The Lutzes, who moved into the house after the murders, later claimed that the house was haunted. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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. In a 1986 interview with Newsday, DeFeo even claimed his sister, Dawn DeFeo, had carried out the murders with an accomplice. Though all of the supernatural claims were eventually debunked and the book criticized as a hoax, nearly 30 films either theatrical or direct-to-video have used the Amityville title or concept, including 1983s Amityville 3-D, 2005s The Amityville Horror remake starring Ryan Reynolds, and, in 2017, Amityville: The Awakening. The heinous acts, which occurred in 1974, inspired the Amityville Horror book and film series. 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. The murders became famous for being central to the book and movie The Amityville Horror. I think my mother and father are shot!\"[2] DeFeo and a small group of people went to 112 Ocean Avenue, which was located near the bar, and found that DeFeo's parents were dead inside the house. View of the home of Ronald DeFeo Sr.,the car salesman, his wife, two daughters and two sons were found shot to death on Nov. 14 1974. It was the stuff of unthinkable nightmares. Ronald DeFeo Jr. Funeral service Open Casket AGED 69 - YouTube Amityville Horror killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. dies in prison at 69 - JoBlo Condemned to six sentences of 25 years to life, DeFeo died in prison on March 12, 2021. DeFeo's initial trial defense was that he had heard his family's voices plotting against him. pic.twitter.com/MmgqWsslkF. But just to be safe, they decided to have a priest come and bless the property as they unpacked which is where their nightmare began. Im sick of it.". To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. At the time, the family lived in a home in Amityville in Long Island, New York, and Butch worked with his father at a car dealership. Offers may be subject to change without notice. An official cause of death has not yet been determined or released (but this page will be updated here once that information is released). "I believe he wanted to tell another side of the story," Keeler said. JOHN ROBERTON OF EARNOCK. Follow the news on the latest developments in the Thomas Valva case. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Why did Ronald Defeo Jr kill his family? | The US Sun The cause of his death wasn't immediately known. He claimed he then crawled into the house through a window and stumbled across the bloody scene. The authorities believed that all six victims were shot at close range, and a silencer could not have been used. Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr. was born on September 26, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. View of the home of Ronald DeFeo Sr.,the car salesman, his wife, two daughters and two sons were found shot to death on Nov. 14 1974. [3]The victims were Ronald Jr.'s parents: Ronald DeFeo Sr. (age 43) and Louise DeFeo (ne Brigante, 43); and his four siblings: Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John Matthew (9). The victims were Ronald Jr.'s parents: Ronald DeFeo, Sr. (44) and Louise DeFeo (42); and four of his siblings: Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John Matthew (9).All of the victims had been shot with a .35 caliber lever action Marlin 336C rifle around three o'clock in the morning of that day. Ronald DeFeo's cause of death. Ronald DeFeo Jr., center, leaves Suffolk County district court after a hearing on Nov. 15, 1974. At around 6.30pm that evening, DeFeo went into a nearby bar asking for help, pretending to have just discovered the bloodbath. Why Did Ronald DeFeo Jr. Kill His Family? It's Debatable - Distractify 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. John Robertoun of Earnock, son and heir of Robert Robertoun of Earnock, who succeeded his father and married Elizabeth daughter of Alexander Cleland of that Ilk, an ancient family in Lanarkshire, whose mother was daughter to Lord Sommerville. 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. "Thereve been four owners since the murders," he told the Washington Post in 2016,"And none of them ran out of the house screaming, and there were no strange experiences., News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. But much to their disappointment, they weren't allowed to go to the upstairs floors or the basement. By 1974, the DeFeo family lived in the Long Island community of Amityville. If you do not like such things, please move on.) Is Ronald DeFeo Jr. Still Alive? Why Did Butch Kill His Family? This disturbing kind of crime is featured in, On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43, a car salesman; his wife, Louise DeFeo, 43; and four of their five children including Dawn, 18; Allison, 13; Marc, 12; and John, 9, were. 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., 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. 'Amityville Horror' killer Ronald Defeo Jr. dies in prison at age 69 Ronald DeFeo Jr. - Wikipedia DeFeo had been transferred to the hospital on February 2 from the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, N.Y., where he had been imprisoned since 1975 after confessing to six counts of second-degree murder. 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. Perpetrator Shot Liuzza Essay. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! For other inquiries, Contact Us. Ronald DeFeo Jr., known as Butch, was convicted of killing his whole family in a crime that shocked the nation. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime that would inspire The Amityville Horror book and movie franchise, died March 12 at the Albany Medical Center in New York. Birth Sign Libra. 'Amityville Horror': True Story Behind Ron DeFeo's Family Massacre The jury rejected the insanity theory. [20] Amityville Killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. Dies In Prison - CBS New York G.W. Siblings Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, Marc, 12, and John, nine, were each shot once all of them were found face down in their beds. New York, NY 10001, Hours He was serving a sentence of. IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The 1974 massacre in Amityville, Long Island, horrified America and saw DeFeo jailed for life. One that left a family dead and the only surviving member of the family and the killer behind bars for the rest of his life. Nissa Burkhalter Bio, Wiki Nissa Burkhalterwas the ex-wife of Ronald DeFeo who was an Americanmurderer. he was murdered, along with the rest of his family, by older brother Ronald Jr. on the night of November 13, 1974. He told police that he arrived shortly after 6 p.m. but found the front door locked. American Internationals 1979 film adaptation, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder and featuring the memorable poster tagline For Gods Sake, Get Out!, was the highest-grossing independent film of all time until 1990. The first document is the record of ownership (courtesy of St. Charles Cemetery and Geraldine DeFeo) to show that Rocco DeFeo purchased the plot, which has now passed onto his immediate family. Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. When DeFeo initially reported the deaths of his family, he ran into a local bar and claimed they had been shot. 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. What was Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s cause of death? Ronald Defeo Jr. Net Worth, Age, Bio, Birthday, Height, Facts - BuzzLearn American Internationals 1979 film adaptation, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder and featuring the memorable poster tagline For Gods Sake, Get Out!, was the highest-grossing independent film of all time until 1990. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from, From the archives: EW takes a trip to Amityville. DeFeo, 69, was pronounced dead at 6.35pm Friday at the Albany Medical Center, state corrections officials said in a statement. jone. According to Suffolk County Police, the victims were all found lying face down in bed. Ronald DeFeo died on . 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 was endeavored and condemned for the 1974 killings Nissa Burkhalter Biography Nissa Burkhalter was the ex-wife of Ronald DeFeo, an American mass murderer. Over the years, many accounts have debunked the Lutzs' claims but the legend of the Amityville Horror persists all the same. 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. Ronald DeFeo Jr. was 69. The six victims were later buried in nearby Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale. Butch was serving his sentence at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York, when he was transferred to a medical center on February 2, 2021.