Amityville Horror and Murders
by trimper1 on Oct.30, 2008, under General/No Category
The house in 1974 with the DeFeo “High Hopes” sign and its sinister eye-shaped windows.
The DeFeo Murders
The DeFeo family was looking for a new life away from Brooklyn and looked to a quiet little town called Amityville on the New England coast. They posted a sign at the front “High Hopes” that represented their attitude toward a life anew in this town.
However, the family did anything but get better. Ronald “Butch” DeFeo and his father fought constantly, and one night Butch got so tired of his father fighting with his sister that he grabbed his .25 rifle and held it up to his father’s head and pulled the trigger. Lucky for him, nothing came out….that night.
The family’s faith in christianity was not helping either, and things just got worse. But on the cold morning of November 13, 1974,at about 1:00-3:00 A.M., the fighting would stop forever.
The early evening of November 13, Butch ran into his friend’s bar and screamed that his parents were shot in his house, and demanded that his bartender friend come along as well. When they got there they discovered the bodies of Butch’s parents and two sisters Dawn and Allison.
9-1-1 received a call from the distressed bartender. “Everyone’s…. Everyone’s dead!”
Late that night, the police uncovered a horrific crime scene. All six of the DeFeo family members excluding Butch had been found lying dead face-down in their beds, all shot in the back apparently while slumbering.
This puzzled police in that they were all apparently face down at the time of death, and noone woke up from the gunshots. The gun used was an unsilenced .25 rifle which could be heard by neighbors, but noone heard it.
Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. was suspected and convicted immediately of the murders. He claimed to have heard voices telling him to kill his family members, though now he claims that his oldest sister Dawn, wanted to kill their parents, but when he saw that Dawn killed their siblings as well, he knocked her out over her bed and killed her. “unburned” gun powder was found on her gown and other substantial evidence was found, indicating that this story could be true. He is serving a life sentence, and has not been approved for parole.
The Lutz’s Move In: Exploitation of a Tragedy or True Story?
George and Kathy Lutz
George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house on 112 in 1975, aware that murders had occurred 13 month ago, but they weren’t bothered by this. 28 days later, however, they left the house claiming that they were plagued by terrifying paranormal experiences.
They claimed to have seen flies gathering in the window of the DeFeo brothers’ bedroom, slime oozing from the walls at certain times, black oil-like substance overflowing toilets, crucifixes turning upside down, and a pig named Jodie with red eyes that talked to their youngest daughter telling her to stay and play with her forever.
George Lutz claims to have awoken at around 3:15 A.M.(when the murders occurred), and Kathy claimed to have had nightmares about Louise DeFeo, Butch’s mother. They also claim to have found a red room behind a wall under the basement staircase and saw an apparition of Ronald DeFeo Jr.
After they had enough, they left all of their possessions untouched in the house. Of course they’d never need them anyway, considering they’d make millions of bucks on the story.
They took their story to acclaimed author Jay Anson, and he made their story known nationwide in 1979. Soon after, a movie was made with James Brolin based on the book. The Lutz’s story was known by all.
There have been many debates as to whether this story is true, but many believe it to be a hoax in an attempt to avoid mortgage payments or to simply make money off of the DeFeo’s murder story.
True Story or hoax? You decide.
Puzzling evidence and photos
Paranormal experts went to the house in 1976 to investigate the house after the Lutz family moved out. They set up a camera at the second floor landing that night that would take pictures at certain times and noone was at the house at the time. None of the photos showed anything, except this one:
A figure of a boy was seen at the staircase, peaking over the rail with glowing eyes. The boy seems to resemble the youngest boy killed in the house the night of the DeFeo murders.
Ghost boy close-up.
Early photo of the DeFeo family. (back from left to right) John, Allison, Marc, (front) Dawn and Ronald Jr.
A Seventh body?
Other evidence that is pretty weird is that a photo of a possibly 7th body was found in a roll of crime scene photos taken at the murders. A photo of a body laying in a bed in what appears to be the basement of the house(due to the fake wood paneling on the walls) was found, though this may just be Dawn DeFeo’s body repositioned in the basement bed. This may have to do with police being seen taking a garbage bag filled with something large back into the house. Either way, this may support evidence of police tampering with the crime scene.
Info and pics about the seventh body can be found here:
http://www.amityvillemurders.com/seventh.html
and crime scene photos on the night after the murders can be seen here:
http://www.amityvillemurders.com/csgallery/index.html
The DeFeo portraits:
Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, 24, and his father Ronald Sr. who would’ve turned 44 a few days after he was murdered.
