“God Made Me Do It”: When Killers Blame the Divine
God has been cited as a reason for war, love, peace—and murder. Throughout history, some of the most disturbing criminals have claimed their violent acts weren’t acts of evil, but divine orders. Whether these were the ravings of the mentally ill, attempts to dodge guilt, or genuine religious delusions, the results were the same: horror, death, and devastation.
This article explores the chilling stories of infamous killers who claimed their actions were directed by a higher power. These aren’t just madmen; they’re people who wrapped their madness in scripture and turned belief into bloodshed.
David Berkowitz – “Son of Sam”
Crimes:
Between 1976 and 1977, David Berkowitz terrorised New York City in a shooting spree that left six dead and seven injured. His victims were mostly young women and couples, often ambushed while sitting in parked cars.
The “God” Defence:
Berkowitz initially told police that a demon had possessed his neighbour’s dog, a black labrador, and the dog commanded him to kill. He later expanded on this, claiming he was acting under satanic influence. But behind bars, Berkowitz flipped the script: he found Christianity and claimed that God had allowed the killings to happen to bring him to salvation.
While his original demonic justification didn’t pin blame on God directly, his later narrative paints a divine plan in which his crimes were a necessary path to spiritual awakening—a theological dodge if there ever was one.
Reality Check:
Experts widely believe Berkowitz suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Whether he truly heard voices or crafted a twisted excuse, the result was the same—terror, tragedy, and a city gripped by fear.
Herbert Mullin – Earthquake Killer
Crimes:
Between October 1972 and February 1973, Herbert Mullin murdered 13 people in California. His methods varied—stabbings, shootings, bludgeonings—making him harder to catch. There was no clear pattern at first, but the reason Mullin gave was bone-chilling.
The “God” Defence:
Mullin believed that by killing people, he was preventing earthquakes. He said he was receiving telepathic messages from God—or the universe—telling him that human sacrifice was necessary to avoid a massive natural disaster in California. He saw himself as a prophet, carrying out holy work.
Reality Check:
Mullin was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. His hallucinations and delusions fed into a complex fantasy where God had chosen him as a modern-day saviour. At trial, his legal team tried for an insanity defence, but the jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree and nine counts of second-degree murder. He is still serving his sentence in California.
Deanna Laney – “God Told Me to Kill My Sons”
Crimes:
In 2003, Deanna Laney, a Texas mother, beat two of her sons to death with rocks and severely injured a third. She claimed to be acting under direct command from God, just as Abraham had once been asked to sacrifice his son Isaac in the Bible.
The “God” Defence:
Laney told investigators that God had tested her faith and she had passed. In her mind, she was doing God’s will, and her actions were righteous, even merciful. She believed that by killing her sons, she was saving them from the evils of the world.
Reality Check:
Laney was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital. Psychiatrists diagnosed her with psychotic religious delusions. It wasn’t an act. Laney was convinced God had spoken to her—and she obeyed without question.
Peter Sutcliffe – The Yorkshire Ripper
Crimes:
Peter Sutcliffe murdered 13 women and attempted to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980 in northern England. The brutality of his attacks—beatings, stabbings, and mutilations—shocked the nation and led to one of the largest manhunts in British history.
The “God” Defence:
After his arrest, Sutcliffe claimed he was on a “divine mission” to rid the world of prostitutes. He said that God had told him to do it during a visit to a graveyard, and that he was merely a servant of God’s will.
Reality Check:
While he was initially deemed fit for trial and sentenced to life imprisonment, later psychiatric evaluations diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. He spent the majority of his sentence in Broadmoor Hospital. Many critics believe his “God told me” defence was an attempt to frame his misogyny and bloodlust as something more palatable, or at least, less damning.
Michael Taylor – The Ossett Possession Case
Crimes:
In 1974, Michael Taylor, a seemingly mild-mannered man from Osseett, West Yorkshire. Taylor killed his wife in one of the most grotesque domestic murders in British criminal history. He tore out her eyes, tongue, and nearly ripped her face off. He then killed the family dog in similar fashion.
