Why did Ronald Defeo Jr kill his family? | The Sun Send us a tip using our annonymous form. In the dead of night, he murdered his family, including both parents and four younger siblings evidence suggests his mother and 13-year-old sister Allison were awake when he turned his gun on them. Prison officials released the news to the public but did not reveal why he had been at the hospital in the first place or what his cause of death was. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday.. Some theories of why he did it include the multiple drugs and alcohol he was on, being possessed by demons and the many fights with his family. The house stood empty for 13 months until the Lutz family bought for $80,000 in December 1975 they thought it was a bargain. Keeler recalled the widespread attention the case drew. "It was a vicious crime, and it happened on quiet Long island," Keeler said. Louise Marie Brigante DeFeo (1931-1974) - Find a On December 21, 1975, DeFeo was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to six sentences of 25-years to life. [20] However, the next day, DeFeo admitted to killing all six members of his family himself. The Albany County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released his cause of death. WHEN Ronald DeFeo Jr finally confessed to cops, he said of his spree: "Once I started, I just couldn't stop". 'Amityville Horror' killer, Ronald DeFeo Jr, dies in prison at 69 Offers may be subject to change without notice. The DeFeo Family Murders Ronald DeFeo, Jr., "Butch" to his family, was born September 26, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. During one moving sale in 2010, hundreds of people came to view the house, with some queuing for hours to get a peek inside. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Meanwhile, a prosecution expert testified that while DeFeo was an admitted LSD and heroin user, he was sane at the time of the murders, DeFeo Jr. tried but failed to get a retrial in the case in 1992 after claiming that his 18-year-old sister Dawn had murdered the other family members and he had only killed her, according to the, A year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeos' old home but left in less than a month, claiming it was haunted. They publicly said they encountered demonic voices and presences while they lived there. Petrified, the family fled the house just one month after moving in. Ronald DeFeo, Jr., is led from the Suffolk County Police Headquarter on Nov. 14, 1974 in Hauppauge, New York after being booked for six counts of homicide in the shooting of his family the day before DeFeo whose murderous spree served as the inspiration behind the "The Amityville Horror" book and movie franchise died Friday while serving a 25-years-to-life sentence at Sullivan. [7] He was taken to the local police station for his own protection after suggesting to police officers at the scene of the crime that the killings had been carried out by a mob hit man, Louis Falini. DeFeo, 69, died March 12, 2021, while receiving. An official cause of death is yet to be determined. Husband and wife Ronald DeFeo, Sr. and Louise DeFeo had both been shot twice with a .35 caliber . They only lasted 28 days before abandoning the house. This is the real-life story of his crimes and how they spawned a ghost story which has terrified the world for decades. He told police that he arrived shortly after 6 p.m. but found the front door locked. On March 12th, mass murder Ronald DeFeo Jr passed away in prison at the age of 69. Mother of the DeFeo family and wife of Ronald DeFeo, Sr. "As far as I'm concerned, if I didn't kill my family, they were going to kill me," DeFeo reportedly said at trial. Acknowledgement of the death of Ronald DeFeo Jr, the American mass murderer, who has died aged 69. "I never saw a case that would amount to what DeFeo did in his own home. A prosecution expert testified that while DeFeo was an admitted LSD and heroin user, he was sane at the time of the murders. The cause of his death wasn't revealed at the time. The murders were immortalized in Jay Anson's 1977 book about the allegedly true paranormal experiences of the subsequent owners of the home. On December 5, 1984, in the heart of New Orleans, the lives of two men made a wrong turn towards death. But suspicion quickly fell on him and, when the mob hitman he accused of being the killer was proven to have an alibi, he confessed to being the gunman. Who is Nissa Burkhalter? 'Amityville Horror' killer Ronald DeFeo dies in prison - FOX 5 New York Amityville Killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. Dies In Prison - CBS New York On March 12, 2021, Ronald DeFeo Jr. died in prison at the age of 69. While demenologists Ed and Lorraine Warren came to the opposite conclusion during their 1976 investigation, during which an infrared photograph of a ghostly child was captured at the bottom of the staircase. However, an expert for the prosecution testified that Butch was sane when the murders occurred. His victims included his parents, two younger sisters, and two little brothers. They lived in the house they purchased in 1964 at 112 Ocean Avenue. In 1974, as his parents and four siblings slept in their three-story home in Long Island, New York, a 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. executed them. The success of both the novel and the movie spawned a long series of sequels both on the bookshelves and in theaters, along with countless TV pseudo-documentaries. The DeFeo parents had both been shot twice, while the children had all been killed with single shots. JOHN ROBERTON OF EARNOCK. In 1974, as his parents and four siblings slept in their three-story home in Long Island, New York, a 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. executed them. 822 Words4 Pages. Back then, it was reported that Butch had a tense relationship with his father because Butch was known to use drugs, drank, and often got into fights. 