during her funeral. 'She will tell God's story.'

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Ralph prayed to God for guidance.

Ralph's desperation for help as Joan's condition worsens.

3:52WatchOct 18, 2019

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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