The “God” Defence:
Taylor and his wife had been involved in a Christian fellowship group, and Taylor had undergone an exorcism just hours before the murder. He believed he was possessed by demons—and that God had empowered him to purge evil. He claimed no memory of the killings and said the evil inside him was expelled, but not in time to save his wife.
Reality Check:
Taylor was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital. His case became one of the most infamous examples of religious fervour mixed with mental instability. Was it a divine battle or an untreated psychotic break? The horror remains the same.
Joseph Kallinger – Father, Killer, Prophet
Crimes:
Joseph Kallinger, along with his teenage son Michael, committed a string of robberies, assaults, and three murders in the mid-1970s. Their spree was bizarre and sadistic, involving home invasions where victims were tortured and sometimes forced to pray before being killed.
The “God” Defence:
Kallinger claimed God had ordered him to commit the murders. He said he was following a holy command to cleanse the world. He also believed he was being controlled by a floating head named “Charlie.” His version of God was a violent, punitive force demanding blood and obedience.
Reality Check:
Psychiatrists diagnosed Kallinger with paranoid schizophrenia. His insanity plea was denied, and he was sentenced to life in prison. He died behind bars, still proclaiming that he had been chosen by God.
Mathew Phelps – “God Will Forgive Me”
Crimes:
In 2017, Mathew Phelps, a North Carolina Bible college graduate, called 911 claiming he woke up to find his wife stabbed to death. He confessed to the murder, saying he had no memory of the act and blamed cold medicine for a blackout. But investigators found no sign of a struggle and no drugs in high enough quantities to cause such amnesia.
The “God” Defence:
In later statements, Phelps spoke of his spiritual conflict and said he believed God would forgive him. He described his actions as part of a spiritual battle and framed the killing as the result of evil influences trying to destroy what God had built—his marriage.
Reality Check:
The court didn’t buy it. Phelps took a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The idea that God could forgive may have comforted him, but it didn’t convince the justice system.
Andre Thomas – The Man Who Tore Out His Own Eyes
Crimes:
In 2004, Andre Thomas murdered his estranged wife, their four-year-old son, and her infant daughter. He stabbed them and removed their hearts. After his arrest, Thomas told police that God wanted him to kill them because they were possessed by demons. Days later, he gouged out his right eye. Years after being imprisoned, he removed his left eye too—and ate it.
The “God” Defence:
Thomas was deeply religious and claimed he was following God’s will. He believed the children were “unclean” and that their deaths would purify his soul and the world. He also said that by removing his eyes, he was obeying scripture: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.”
Reality Check:
Thomas was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and his case has raised serious questions about executing the mentally ill. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to death in Texas and remains on death row—blind, disturbed, and still claiming spiritual guidance.
Zachary Sturgis – Divine “Vampire” Killer
Crimes:
In 2012, 19-year-old Zachary Sturgis of Florida stabbed his 16-year-old brother to death. He told police he had “visions” and that his brother was a vampire sent by Satan. According to Sturgis, he had no choice—God demanded the boy be destroyed before he could infect others.
The “God” Defence:
Sturgis said the murder was holy. He believed he was doing spiritual battle on God’s behalf. He thought demons walked among humans and that his brother had become one. His language mimicked that of religious warriors—God had chosen him for this mission.
Reality Check:
Sturgis was ruled incompetent to stand trial due to severe mental illness. His belief in divine vampire-hunting wasn’t fantasy—it was full-blown psychosis. He was institutionalised rather than imprisoned.
Vincent Li – The Greyhound Bus Beheading
Crimes:
In 2008, on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba, Canada, Vincent Li stood up and, without warning, stabbed fellow passenger Tim McLean dozens of times. He then beheaded him, displayed the head to the other passengers, and began cannibalising the body.
