What Were the Amityville Murders? Why Ronald DeFeo Jr. Claimed His House Told Him to Kill His Parents and 4 Siblings

When Ronald DeFeo Jr. confessed to murdering his family successful 1974, he claimed "voices from nan house" made him do it. Fifty years later, his existent motive remains unknown.

On Nov. 13, 1974, Ronald Jr., who was 23 astatine nan time, ran into a dive barroom successful Amityville, N.Y., and claimed that his parents had been shot, according to A&E. He drove a group of men to his family's three-story location and they discovered nan bodies of his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr., his mother, Louise DeFeo, and his 4 siblings, 18-year-old Dawn DeFeo, 13-year-old Allison DeFeo, 12-year-old Mark DeFeo and 7-year-old John Matthew DeFeo. 

Though nan eldest DeFeo kid — who went by nan nickname "Butch" — initially claimed his family had been nan target of a mob hit, he later confessed to nan killings. He reportedly told police, "Once I started, I conscionable couldn't stop."

The horrific slayings not only rocked nan mini municipality of Amityville but besides inspired nan long-running Amityville Horror franchise aft nan family who moved into the DeFeos' residence claimed they besides heard voices.

George and Kathy Lutz's alleged paranormal experiences were chronicled successful Jay Anson's 1977 caller The Amityville Horror: A True Story, which was adapted into a scary movie 2 years later. The 1979 movie spawned respective different sequels and spinoff films, including a 2005 remake starring Ryan Reynolds.

Despite nan crime scene's ghostly reputation, nary grounds of paranormal activity has ever been proven. According to Biography.com, Ronald Jr.'s lawyer attempted an insanity plea during his October 1975 proceedings based connected nan voices his customer claimed to person heard, but he was still recovered blameworthy connected six counts of second-degree murder.

Here's everything to cognize astir nan Amityville murders and why Ronald DeFeo Jr. claimed that his location told him to termination his family.

Who was Ronald DeFeo Jr.?

Ronald Jr. was nan eldest boy of Ronald Sr. and Louise, calved connected Sept. 26, 1951, per The New York Times. He and his 4 siblings grew up connected Long Island, N.Y., and were described by neighbors arsenic "a nice, normal family."

Paula Uruburu, a friend of Dawn's, told A&E's Crime + Investigation in August 2024 that Ronald Jr. was "the achromatic sheep" of his family.

"In Italian families, first-born antheral sons are nan heir apparent, and he was not headed successful that direction," she said. "He was ever lurking around, and he seemed for illustration a creepy guy. He benignant of looked for illustration Charles Manson."

Reports besides suggested that Ronald Jr. was a heroin and LSD personification and had a tense narration pinch his father, pinch whom he worked astatine a car dealership successful Brooklyn. He allegedly erstwhile pulled a 12-gauge shotgun connected Ronald Sr. and embezzled $20,000 from nan dealership by staging a mock robbery successful nan period earlier nan murders, per Biography.com.

When his begetter questioned his communicative astir nan alleged robbery, Ronald Jr. threatened to termination him.

What did Ronald DeFeo Jr. do?

At first, Ronald Jr. blamed a mafia hitman named Louis Falini. But grounds wrong nan location told a different communicative — 1 that led him to confess.

According to Biography.com, constabulary recovered an quiet container of a precocious purchased .35-caliber Marlin weapon successful his room. Ronald Jr. past admitted to utilizing nan limb to termination his family during nan early greeting hours of Nov. 13, 1974.

He added sleep-inducing supplier barbiturates to their dinners and past changeable his parents while they slept, followed by his brothers and past his sisters, The New York Times reported.

The wide killings happened wrong 15 minutes, and each of nan family members was recovered lying successful nan aforesaid position.

Afterward, Ronald Jr. showered and sewage fresh for work. He dumped his bloody apparel and nan execution limb down a large wind drain and spent nan remainder of his time attempting to create an alibi. Police later recovered nan firearm successful a creek down nan family's home.

Why did Ronald DeFeo Jr. termination his family? 

Ronald Jr. ne'er revealed his motive for murdering his full family, speech from blaming nan alleged voices he heard successful their house. However, those adjacent to nan incident person their theories.

"I deliberation his superior motive was financial," Uruburu told A&E Crime + Investigation. "But [I believe] he was besides motivated by his increasing anger and hatred for his father. And he was astir apt resentful of nan attraction Dawn and nan small ones got."

At his trial, which began connected Oct. 14, 1975, Ronald Jr.'s lawyer pursued an insanity defense. Despite juries agreeing pinch nan appraisal that he was disturbed, he was recovered blameworthy of each six homicides and sentenced to 25 years to life successful situation for each.

Nearly 20 years later, nan convicted slayer sought a retrial, claiming his lawyer was much willing successful a imaginable movie woody than his defense.

"He told maine I had to do this," Ronald Jr. told The New York Times. "He told maine location would beryllium a batch of money from book authorities and a movie. He would person maine retired successful a mates of years and I would travel into each that money."

He besides claimed that it was his sister, Dawn, who killed nan remainder of his family and that he was only blameworthy of murdering her. No grounds has ever surfaced to support that claim.

What happened to Ronald DeFeo Jr.? 

After his conviction, Ronald Jr. was sent to Green Haven Correctional Facility successful Beekman, N.Y., according to Biography.com. All of his appeals to nan parole committee complete nan years were denied, and he was later sent to Sullivan Correctional Facility successful Fallsburg, N.Y.

The 69-year-old convicted slayer was transferred to Albany Medical Center successful February 2021. A period later, connected March 12, 2021, he died. His charismatic origin of decease has yet to beryllium released to nan public.

Does nan Amityville location still exist?

Yes, nan Amityville house still exists. Sitting connected Ocean Ave. successful Amityville, N.Y., nan five-bedroom Dutch Colonial location became notorious aft nan DeFeo family murders — and nan paranormal allegations that followed.

In 1975, George and Kathleen Lutz fled nan location aft surviving location for only 28 days. They claimed they saw greenish slime oozing from nan walls, a pig-like animal pinch reddish eyes and demonic presences that ripped a doorway disconnected its hinges. They besides allegedly knowledgeable levitation and impermanent paralysis.

Though their claims were nan ground of the Amityville Horror franchise, nan validity of nan Lutzs' communicative has been heavy debated complete nan years. Many — including Ronald Jr.'s original defense lawyer — accused nan mates of staging a hoax.

Multiple families person resided successful nan location since nan DeFeos and nan Lutzs. It was past sold for $605,000 successful 2017, per nan New York Post, and remains a backstage residence that is not unfastened to nan public.