This is the true crime story and the subsequent haunting of the Amityville Horror House, that shook the entire country.
An unsettling crime that unfolded in the fall of 1974, in the small town of Amityville, New York.
History of DeFeo Family
The DeFeo family, which consisted of 7 members, all lived together in their charming home by the South shore of Long Island. But rumor had it that the father, Ronald DeFeo Sr., was a violent and domineering figure.
His parenting style, characterized by aggression and abuse, had a profound impact on his eldest son, Ronald Jr., who became a troubled young adult.
Despite the DeFeo family owning an auto body shop, Ronald Jr. preferred spending his time at bars, where he developed an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
His substance abuse led to violent behavior towards his family, and there were numerous occasions where he physically attacked them. Including an incident when he reportedly pulled out a gun on his father.
As time went on, tensions in the household continued to rise until the tragic night when everything changed.
Massacre of the DeFeo Family
It was the early hours of November 13th, 1974, when Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. went on a murderous rampage, ending the lives of his family members one by one as they slept.
Although the killing spree lasted no more than 15 minutes, there was no sign of a struggle. Each member of the family was found face down on their bed, as though they’d been positioned that way.
The weapon DeFeo used was a rifle, and it had no silencer attached to it. However, none of the neighbors reported hearing any gunshots except for the family dog barking.
Initially, DeFeo tried to deflect blame by concocting an absurd story about a mafia hitman and two accomplices showing up at his house, holding a gun to his head and forcing him to murder his family.
He claimed to have discovered the gruesome scene when he returned home from work. But, as investigators dug deeper, the holes in his story started to emerge.
Under intense pressure, DeFeo finally confessed to the murders. He led the police to the location where he had hidden the rifle and his bloodstained clothes.
The community was left shaken and baffled by the events that took place that fateful morning. How could someone so brutally murder their own family while they slept, without raising any alarm?
Trial and Conviction of Ronald Jr.
In his confession, Ronald Jr. admitted that he couldn’t stop once he had started, and the act of murder had consumed him entirely.
In his defence Ronald Jr. claimed he killed his family because he heard voices in his head, plotting against him.
Some people speculated that he was hearing demonic voices that pushed him to carry out the killings, but a psychiatrist diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder.
Which meant that he had a severe lack of empathy and didn’t think that what he was doing was wrong. Ronald Jr. was sentenced to six consecutive life terms at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York.
But there was still a lingering feeling of unease among the community. Including a belief that a second killer could have also been present and remained at large.
This feeling of unease was compounded when a new family, who had moved into DeFeo’s house, claimed to have experienced paranormal activity.
It was as if DeFeo’s house had retained the gruesome energy from the past and continued to torment the living.
The Lutz Family
It all began when the Lutz family arrived in Amityville. George and Kathy Lutz were in search of their dream home.
After months of hunting, they finally came across a listing that seemed perfect. The DeFeo home was a beautiful Dutch colonial house with six bedrooms, a heated pool, and a large boathouse on the Amityville River.
Despite being over their original budget, the Lutzs felt a magnetic pull towards the property. But as they were signing the paperwork, the real estate agent informed them of the house’s dark past.
The Lutzs were initially shaken by this news, but the house’s charm and beauty proved too alluring. They bought it for the bargain price of $80,000, dismissing any doubts they had about the home’s violent past.
Little did they know, the house would soon become a living nightmare. From the moment they moved in, strange and terrifying occurrences began to happen.
The Haunting of Amityville
The haunting saga of Amityville horror house begins with their arrival in the house. George Lutz, a successful entrepreneur, was eager to begin a new chapter in his family’s life.
However, things began to take a dark turn immediately after they moved in. George noticed a sudden shift in his personality, feeling lethargic and constantly irritable.
He would wake up every night at precisely 3:15 AM, unable to fall back asleep. He would come to find out this was the exact time of the murder.
It wasn’t long before other strange and disturbing things began to occur. Doors slammed shut on their own, strange noises could be heard in the dead of night, and shadows moved about the house.
George witnessed his daughter, Missy, standing by her bedroom window with a pig’s face with red eyes appearing behind her, only to discover that Missy was asleep in her bed.
Missy would then speak of a new imaginary friend, a pig named Jody. Kathy, George’s wife, would sometimes appear to be a completely different person, appearing to age quickly and unnaturally.
The family’s dog even displayed fear and backed away from something unseen in the house.
The Priest
The family had asked a priest to help them with the strange events that had been taking place in their home, leaving everyone in the family questioning their sanity.
The priest himself experienced the unusual and unexplainable phenomena. He blessed the house but soon the haunting took another wild turn.
Other events followed, such as doors being ripped off their hinges, a room filled with flies in the winter, hoof-shaped prints in the snow by the door, and green slime oozing from the walls.
They discovered a hidden room in the basement, one that wasn’t on the original blueprint. The room was painted in blood-red color and had a foul odor.
It was only big enough to fit two people. One evening, George heard the sound of a band playing downstairs, and when he went to look, the furniture had been moved to create space for dancing.
The rug had been rolled up, and the room had an eerie aura, as though a party had taken place in their absence.
Jay Anson and The Amityville Horror
It wasn’t until Jay Anson, the writer of The Amityville Horror, met with the priest that he became inspired to write the book.
The confirmation that what kind of haunting the Lutz family was experiencing in the Amityville horror house was real only solidified Anson’s decision.
After living in the home for just 28 days, a particularly frightening night prompted the family to pack their bags and leave their possessions behind, never to return again.
They originally did not plan on leaving forever, but the fear and uncertainty they felt in the house made it impossible to stay any longer.
As the family left, their belongings were left behind and auctioned off later. A constant reminder for a lucky buyer, of the terrors they had faced in their brief time in the house.
They decided it was time to reach out to an author and share their incredible story with the world. Anson was immediately captivated by the events that took place in Amityville.
He eventually captured their story in his book, “The Amityville Horror,” and their plight became known to the world.
The events in the book would go on to become infamous, captivating readers with spine-chilling details. Anson turned their tale into an instant bestseller in 1977.
The LA Times praised the book as a page-turner that kept readers on the edge of their seats with both fascination and fear.
The Amityville Curse
The haunting of Amityville horror house doesn’t ends with the book.
Some of the people who had read the original manuscript or had early copies of it in their possession had experienced strange occurrences.
Three of Anson’s close friends had separate brushes with death after reading the manuscript. One even had a fatal encounter.
The first friend had a fire break out in his car as he was driving back to the publisher with the story.
The second friend and his son nearly drowned in their car while the papers were in their trunk.
And the third friend, to whom Anson had given the first two chapters to read, died in a fire the first night she received them.
Incredibly, the manuscript was discovered in perfect condition in the ruins of the fire.
Anson himself had not experienced anything out of the ordinary while writing the book, but he did have a heart attack after completing it.
He dismissed the idea that there was any connection between his health scare and the manuscript. He blamed it on his smoking and his foolish lifestyle.
However, the fact that such strange events happened to people who had early copies of the book couldn’t be ignored.
Would You Move In?
Despite the horrors of the past, the Ocean Avenue house has been owned by four different families since the murders.
A previous owner had even requested a change of address for the house after the Lutzs left. The house was recently listed for sale in 2016 and sold for $605,000 in 2017.
There were debates about whether the Lutzs’ story was true or not, but the fact remains that a brutal crime did indeed take place on that property.
On March 21, 2021, Ronald DeFeo Jr passed away, at the age of 69. His cause of death was never revealed to the public.
So, what are your thoughts on the haunting of Amityville horror house? Would you live in it after you knew what happened there?