Louise DeFeo, 43.
Allison DeFeo, 13, and Dawn, 18.
Marc DeFeo, 12, with his arm around little John-Matthew, 9.
This story continues to fascinate many and goes on to be one of the most notorious murder and ghost stories in America, and a remake of the Amityville movie was made in 2005. 2 families have lived in the house since the Lutz family moved out, and noone has claimed to have any disturbances whatsoever, except for curious tourists purched outside their home.
The house as it appears today:
13 Comments for this entry
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November 16th, 2008 on 2:15 pm
seriouslyy i dont see how someone can do this itoo these little kids and the mother…..
December 2nd, 2008 on 6:57 am
it’s because he’s sick
February 16th, 2009 on 7:49 am
It is very sad what happened.
February 17th, 2009 on 12:26 pm
Ronnie wasn’t sick. His sister was. There was an eye witness that saw dawn defeo actually kill one of the children, but fled that scene after the first shot. He then told Ronnie Defeo and Ronnie confronted dawn, knocked her out and shot her not realising it would look worse on him. He was very angry that she had murdered his 2 brothers and his sister. So they shot 3 people each and now they are just as bad as each other. Marc must have been in so much pain after his accident and then his OWN SISTER shot him. He might have not died after the first shot, if it didn’t imagine the pain. And what about all the defeo childrens friends, imagine how sad they must have been. I am sorry for the defeos but not dawn if she did kill anyone. She got a taste of her own medicine.
March 20th, 2009 on 7:02 am
BUTCH was SICK!he was abused and on heavy drugs. i do belive dawn played a role in the murders,well you dont piss off a older brother on drugs!butch is paying for his crime,but still dont make it right or excuse what he did but in those days,child abuse was kept more of a secert.
June 19th, 2009 on 6:18 pm
i happen not to believe what Ronnie said about Dawn, he changed his story SO MUCH – not that you would be able to trust him anyway (drugie!). But if Dawn really did that, why would she kill her siblings? Why not just the dad? But… if one of her siblings had happened to walk in on her killing her father; she would have to get rein of the witness. I mean she shouldn’t, if she even did, thats not right. It wasn’t right what happened that night, but i guess we will never know what really happened for sure. And the only person who knows is in prison rotting away and probably doesn’t remember because of his drug use! And i believe that ALL those things really did happen to the Lutz. i don’t think anyone would EVER be able to come up with events like a secret room under the basement stairs, that was RED and smelled of blood. (I heard that the room had been a passageway to h3ll.) Or the fact that their youngest daughter had a pig friend named Jodie. That was HUGE and had RED eyes!! (EVIL!!) And was only even seen twice by her parents. But the little girl had ALWAYS talked about Jodie. But if those events really did happen why not to the other two families that lived there?? Did they not want the reporters at their house?? Or did when the Lutz left the haunting just died down?? I would LOVE to just see the house and walk through it. And maybe meet the Lutz!<3 That would be the day… but anyway you don’t have to believe anything that i do. Its just my theroy, and just what i believe. so believe what you like!
June 25th, 2009 on 4:25 pm
After seeing some of the documents and statements in regards to this case, I firmly believe that Dawn was in it, up to her neck! First of all there is the unburned gun powder on her nightgown, proof that she fired a gun that nite. Also, a plain clothes police officer that was watching the DeFeo house that night due to some drug activity related to Butch DeFeo, stated that he saw Dawn come out of the house in her “nightgown and a black coat and black gloves, carrying a shotgun”. Butch DeFeo stated that “someone with a black cloak and black hands” brought / gave him the gun that night. Dawn was mad as hell at her parents when they refused to let her move to Florida with her boyfriend (which I don’t understand, if she was 18 she should have just gone). Butch DeFeo had stated to police that after this person with black hands (black gloves) handed him the gun, he went up stairs and committed the “murder”….not murderS, plural. Just ONE murder. I think this is significant, in that he only planned on murdering his father, possibly his mother, but not everyone else. He killed Dawn only AFTER she had killed the other kids and he was enraged. Another point that implicates Dawn was in on it, when the police were taking a break from talking to Butch about the murders, his grandfather was over heard yelling at Butch to “just stop it! Do NOT drag Dawn’s name through this anymore, she’s dead! Just take ALL the responsibility!” Indicating that the grandfather knew Dawn had some involvment, but didn’t want her name drug through the mud. It is also thought that Dawn told the other kids to lay on their stomachs before she shot them (and possibly ordered them back to bed when they got up after hearing the first shots), as Marc and John were found gripping handfuls of their bed sheets for dear life. There is too much evidence to show that Dawn was involved, why none of this was brought up at Butche’s trial is unknown….and a shame.
