Not many of us have the luxury of having neighbors who rarely do things we don’t like, a little noise here or an excess lightning fixture there. It’s hard enough getting along with the person next door but you just might consider yourself lucky that you never lived next to Pazuzu Algarad.
A self-proclaimed Satanist, Algarad spent his days drinking blood, making animal sacrifices and engaging in orgies in his home. It was not until his arrest and subsequent murder charge that the nightmare came to an end.
Pazuzu Algarad, originally named John Lawson, was primarily raised by his mother, Cynthia James. The pair moved from California to Forsyth County, where Cynthia grew up. There, Cynthia remarried and the family moved into a home on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons, where John changed his name to Pazuzu Algarad and was tied to the deaths of three men.
Early Life
Not much is known with absolute certainty about his early life as Algarad took pride in reinventing stories surrounding his childhood. He was born on August 12, 1978, in San Francisco, California originally named John Alexander Lawson.
from John Lawson to Pazuzu Algarad
In a documentary series dedicated to telling the story of Pazuzu Algarad, The Devil You Know, which was produced and directed by Patricia Gillespie, she gave an insight into how difficult it was to get a true grasp of his life.
As she would later put it: “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.”
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Mental Illness
Earlier, Algarad was diagnosed with several mental illnesses, including schizophrenia and agoraphobia at a young age. His mother, Cynthia initially got Algarad the psychiatric help he needed but she soon ran out of money and could no longer afford treatment for him. Consequently, his mental health deteriorated much rapidly.
In an interview for The Devil You Know, Cynthia would describe her son by saying: “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.”
The Name: Pazuzu Illah Algarad
While the name Pazuzu originally refers to the king of the demons of the wind and son of the god Hanbi in ancient Mesopotamian religion, John Lawson took to it as a sign of homage to the Assyrian demon referenced in the movie The Exorcist. The original demonic Pazuzu represented the south-western wind and is regarded as the bearer of storms and drought in ancient culture.
In 2002, John Lawson changed his name to Pazuzu Illah Algarad, saying in an affidavit that the name change was for religious reasons. The affidavit did not offer any details about his religion and subsequently, he alienated himself from society.
He covered his face in tattoos and filed his teeth into points, he would also tell people that he regularly conducted animal sacrifices and even claimed to be able to control the weather. His behavior was seen as a major rebellion against Clemmons and its residents –a town known for being predominantly Christian.
As expected, Algarad soon attracted others who felt socially excluded toward him and encouraged them to engage in debauchery. Among those attracted were Amber Burch and Krystal Matlock, two of his (known) fiancés who frequented his home.
As Nate Anderson, his former friend would later describe his ability to attract like-minded people: “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 be drawn in by that: the misfits, the outcasts, people living on the edge or people who wanted to.”
Pazuzu Algarad’s Horrific House
Pazuzu Algarad’s house at 2749 Knob Hill Drive soon became a hot-spot for those outcasts and misfits who would eventually find their way to him. They could come and stay for as long as they wanted. Algarad showed no sign of care about what they did in his home.
Algarad’s home at Knob Hill
Activities at Algarad’s home included: self-harm, drinking the blood of birds, performing rabbit sacrifices, doing copious drugs, and staging orgies. As a code officer would later remark about the dire conditions of the house – there was garbage everywhere, animal carcasses lying around, and blood smeared on the walls alongside satanic messages and pentagrams were painted all over the property.
Pazuzu Algarad: Timeline of criminal activities
For simplicity and clarity, we have taken the time to arrange the events that occurred sequentially. The sequence is further subdivided into three distinct categories.
Crimes and Accusations
Algarad’s run-ins with the law indicate his troubled history and he had more than a few.
May 28, 2010
Pazuzu Illah Algarad was accused of putting his mother, Cynthia Lawson, in a chokehold in the house they shared at 2749 Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons. Court documents presented by law enforcement officers alleged that Algarad regularly performed “satanic rituals” and animal sacrifices at the Clemmons home.
October 2010
Pazuzu Illah Algarad, then 31, was charged with accessory after the fact of involuntary manslaughter. The charge was related to the shooting to death of Joseph Emmrick Chandler, whose remains were found in September 2010 on a boat ramp in Donnaha Park in Yadkin County. Algarad was accused of providing false information thereby misleading investigators and allowing a suspect in the shooting to stay at his home.
Psychiatrists who interviewed Algarad said he suffered from schizophrenia, agoraphobia and alcoholism, but found him mentally competent enough to stand trial. The report also mentioned that he had intentionally filed down his teeth and had poor hygiene and body odor.
“And he admitted that he bathed no more than once a year, and had not brushed his teeth in years,” the report said. “He felt such actions stripped … the body of its defenses in warding off infection and illness.”
August 23, 2011
Pazuzu Algarad pleaded guilty to misdemeanor and assault on a female and was placed on probation for 12 months.
September 22, 2011
Algarad’s girlfriend, Amber Burch, was accused of slapping and attempting to choke Cynthia, Algarad’s mother. Burch was later convicted and sentenced to 12 months of probation. Two months after the conviction, she was charged with assault and battery, with police alleging she hit Algarad in the face.
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Backyard Bodies
Authorities kept an eye on Algarad after his 2011 conviction. They previously issued a search warrant to investigate the backyard of Algarad’s Knob Hill house. However, without sufficient evidence, the investigators didn’t know where to look. Even a tip-off from Cynthia herself about her son’s supposed girlfriend shooting a man wasn’t enough to initiate a thorough investigation.