'Amityville Horror': True Story Behind Ron DeFeo's Family Massacre "As kids, we rode our bikes just to see the house like every other kid who grew up in the area," Giacalone said. Others figured that the voices he'd heard were a result of taking LSD, which DeFeo had admitted to using. What Was Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s Cause of Death? He Was Still in Prison His crimes horrified America but it was the scene of the crime itself which soon became the greater source of terror. Theories Of Why Butch Defeo Killed His Family - 647 Words | Bartleby He died while still serving time on Friday. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. G.W. Soon after, Father Pecoraro fell ill with flu-like symptoms and his hands began to bleed, while the Lutzs began to notice unsettling phenomena in their new home. Although DeFeo attempted to defend his actions in court through insanity and self-defense, the prosecution successfully argued that he was aware of the consequences of his actions. Jerry O'Neill, who has previously listed the property, says there's nothing spooky to find anyway. In 1999, Ronald DeFeo Jr. said, I loved my family very much. But 25 years earlier, he had killed all of them in an infamous slaying. Ronald DeFeo: Startling and Horrific Family Killer Gets Life They'd been told about the massacre during a house viewing but decided it wasn't enough to put them off snapping up a five-bed home with a boat house for such a low price. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the infamous mass murderer convicted of slaying his family in 1974 and inspiring The Amityville Horror, has passed away. Their stories of demonic possession helped inspire The Amityville Horror book and original movie, along with the story of the DeFeo family. The New York man convicted of gruesomely killing his siblings and parents in 1974 and subsequently inspiring the Amityville Horror franchise has died. New York, NY 10001, Hours Ronald DeFeo Dies: Real-Life 'Amityville Horror' Killer Was 69 In 1977, author Jay Anson published The Amityville Horror, claiming the haunted house tale was based on the experiences of the Lutz family who moved into the house following the murders. March 16, 2021. Over the years, many accounts have debunked the Lutzs' claims but the legend of the Amityville Horror persists all the same. For more true crime stories, watch Family Massacre, premiering Friday, December 3 at 9/8c on Oxygen. But no changes in the case were ever made as a result of those claims. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday. March 16, 2021 10:30am. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the killer in "The Amityville Horror" case, has died, according to a spokesperson for the New York State prisons department. He was born on September 26, 1951 and his birthplace is New York. Ronald DeFeo Jr., Murderer Who Inspired The Amityville Horror - IMDb Ronald DeFeo Jr. (1951-2021) - Find a Grave Memorial Copyright 2023 Newsday. Sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction. Birthday September 26, 1951. He was sentenced to six concurrent 25-year-to-life sentences. Ray Liuzza, a 34-year-old businessman, was recently promoted to Vice President of a hotel. The year prior, the Lutz family, doing business as Amityville Enterprises, filed legal documents to remove Dimension Films option on the franchise from the court-supervised sale of Weinstein Co. assets. The victims of DeFeo's family members included his parents, Ronald DeFeo, Sr. (43), and Louise (42), two brothers, John (9) and Marc (12), and two sisters, Allison (13), and Dawn (18). Ronald DeFeo Jr was serving a 25-to-life sentence for the brutal killing of his mom, dad, two sisters and two brothers. 'Amityville Horror' killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. dies in prison He married secondly, Margaret, daughter of Allan Lord Cathcart, by his Helen . The confessed killer, after first pleading an insanity defense, would later attempt to shift blame on one of his deceased sisters. Their account of what they went through was made into a book called The Amityville Horror: A True Story which has been repeatedly adapted into several terrifying Hollywood films. DeFeo was the oldest of five children born to Ronald, a successful car salesman, and Louise DeFeo . But the story of the house where the killings took place, on 112 Ocean Avenue, has become the stuff of legend because of chilling paranormal claims made about it. DeFeo, who had been serving a 25 years-to-life. It was maybe a combination of the suburban setting and the zeitgeist of that era, which was a little bit on the kooky side.". Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Looking for Ron Defore online? She was 43 years old. Ronald DeFeo at a court hearing in 1992 - he died on Friday at the age of 69 while serving life for the murders of his parents and four siblings in Amityville, New York Credit: Getty The 1974 massacre in Amityville, Long Island, horrified America and saw DeFeo jailed for life. The confessed killer, after first pleading an insanity defense, would later attempt to shift blame on one of his deceased sisters. The six victims were later buried in nearby Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale. George and Kathy Lutz moved into the Dutch Colonial home with their three kids a year after the massacre, but famously fled 28 days later without their possessions because they'd been so traumatised by hauntings in the house which included claims of slime oozing from the walls and a priest's hands bleeding after attempting to bless the property. 