The “God” Defence:
Li later said God had told him McLean was a force of evil and that killing him was necessary to save the world. He described the attack as obedience to divine instruction. He was calm and composed as he discussed his “mission.”
Reality Check:
Li was found not criminally responsible due to schizophrenia. He was institutionalised and later released under strict monitoring. His release caused national outrage, but doctors insisted his illness was under control. He legally changed his name and now lives freely, which continues to spark debate about justice versus rehabilitation.
Anatoly Onoprienko – “The Terminator” of Ukraine
Crimes:
Between 1989 and 1996, Onoprienko killed 52 people across Ukraine. His murders were often entire families slaughtered in their homes, followed by arson. He used shotguns, knives, and blunt instruments with brutal efficiency.
The “God” Defence:
Onoprienko said he received instructions from an internal voice he identified as “God.” This divine force allegedly pushed him to commit the killings as part of a higher plan. He claimed to be an instrument of balance, punishing the corrupt and wicked.
Reality Check:
Despite his claims, Onoprienko’s crimes bore the hallmarks of a sadistic serial killer. There was methodical planning, not random divine chaos. He was caught, confessed, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in 2013 behind bars. Whether he believed in God’s voice or used it to rationalise bloodlust remains a chilling ambiguity.
Derek Ward – A Grisly End to a God Obsession
Crimes:
In 2014, 35-year-old Derek Ward decapitated his mother, Patricia Ward, in Long Island, dragged her body into the street, and then jumped in front of a train to kill himself.
The “God” Defence:
Witnesses later reported that Derek had become increasingly obsessed with religion and apocalyptic visions. He believed that God was going to destroy the Earth and that he needed to save his mother from damnation. According to some who knew him, he had mentioned hearing voices and seeing signs from God.
Reality Check:
Derek had a history of mental illness and had stopped taking his medication. His descent into religious delusion wasn’t sudden—it was a long, tragic spiral that ended in blood and suicide. His “God” wasn’t just in his head—it was torment.
Brian David Mitchell – The Kidnap Prophet
Crimes:
Although he was not a killer, Brian David Mitchell is worthy of mention here. In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home in Utah by Mitchell, a self-proclaimed prophet who went by the name “Emmanuel.” With help from his wife, Wanda Barzee, he held Elizabeth captive for nine months, subjecting her to daily sexual abuse and brainwashing under the guise of spiritual “marriage.”
The “God” Defence:
Mitchell claimed he was a modern prophet sent by God to take multiple wives and prepare for the end times. He viewed Elizabeth as a chosen bride, taken under divine command. He quoted scripture and forced her to participate in religious rituals.
Reality Check:
Mitchell was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. His God complex was part of a long-standing delusional disorder. Experts said he showed signs of narcissistic and antisocial traits, with religion twisted into a framework for abuse.
Faith, Madness, and Murder
These killers didn’t just commit unspeakable crimes—they justified them with the ultimate authority: God. Whether these were true psychotic breaks, manipulative defences, or some twisted blend of both, the results were terrifyingly real.
To believe one is chosen by God is one thing. To believe God wants you to kill? That’s a descent into a dark and dangerous place where faith becomes fuel for madness.
As a culture, we tend to draw a hard line between good and evil, sacred and profane. But the cases above remind us: sometimes, in the minds of the disturbed, those lines blur—and the voice of God becomes the voice of horror.
Closing Note: The Devil in Divine Disguise
These stories show a terrifying pattern: religion, in the hands of the disturbed, can become a weapon. Whether it’s schizophrenia, mania, or delusion, the invocation of God transforms personal psychosis into something more terrifying because it wraps horror in holiness.
Not every believer becomes a killer. But in each of these cases, belief wasn’t just background noise, it was the engine of destruction. The voice of God, or what they thought was God, became louder than morality, louder than law, louder than reason.
For true crime and horror fans, this intersection of faith and madness remains one of the darkest corridors in the human psyche – a place where angels fall, and demons wear halos.
© Colin Lawson Books