The Satanist who moved from animal sacrifices to humans, lived with their corpses, tattooed his face, filed his teeth into points, and didn?t bathe.
Pazuzu Algarad mugshot | via Forsyth County Police Department
Self Proclaimed Satanist ? Pazuzu Algarad
Born John Alexander Lawson in San Francisco, California, on August 12, 1978. Later moved to Clemmons, North Carolina, with his mother.
Patricia Gillespie produced a documentary about Pazuzu Algard, ?The Devil You Know.?
She spoke about what she uncovered about his early life: ?He told people he was from Iraq, he told people his father was some high priest. But the people who knew him as a child described him as a little off-kilter, a little emotional. Things that might indicate the beginning of a mental illness: harming animals, consuming alcohol, and drugs at a very early age.?
His mother, Cynthia Lawson, said her son?s mental health issues started when he was young. He has been diagnosed with both schizophrenia and agoraphobia, among others.
In an interview for the documentary, Cynthia said, ?He wasn?t by any means an angel, but he wasn?t a bad person or a bogeyman or whatever phrases people have called him.?
It was in 2002 when he legally changed his name to Pazuzu Illah Algarad. It was his way to pay homage to the Assyrian demon from the movie The Exorcist.
Outcast By Choice
In creating his new life, Pazuzu Algarad started getting tattoos on his face, and he filed all of his teeth into points.
His psychiatrist noted that Pazuzu Algarad said he only bathed once a year and had stopped brushing his teeth altogether. The reason for this, Pazuzu Algarad believed personal hygiene ?stripped . . . the body of its defenses in warding off infection and illness.?
During this time, Pazuzu Algarad was living in Clemmons, North Carolina, a town that has a high population of Christians and traditional values.
Amber Burch mugshot (left) and Krystal Matlock mugshot (right) | via Forsyth County Police Department
New-Age Manson
Charles Manson, the leader of the Cult Family that killed in the late ?60s, had a lot in common with Pazuzu Algarad. They both purposely excluded themselves from society and yet gathered beautiful young women around them. And more unfathomable, they convinced these women to commit murders.
A former friend of Pazuzu Algarad, Nate Anderson, gave an interview about the Satanist. ?He had a twisted sort of charisma; it?s the kind of charisma that isn?t going to appeal to everyone. But certain minds are going to appeal to everyone. But certain minds are going to be drawn in by that: the misfits, the outcasts, people living on the edge or people who wanted to live on the edge.?
Pazuzu Algarad?s girls were considered his fiancs, Amber Burch and Krystal Matlock.
Photos taken inside the home at 2749 Knob Hill Drive | via Journal
The Killer?s Love Nest
The house Pazuzu Algarad shared with his mother on 2749 Knob Hill Drive seemed to be a hangout for society?s outcasts and misfits. They would congregate there, some even moving in for extended times.
On any given day inside the home, you could find people committing self-harm, blood-drinking from birds, animal sacrifices, large amounts of drug usage, and ritualistic orgies.
What you wouldn?t have found was a clean spot in the house. The entire inside was covered in garbage, dead animal carcasses, and blood smeared on the walls. When a door or window was opened, swarms of thousands of flies would try to escape.
The investigators who would go inside to look for evidence said how bad the place smelled of decaying flesh and garbage. They noted all of the satanic messages and symbols painted and scrawled on everything.
Photo of the symbols scrawled through the house | via Journal
Crimes Leading Up to Kills
On May 28, 2010, Pazuzu Algarad put his mother Cynthia Lawson in a chokehold at the home they shared on 2749 Knob Hill Drive.
In August of 2011, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge against a former girlfriend and was put on probation for 12 months.
A month later, on September 22, Amber Burch was charged with slapping and attempting to choke Pazuzu Algarad?s mother, Cynthia. She was convicted and given 12 months of probation. Only two months into her probation, she was charged with assault and battery for striking someone else, but her probation was not revoked.
First Murder Charge
In October 2010, Pazuzu Algarad was charged with accessory after the fact of the involuntary manslaughter of Joseph Emmrick Chandler.
Chandler?s body was found the previous month on a boat ramp at Donnaha Park. He died from a gunshot wound, with no evidence of a struggle or robbery.
Pazuzu Algarad was initially questioned about knowing Nicholas Pasquale Rizzi, the suspected shooter. Pazuzu Algarad told authorities that he didn?t know where Rizzi was, but at the time, he was living in Algarad?s house.
Backyard of house | via Journal
The Backyard Graveyard
Police got a warrant and searched Pazuzu Algarad?s house, where they uncovered two sets of skeletal remains buried in the backyard.
On October 5, 2014, Pazuzu Algarad and one of his fiancs, Amber Burch, was arrested.
The bodies were later identified as Tommy Dean Welch, and Joshua Frederick Wetzler, who had disappeared in 2009.
Police believe that Algarad killed Wetzler in July 2009, and Burch helped him bury the body. Then in October of that year, Burch killed Welch, and Algarad helped her bury his body.
Pazuzu Algarad?s other fianc Krystal Matlock has since been charged in connection to the murders for having played a role in their demise.
The front door was donned with a skull and crossbones with the words ?Evil Will Triumph? written on it.
After the property had been thoroughly searched, and all evidence obtained the county housing deemed the home ?unfit for human habitation.? It has since been demolished.
The Aftermath of a Satanic Family
October 28, 2015, Pazuzu Algarad was found with a deep cut to his left arm. By the time personal reached him, he had died from exsanguination. His death was ruled a suicide.
Amber Burch in court | via Greensboro News & Record
March 9, 2017, Amber Burch took a plea deal of second-degree murder, armed robbery, and accessory after the fact murder with a sentence of 30 years.
She admitted her role in killing Tommy Dean Welch, testifying that she shot him in the head twice with a .22-caliber rifle while he sat on the couch inside the home.
It was determined that Pazuzu Algarad used the same rifle months before to shoot Joshua Frederick Wetzler. From decomposition evidence found inside the home, it?s believed they let the body lay inside the residence for over two weeks before burying it.
Krystal Matlock in court | via Winston-Salem Journal
June 5, 2017, Krystal Matlock pleaded guilty to conspiracy to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and was sentenced to three years.
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