The devil worshiping North Carolina man who shocked the nation after two cannibalistic killings was found dead in his jail cell in a suspected suicide. Thirty-six-year-old Pazuzu Algarad was facing charges of first-degree murder and as an accessory after the fact to another murder.
According to the New York Daily News, the convicted killer legally changed his name in 2012 to the name of the demon used in the horror film, The Exorcist. Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind in Assyrian mythology. Born as John Alexander Johnson, Pazuzu Algarad was a self-professed Satanist and devil-worshiper.
A previous report from the Inquisitr following the arrest of Pazuzu Algarad revealed his home was filled with mountains of trash, Satanic and Nazi symbols, and evidence of ritual sacrifices. The man was also heavily tattooed, had his tongue split down the center, and his teeth were filed to points.
Pazuzu Algarad, photo by FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
Though the sheriff’s office and district attorney declined to comment on why Pazuzu Algarad may have killed himself, it seems reasonable to assume the suspected suicide was a result of his approaching court date. He was scheduled to appear on Thursday to face murder charges after the bodies of two men were found buried behind his home.
The men, Joshua Fredrick Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch, were reportedly killed on separate occasions by Pazuzu Algarad and his girlfriend, Amber Burch. His girlfriend is still behind bars facing similar charges, along with their alleged accomplice, Krystal Nicole Matlock, who is believed to have helped bury the bodies.
Pazuzu Algarad house of horrors. Photo by Forsyth County Housing and Community Development.
Despite the horrific nature of the crimes, prosecutors claim nobody is happy that Pazuzu Algarad committed suicide. It will not only change the course of action regarding the murder trials, but it will also affect the people close to Pazuzu Algarad.
“He has a family, he has friends; we don’t celebrate the loss of life in this sort of situation,” said District Attorney Jim O’Neill said at a press conference. “It’s sad for them and we have respect for them.”
According to My Fox 8, Pazuzu Algarad was found unresponsive in his cell during a routine inmate check at around 3:00 am on Wednesday at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. He had a wound on his arm that was apparently self-inflicted. After prison workers failed to revive Pazuzu Algarad, he was pronounced dead at 4:20 am.
Martha Wetzler, the mother of one of Algarad’s victims, spoke to My Fox 8 about her reaction to the suspected suicide.
“I’m not even sure how I feel,” she said. “I’m kind of numb… I want to know why. Why he did that. But. I’m not so sure I’ll get an answer to that.”
Wetzler also commented that Pazuzu Algarad was taking the coward’s way out by committing suicide before his trial.
“That only proves to me that he knew what he’d done and that he didn’t want to be responsible for his actions.”
Victim of Pazuzu Algarad, Tommy Dean Welch. Courtesy of FORSYTH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Though many conflate devil worship and Satanism, they aren’t technically the same thing. In an article about the Pazuzu Algarad murders, the Washington Post reported on the Church of Satan’s response to the confusion. While devil worship and Satanism aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, the vast majority of Satanists don’t even believe in the devil, but rather the deification of the self.
“Satanism is an atheist philosophy which does not condone sacrifices nor does it support murder,” said the statement from the Church of Satan.
[Photo by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office]
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