'Amityville Horror' killer Ronald DeFeo dies in prison at 69 Ronald DeFeo Jr. was 69. Their examination of the house was depicted in the film The Conjuring 2 (2016) one of many mainstream movies about the Lutzs' story. Recently Added. Homicide detectives said it was the largest number of victims in a single slaying on Long Island in recent memory, reported Newsday in 1974. State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Stark called the murders the "most heinous and abhorrent crimes. "From a former investigators standpoint, I couldnt imagine the scene that the cops had to witness," he said. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. While all of these reasons seem plausible, nothing was ever officially confirmed. The nature of the killings DeFeo's parents and four siblings were found dead in their beds, each with a single bullet in their back and tales of angry spirits haunting the Dutch Colonial-style Ocean Avenue home in the aftermath, stunned Long Island and much of the country. He claimedthat his oldest sister, Dawn, first shot their father, and then his mother killed Dawn and the other siblings. The DeFeo parents had both been shot twice, while the children had all been killed with single . The heinous acts, which occurred in 1974, inspired the Amityville Horror book and film series. The cause of his death wasn't revealed at the time. At the time of their deaths, law enforcement reported that he asked how to collect his father's life insurance policy, which prompted the theory that money might have motivated the killings. Ronald DeFeo Jr., center, leaves Suffolk County district court after a hearing on Nov. 15, 1974. He had initially told the police that he drugged the family with barbiturates before committing the murders. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, From the archives: EW takes a trip to Amityville. The authorities believed that all six victims were shot at close range, and a silencer could not have been used. Tag: ronald defeo jr cause of death. All Rights Reserved. Ronald DeFeo, convicted murderer who inspired 'Amityville Horror,' dies Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr. was the oldest son of 43-year-olds Ronald DeFeo Sr. and Louise DeFeo. sign hanging outside the main entrance read. Then about 23-years-old, Butch was accompanied by a few other people who soon discovered the crime was far more chilling. "And as far as I'm concerned, what I did was self-defence and there was nothing wrong with it. Ronald DeFeo dead at 69: Revisit the horrific 'Amityville Horror DeFeo said he did it in self-defense after hearing voices that told him his family was plotting against him. He also alleged that his wife, Kathy, would sometimes appear transformed into a wrinkled old woman, and that green slime had oozed from the walls. he was murdered, along with the rest of his family, by older brother Ronald Jr. on the night of November 13, 1974. Ronald DeFeo Jr., who massacred his entire family in 1974 in their Amityville home while they slept, a case that gained national attention and spawned multiple books and movies, died Friday. 21 3.6K views 1 year ago Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (September 26, 1951 - March 12, 2021) was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother,. From Austin Butler and Cate Blanchett to a potential Best Supporting Actress toss-up, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Screams to Screens: The Amityville Horror. Follow the news on the latest developments in the Thomas Valva case. Ronald DeFeo, the 'Amityville Horror' murderer who killed his six family members in 1974 on New York's Long Island, has died in prison. As US Day News writes, "It was reported that his cause of death would be determined and announced by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office officially. Ronald Defeo Jr. Net Worth, Age, Bio, Birthday, Height, Facts - BuzzLearn All rights reserved. The nightmarish account of DeFeo's murders and the Lutz's supernatural ordeal are being reexamined following news of DeFeo's death aged 69 at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York on Friday. "The front door would slam shut in the middle of the night.". His 43-year-old parents, Ronald and Louise, were both shot twice. They'd been told about the massacre during a house viewing but decided it wasn't enough to put them off snapping up a five-bed home with a boat house for such a low price. It's no secret that The Amityville Horror made the story a lot more sinister and paranormal than some believe it might have been in real life. On one occasion, he claimed he found his wife Kathy levitating across the bed and, on another, he saw a vision of DeFeo's head floating in the cellar. The bodies were found in the bedrooms of the family home in the village of Amityville, Long Island. DeFeo Jr. tried but failed to get a retrial in the case in 1992 after claiming that his 18-year-old sister Dawn had murdered the other family members and he had only killed her, according to the Associated Press. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime . He would have me out in a couple of years, and I would come into all that money. Former Newsday reporter and editor Bob Keeler, 77, of Stony Brook, interviewed DeFeo at the Attica Correctional Facility in 1986. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 123 Main Street Butch died on March 12, 2021, at 69-years-old at a hospital in Albany, New York. [2] He admitted that he had taken a bath and redressed, and detailed where he had discarded crucial evidence such as blood-stained clothes and the Marlin rifle and cartridges before going to work as usual. Ronald DeFeo Jr., known as Butch, was convicted of killing his whole family in a crime that shocked the nation.