Now that's interesting. It would be helpful to know the cause of death, which apparently hasn't been disclosed...or maybe not yet determined.
It would also be helpful to know if the gentleman was exhibiting the doll itself or just doing a presentation on the subject. If he were actually traveling with it and if the object were actually cursed, having it in your hotel room would be a risky enterprise...maybe even a FAFO type of thing.
I think the word "possession" is misplaced here. Only humans can be possessed. Inanimate objects can be cursed and have evil attached to them, but this is not possession.
As it happens, we got a prayer request yesterday from a friend of our diocesan exorcist who we were told was dealing with a "very difficult case." I fully believe there is a dimension of reality outside our own physical world that is inhabited by beings both good (angels) and evil (demons).
Portals can be opened to that dimension but it is not at all wise to attempt this. And presuming to harness a manifestation of that dimension for purposes of a circus sideshow is reckless and dangerous. On the other hand, the doll story could be totally phony so there's that too.