October 3rd, 2009 on 7:43 pm
Ghost Photo is A Fake…
October 23rd, 2009 on 2:22 am
I saw the movie day before and a show on nat geo names “it is real” yesterday which talked about the Amityville horror. No body has been able to find out the real story behind the actual killing. But look, the Lutz story might be true. Imagine a family spending all their savings to buy a new house. A family who probably doesnt believe in ghosts (no one does, until they themselves go through). Now this family has spend much to buy this house, it experiences weird things, and leaves the house at night leaving all their belongings there. Now if this were a story and they had to make money out of it, why would they have left all the belongings back? wouldnt they have at least taken their most precious things with them?
okay.. forget that. Now that they do it, why shouldn’t they tell this story to the whole world and earn money? after all, all of their money and belongings have been gone. Its like a fresh start. I don’t know what is or what is not true, but if i were Lutz, i would definitely have done the same. The world has got all rights to know the truth.
October 23rd, 2009 on 7:38 am
anyone who is interested in more, here it is:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/amityville.html
November 23rd, 2009 on 2:36 pm
Ronnie was not a bad person look up some interwiews he was a good guy. I spent a week in that house for a ghost hunting show and Aaron almost killed my sister with a chair.
November 30th, 2009 on 2:54 pm
I believe that Dawn killed her family…I believe that Butch killed his father, but that the rest of it was done by his sister. Upon finding out Dawn killed his other siblings he became enraged (also high on heroine) he threw her down on her bed and shot her. As mentioned above, there is very strong evidence of this statement. I’m not going to reiterate, but there it is.
I also believe that the Lutz saw what they claim…FELT what they claim. If you have ever been in the center of paranormal activity, you just kinda learn to “keep your mind wide open” but your defenses up. I’ve taken a picture of my grandfather’s headstone, and when it developed, he was sitting on it. I checked for double exposure, but it wasn’t. I showed it to my aunt, and she burst out in tears. I was shocked when she wailed, “That’s Daddy! How did you get a picture of him?” He’s been dead since 1983. I took this picture in 2001. There is real paranormal activity out there. Why couldn’t the Lutz have been in a situation like that?
December 6th, 2009 on 1:16 pm
Okay, every bit of evidence that “proves” Dawn was in on it can also be disproven. Unburned gun poweder can stick to the clothing of the victim if it is a close range shot. When rifles are fired, the gun powder residue does not blow backwards, it expands kinda like a cloud. If you are within 3-4 feet of that gun after the muzzle flash you are going to get unburned powder on you. Gun powder was not found on her hands. When you shoot a gun you always have gun powder on your hands. I know, I have a huge collection of guns and I shoot them all the time. If Dawn wanted to move in with her boyfriend, she could have just left since she was 18. It doesn’t make sense that she would kill in revenge when the more simple solution would be to just leave. Butch Defeo has changed his story many many many times over the years. Nothing he says is really credible. The grandfather most likely did not want Dawns name dragged through the mud because there was no way she could stand up for herself, being dead and all. What an easy way for Ronnie to shift some of the blame. There would be no way for the police to speak with Dawn and prove/disprove the allegations. This was not brought up at trial because the evidence is very weak at best and could have given Ronnie the image of a cold callous killer trying to get away with at least some part of it by shifting the blame to his dead sister. Another thing that could easily disprove the Dawn did it theory is that when you shoot a rifle, it kicks and kicks hard. I’m roughly the size of Dawn and when I take my guns out to shoot, my shoulder gets sore quickly. If Dawn had only shot her siblings, that would be three bullets, three shots would probably have left some bruising around the shoulder area. I’m also pretty sure that the boys were not found gripping their bed clothes, as after death all muscles would have been relaxed. The most likely scenerio is that Ronnie was on some kind of hallucinogen and killed his family while on a bad trip. This would explain his constantly shifting story, as he probably doesn’t really know exactly what happened. He may not have even realized what he had done til he came down off the drug. The physical evidence and plain common sense shows that Ronnie acted alone and is soley responsible for the deaths of his entire family.