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On a rain-soaked October night in 1987, three young men sat in a Texas field, heavy metal blasting through the speakers. Minutes later, undercover police officer George Raffield lay dead in the weeds — shot from behind by the very teenagers he believed he was investigating.

In this episode of The Ritual Rewind, we rewind to Midlothian, Texas, and unravel the chilling murder of a 21-year-old undercover cop embedded inside a high school during the height of the Satanic Panic. What began as a small-town drug sting inspired by 21 Jump Street spiraled into paranoia, occult obsession, and ritualistic violence — leaving behind one of the most disturbing cases of the 1980s.

At the center of the story are Richard Goeglein and Greg Knighten — teenagers immersed in heavy metal culture, drugs, and Satanic ideology — and the abandoned houses, Ouija boards, and whispered rituals that blurred the line between belief and brutality. As rumors spread of devil worship, sacrifices, and cult influence, investigators were forced to confront a terrifying possibility: that this wasn’t just hysteria — and that belief itself may have fueled the crime.

Through police records, court testimony, and contemporary reporting, this episode examines how fear, misinformation, and moral panic collided with real violence — and how a young officer’s life was lost in the crossfire.

This is The Devil and the Murder of George Raffield.

🎙️ The Ritual Rewind explores true crime, occult history, and the forgotten moral panics of the late 20th century — when VHS culture, heavy metal, and fear reshaped a generation. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe if this episode held you in its grip. 📲 Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook @theritualrewind for clips, updates, and behind-the-scenes content.