Sean Sellers - Avowal of Satanism at Trial

Avowal of Satanism At Trial

At his trial, Sellers claimed he was a practicing Satanist at the time of the murders and that demonic possession (by the demon "Ezurate") made him murder his victims. In later documents, he claimed to have read The Satanic Bible by Anton Lavey "hundreds of times" between the ages of 15 and 16, when the crimes were committed, and in a "Confession" letter written from prison, he reflected on this period of his life: "I got very involved in Satanism. I truly thought it was an honest way to live, and the rituals of it would enable me to control my life." His attorneys also argued Sellers was addicted to the game "Dungeons & Dragons", although Sellers would later write that the game had no part in his crimes and that "using my past as a common example of the effects of the game is either irrational or fanatical."

The jury refused to consider either claim, and Sellers was found guilty of multiple homicides and sentenced to death in 1986. At the time, Oklahoma law did not give juries the option of giving a life sentence without the possibility of parole (that choice became available in 1987). One juror later said that the jury felt Sellers would be paroled in 7 to 14 years, and this prison term was not lengthy enough. So the jury opted for the death penalty. Other jurors denied this was part of the deliberations.