The Amityville Horror

An account of the tragic murders of the DeFeo family before 112

Ocean Avenue in Amityville became the most famous haunted house
in history.

Thousands of sightseers flock to the small, quiet town of Amityville, Long Island
each year in search of demons and ghosts. Its rich history and beauty are
overshadowed by the story of George and Kathy Lutz, the previous residents of
112 Ocean Avenue, who claimed that shortly after moving into the house they
“fled in terror,” driven out by paranormal activity. The best-selling novel and
popular movie have marked the town as the site of the most famous haunted
house in history, yet many are unaware that the true history of this house is much
darker than “The Amityville Horror’s” icy drafts and bleeding walls. Six members
of the DeFeo family were murdered at 112 Ocean Avenue one year before the
Lutz family moved in and their tragedy haunts the citizens of Amityville to this
day.

In June of 1965, a man by the name of Ronald DeFeo Sr. purchased the 2 ½ story
Dutch Colonial home at 112 Ocean Avenue, equipped with a boathouse on the
Amityville River and plenty of rooms for his wife and four children. It seemed like
the American dream: beautiful house, happy family, and money to spare. DeFeo
even placed a sign in the front yard that read “High Hopes” as a symbol of the
family’s good fortune. But there is a much darker side to this fairy tale, for his
oldest son Ronald DeFeo Jr. wasn’t so content. His temper was as hot as his
father’s was, and when he reached adolescence they often succumbed to fist
fighting matches. By the age of 17 Ronald or “Butch” as he was called by his
friends, was using serious drugs and dabbling in petty thievery. Even though he
was well taken care of by his family - landing a “Cush” job at his grandfather’s car
dealership where he received a weekly allowance whether he showed up to work
or not - Butch was growing more angry and resentful with his father’s supposedly
stingy ways. He planned a fake robbery with a friend while he was on the way to
the bank to deposit $20,000 from the dealership, splitting the “stolen” cash with
his friend. When Ronald Sr. exposed his sham, Butch wanted revenge.

It has been reported that in the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, Butch
left the second floor TV room and grabbed his .35 Marlin Rifle. While his parents
and four younger brothers and sisters were sleeping he methodically shot and
killed each one of them. He entered his parent’s bedroom first, instantly killing his
father Ronald DeFeo with two shots to the lower back. His mother Louise was
awakened by the gunfire but before she had a chance to react Butch proceeded
to fire two bullets into her chest. Since the bodies of his four younger brothers
and sisters were all found in their beds, it appeared that they were not awakened
by the shots. His two younger brothers, John and Mark, were his next victims.
Standing between their beds in the room the two young boys shared, he fired one
shot at close range into each of their bodies. Finally, he entered the room of his
sisters Dawn and Allison. Dawn was the closest in age to Butch, and Allison was in
grade school with John and Mark. Butch did not hesitate when he fired two shots
into their heads, killing them instantly. The police reported that all six victims
were found on their stomachs with their heads resting on their arms.

Butch tried to point the blame on a Mafia hit man whom he claimed had a
vendetta against him, but the detectives grew suspicious when they found an
empty gun box in his bedroom that matched the murder weapon. His story fell
apart and after hours of interrogation. “It all started so fast. Once I started, I just
couldn’t stop. It went so fast,” he confessed. When asked during his trial why he
had done such a thing Butch replied, “As far as I’m concerned, if I didn’t kill my
family, they were going to kill me. And as far as I’m concerned, what I did was
self-defense and there was nothing wrong with it. When I got a gun in my hand,
there’s no doubt in my mind who I am. I am God.”

Even though Butch was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder, many
questions still remain about what really happened on that tragic night in
November. Why didn’t the children run after hearing the first shots? Why were
the victims all found lying on their stomachs? Were they told to stay in bed by
someone they knew? Why didn’t the neighbors hear the shots? Speculations
surfaced that the DeFeo family was drugged at dinner, yet autopsies discredited
this theory. The police believed that the house muffled the sound of the shots,
however, many people who have been in the house reported that street noise
could be heard from inside. According to gun experts, the sound of a .35 Marlin
Rifle can be heard from a mile away, yet neighbors claim that the only sound they
heard was the barking of the DeFeo family dog. To this day Butch continues to
change his story. Being a habitual liar, it is still unclear what role he played in the
murders and whether he acted alone. For many, the truth remains to be told and
investigations are in progress that may shed light on the validity of his story.
Butch DeFeo, 47, is currently serving six consecutive life sentences at Greenhaven
Penitentiary in Stormville, New York. The parole board rejected his first request
for parole in 1999, nearly 25 years after the murders, stating that he “shows a
total disregard for human life,” and “release at this time is incompatible with the
safety and welfare of the community.” DeFeo will be up for parole again in 2001
to the dismay of many Amityville residents who feel that “there's no way they
should ever let that idiot go. He killed six people."

Families have lived happily in the Amityville house (its address now changed to
deter the flocks of curious sightseers) since the Lutzes moved out without being
bothered by a single demon or ghost. The citizens of Amityville often tell tourists
that the house has been torn down, frustrated that a ghost story has
overshadowed a tragedy – the brutal murders of six members of the DeFeo
family, the true horror of Amityville.