FALLSBURG, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man convicted of murdering his family in Amityville, New York has died. Ronald DeFeo, the convicted murderer who killed six family members and inspired the ever-growing "Amityville horror" franchise, died Friday, March 12th, The New York Times . Police said Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43; Louise DeFeo, 42; Dawn Defeo, 18; Allison Defeo, 13; Mark DeFeo, 11; and John Matthew, 7, were all found shot to death in their beds, with their hands above their . https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronald_DeFeo_Jr.&oldid=1136376474, The film versions of the DeFeo murders contain several inaccuracies. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. [10] The trial's judge, Thomas Stark, declared that DeFeo's crimes were "the most heinous murders committed in Suffolk County since its founding. [7], Ronald DeFeo Jr., also known as "Butch", was the eldest child of the family and its lone surviving member. 'The Amityville Horror' book and movies were based on the case. Monique Samuels Divorce Rumors From Chris After 10 Years! It was reported that his cause of death would be determined and announced by the Albany County Medical Examiners Office officially. Ronald DeFeo, 69, died Friday at Albany Medical Center, where he was taken Feb. 2 from a prison in New York's Catskill Mountains, the state Department of Corrections and Community Services said. Therefore, the news of his passing was first approved to have reached out on American soil hospital in Albany, New York. Daniel Lutz, who was a 10-year-old boy on January 14, 1976 when the family fled from the house , still insists that the family was menaced by spirits in the home. While the services were held at the St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church, a Suffolk County grand jury in Riverhead handed up an indictment charging the 23yearold surviving son of the family Ronald Jr., with six courts of murder in the second degree. Convicted "Amityville Horror" killer Ronald DeFeo Jr., who in 1974 shot and killed his parents and four younger siblings inside their Long Island home in a grisly case that inspired a book and a. [8] He was taken to the local police station for his own protection after suggesting to police officers at the scene of the crime that the killings had been carried out by a mob hit man, Louis Falini. ). See the article in its original context from. The house became the subject of books and movies. Why Felicity Hoffman Sentenced to Only 14 Days in Prison? The title is misleading since the cause of death was not disclosed. That family, the Lutzes, stayed there for just 28 days and claimed that the house was haunted by poltergeists who slammed windows, banged walls and wrenched doors off their hinges. Story of NME & Mojo Music Journalist Fred Dellars Cause of Death, Arthur Goodwin Bogan Coachs Cause of Death not Revealed, Jamie Dornans Dad, Jim Dornans Cause of Death Announced, Truth of Don Rickles Widow, Barbara Rickles Cause of Death, First woman Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd Dead at 93, Madonnas Older Brother Anthony Ciccones Cause of Death at 66, Reality of Prolific Canadian Actor Gordon Pinsents Cause of Death, Detroit Sportscaster Don Shanes Cause of Death Revealed, Is Tekashi 69 Dead at 24?; A Shocking Question Raised by Rumors, Author of Bullshit Jobs David Graebers Death Cause is Wired, Car Accident Was Demitra Roches Death Cause Reportedly, What We Know About Famed DJ Erick Morillos Death Cause. The DeFeo parents had both been shot twice, while the children had all been killed with single shots. Failed to report flower. pic.twitter.com/an1LVWXQfH. Moreover, the medical examiner found nothing to indicate that Dawn had been in a struggle; the bullet wound was the only fresh mark on her body. In the decades since, he insisted that his lawyer had pursued the insanity defense against his wishes to make the story more attractive for possible book and movie contracts. How Marvel went big with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. By 1974, the DeFeo family lived in the Long Island community of Amityville. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday. I found on Findagrave.com. One of the men, Joe Yeswit, called the Suffolk County police with the awful news. His victims were found face down in their beds, shot to death with a .35-caliber Marlin hunting rifle in the early hours of Nov. 13, 1974. Please reset your password. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Ronald Joseph Butch DeFeo Jr. (born September 26, 1951) was an American mass murderer. All through the hourlong mass, which was celebrated by the Rev. Physical evidence suggests that Louise DeFeo and her daughter Allison were awake at the time of their deaths. However, in a letter to the radio show host Lou Gentile, DeFeo denied giving Ric Osuna information that could be used in his book, claiming that he immediately left the interview and did not speak to Osuna about anything substantive.[19]. Skeptic Joe Nickell notes that given the frequency with which DeFeo has changed his story over the years, any new claims from him regarding the events that took place on the night of the murders should be approached with caution. He produced no corroborating evidence in this regard another reason for my disbelief of defendant's testimony is demonstrated by consideration of several portions of the trial testimony he signed a lengthy written statement describing in detail his activities in this statement he said that he lived with his family at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville and that he worked for his father that he usually went to and from work with his father; that he was ill and stayed home from work on November 12, 1974; that he was on probation for having stolen an outboard engine and had an appointment to see his probation officer in Amityville on that very afternoon defendant's girlfriend, Mindy Weiss, testified that she began dating the defendant in June 1974, and was with him frequently that summer and fall". 9:38 PM EDT, Mon March 15, 2021. DeFeo's parentsbroke down. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Although DeFeo attempted to defend his actions in court through insanity and self-defense, the prosecution successfully argued that he was aware of the consequences of his actions. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. An autopsy by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office will rule an official cause of death. The home and the killings became the basis of the horror movie classic "The Amityville Horror" after another family briefly lived there for about a year after the killings and claimed the house was haunted. Yet, for the unversed, in 1974, DeFeo used a rifle to kill his father, Ronald DeFeo, Sr, his mother, Louise, his two sisters, Dawn and Allison, and his two brothers, Mark and . His court-appointed lawyer mounted an insanity defense. The book was then turned into a series of films, most notably a 1979 version starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as the new owners and a 2005 remake starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George in the same roles. While in the 1986 interview with Newsday, she asserted she married DeFeo in 1974, in Osuna's book, she alleges they married in 1970. Learn More Here, From the Cecil Hotel to The Stanley Hotel, These Are the Most Haunted Hotels in America. Ronald DeFeos death news was revealed on March 12. The insanity plea was supported by the psychiatrist for the defense, Daniel Schwartz. Husband of Louisa Marie Brigante. Mr. DeFeo was convicted in 1975 on six counts of second-degree murder after he confessed to using a rifle to shoot and kill his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr.; his mother, Louise; his sisters, Dawn and Allison; and his brothers, Mark and John Matthew. We have set your language to All Rights Reserved. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Copyright 2023 Distractify. Officials said DeFeo was pronounced dead on Friday, March 12, 2021, at Albany Medical Center. Their 1993 divorce case says that they met in 1985, married in 1989, and divorced in 1993.[22]. During his trial, DeFeo pursued an insanity defense and claimed that he had heard voices telling him to kill his family. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Early in the police investigation, DeFeo lied to authorities stating he believed the murders were mob-related. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [23], "The Real Life Amityville Horror; Shots in the Night", "The 'Amityville Horror' house is for sale: Five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and one bloody history", "FACE OF 'HORROR' AFTER 31 YEARS, THE AMITYVILLE KILLER SPEAKS", "Slain Family Drugged, Police on L:I..Report", "Haunted Crime Scenes; Amityville Controversy", "Amityville - the Cultural Impact of Homicide", "Amityville Horror Investigative Files (January 2003)", The Amityville Files - Collection of Amityville materials. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. He said the only person he killed was Dawn and that it was by accident as they struggled over the rifle. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" Because of DeFeo's claims, however, many have believed that the Amityville house is haunted and that it can control its inhabitants. Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (September 26, 1951 - March 12, 2021) was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters in Amityville, Long Island, New York. Failed to remove flower. Convicted murderer of his father, mother, two sisters, and two brothers. DeFeo was serving a sentence of 25 years to life in the 1974 killings in Amityville, on suburban . The cause of his death wasn't immediately known. Weve updated the security on the site. On November 30, 2000, Ronald DeFeo met with Ric Osuna, the author of The Night the DeFeos Died, which was published in 2002. The victims were Ronald DeFeo Sr, 43, Louise DeFeo, 42 and four of their children Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, Marc, 12 and John Matthew, 9. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. The books and movies focused less on the 1974 murders in 1974 than on the family of five that moved into the house about a year later. Try again. This case inspired the book and movie The Amityville Horror.. One of the group, DeFeo's friend Joe Yeswit, made an emergency call to the Suffolk County Police Department, who searched the house and found that six members of the family were dead in their beds. On the evening of Nov. 13, 1974, Mr. DeFeo went to a bar near his home and proclaimed that his parents had been shot, witnesses said. The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. however, the Albany County Medical Examiner s Office will execute a postmortem . Another possible reason he might have killed his family members was for a possibly sizable life insurance policy. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Try again later. [4], The victims were Ronald Jr.'s parents: Ronald DeFeo Sr. (43) and Louise DeFeo (ne Brigante, 43); and his four siblings: Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John (9). But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Make sure that the file is a photo. Maybe Butch had a reason, maybe he was sick and twisted,, maybe there was abuse going on behind doors, maybe there was spirits that caused it, or maybe there were00 others that helped him and have gotten away with it for a long time. American Criminal. DeFeo claimed during his interrogation that he had drugged his family. Trial begins in Amityville murders. GREAT NEWS! Search above to list available cemeteries. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The DeFeos house in Amityville, a village on the South Shore of Long Island, has since been the setting for dozens of books and documentaries, beginning with the 1977 book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson and a 1979 movie of the same name that inspired multiple remakes, prequels and sequels. See excerpts of a rare 1994 Ronald DeFeo Jr. interview, the mass murderer who killed six of his family members in 1974, setting up the foundation for the Lutz's story. We are eagerly waiting to see what you think. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. The home became the basis of a horror-movie classic after another family briefly lived there about a year after the killings and claimed the house was haunted. DeFeo killed his parents, Ronald DeFeo, Sr. what's more Louise DeFeo, and his four more youthful kin, Dawn, 18 . He asked police what he had to do in order to collect on his father's life insurance, which prompted the prosecution to suggest at trial that his motive was to collect on the life insurance policies of his parents. Hours after murdering them, DeFeo went to a nearby bar, crying for help. Unlike giving him a fair trial to begin with! Your Scrapbook is currently empty. What was Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s cause of death? But no changes in the case were ever made as a result of those claims. In 2016, the infamous five-bedroom, 3-bathroom Colonial home where the bloodbath took place hit the market for $850,000 and went into contract months later. The murders became famous for being central to the book and movie "The Amityville Horror". Ronald DeFeo died in the hospital at 6.35 PM. The victims of DeFeo's family members included his parents, Ronald DeFeo, Sr. (43), and Louise (42), two brothers, John (9) and Marc (12), and two sisters, Allison [] On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. killed his entire family. She was 43 years old. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Ronald DeFeo, who was convicted of killing his parents and four siblings at the family's home in Amityville, N.Y., in 1974 a spree that spawned a series of books and movies, including the. The reason for DeFeo's death hasn't been revealed, and is pending an autopsy at the time of writing this story. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. He was serving six concurrent sentences of 25-years-to-life in an upstate New York prison until his death on March 12, 2021. . 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