The Murders Of The Amityville Horror
Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe coroner’s office employees at Amityville remove a body from the home of Ronald DeFeo Sr.
The grisly tale behind the 1977 book and movie franchise The Amityville Horror began with one person: Ronald DeFeo Jr.
Ronald was the eldest child of Louise and Ronald DeFeo Sr. The three of them lived with Ronald’s four other siblings in a large house in Amityville on New York’s Long Island. You may have heard of this haunted home at the infamous 112 Ocean Avenue.
The home’s horrific history began when 23-year-old Ronald Jr. confessed to killing his parents and siblings on the morning of Nov. 13, 1974. All six of them had been murdered in their beds with a .35 caliber rifle.
New York Daily News/Getty ImagesThe accursed Amityville home of the murders.
Ronald Jr. changed his story multiple times throughout the police investigation. He lied about his sister’s involvement in the murders as well as claimed a notorious mob member was responsible for the slayings. But eventually, he confessed the truth that others already assumed: he alone had killed his entire family.
Indeed, this is just another example of the reality behind horror movies based on true stories as worse than what’s imagined.
New York Daily News/Getty ImagesDetectives escort Ronald DeFeo, Jr. in custody as he arrives at Police Headquarters in Suffolk County.
The home’s next owners, George and Kathy Lutz, and the alleged paranormal encounters they had during the 28 days in which they lived under its roof became the basis for the book and films. They claimed to see many paranormal and inexplicable things in the house, all caused by the spirits who died there.
