Aaron Birch's brother, Christopher, was murdered by three police officers who then planted a gun on him to avoid persecution. Aaron prayed to God they would be punished, but it is an angel who answers his prayers. He trades his soul for the Staff of Moses, which he uses to kill the three police officers. Sam, Dean, and Castiel take the staff from him, and Castiel performs a reading on him to determine the name of the angel who he made his deal with: Balthazar. The reading is very painful and may have caused him permanent physical damage, but this is unclear as Sam, Dean, and Castiel leave him unconscious in a motel room for the police to find. Sam and Dean later force Balthazar to relinquish his claim on Aaron's soul.