The Amityville Horror

Located on 112 Ocean Ave, Amityville, NY located on Long Island. The house was built in 1925 or 1927. The horror house was a two-story dutch colonial style home. Equipped with a huge attic making the actual horror house a three-stories, The Amityville Murder House also came with a finished basement, a ground pool with a sun porch and lastly, a boathouse overlooking a canal. The DeFeo family moved into the high Hopes home the year of 1964. The Ronald DeFeo sr., Louise DeFeo, Ronald Defeo Jr., Dawn who was 18 years old at the time, Allison age 13 years old, 12-year-old Marc, and John Matthew aged nine-years-old at the time of death.

On November 13th, 1974 around 03:00 AM to 03:15 AM Ronnie DeFeo aged at the time around 24 years old. Ronnie approached his parents’ room first Ronald DeFeo Sr. and mother Louise killing Ronald with two shots from a 35 caliber marlin 336 rifle. Two additional shots entered Louise killing her instantly. Next, Ronnie made his way to his younger brother’s rooms Marc and John. Shooting them both with just one single shot to the back as both boys were found face down. Lastly, Ronnie made his murder spree to the room of his sisters Allison and Dawn. Both girls put up a struggle because parts of their faces were blown off. It took a total of 15 to 20 minutes to kill all six of his family members. It is said that after the murders Ronnie took a shower however, he did not report the death of his family until the next day at a local bar. He told workers in the bar that “someone” murdered his whole family. Until this very day, the motive of why the DeFeo family was murder is still unclear.

Ronnie DeFeo went on October 14, 1975, almost a year after the horrific murders took place of his family. Ronnie’s defense team decided to plea insanity. Ronnie initially told law enforcement that he believed his family was killed due to mob ties. Which he states one of the hitmen only held him captive while murdering the rest of his family. Now the mob ties aren’t too far fetched of a story because of pete DeFeo being a capo for the Genovese crime family. However, Pete had a witness and someone who could confirm his whereabouts at the time of the murder Richard Romondoe. So, that story did not make any sense to detectives for Ronnie and also hurts his credibility after lying to the police. Next, his story was that his sisters murder their parents and younger brothers. That story as well had many inconsistencies which lead to his own confession.

Ronnie then went to explain the reason for his insanity plea is due to hearing voices in his head telling him to murder. In my opinion, this was the famous “plot” for a lot of Hollywood movies and Books. In the end, Ronnie was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to six life sentences. Ronnie is still stating that his sisters are to blame as well for helping him kill their parents and younger siblings.

Reference:

Jerome London-

https://thoughtcatalog.com/jeremy-london/2018/11/112-ocean-avenue/

112 ocean avenue: 17 Creepy Facts

About The House That Inspired

‘The Amityville Horror’

Jackie Barrett-Berkley Books-2012

The Devil I know: My haunting Journey with Ronnie DeFeo and the true Story of the Amityville Murders

Digital Image:

(2019). Retrieved from https://thoughtcatalog.com/jeremy-london/2018/11/112-ocean-avenue/

Killers, K. (2013). Retrieved from https://krazykillers.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/36-years-later-the-amityville-horror-still-horrifies/

(n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2020, from http://www.amityvillefiles.com/haunting/