The victims were found in their beds with gunshot wounds on Nov. 13, 1974. Father of Dawn DeFeo; Allison DeFeo; Marc Gregory DeFeo; John Matthew DeFeo and Ronald "Butch" Joseph DeFeo, Jr. Although there have been other claims of the supernatural occurring at the Amityville house, there are former residents of the house who claim nothing of the sort happened to them. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Historical basis. Maybe you are right and they dont release Ronald DeFeos cause of death over a cover-up. We tell scary stories about it. Their story inspired the book The Amityville Horror which, in turn, inspired the movies that followed it. In a jailhouse interview in 2006, DeFeo claimed he only killed his father, his mother and his eldest sister, Dawn. By Pranay Gupte Special to The New York Times. 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. Please reset your password. This was further exasperated with the usage of LSD and heroin by DeFeo, Jr. On November 13, 1974, as his family slept, he gunned them down using a .35-caliber Marlin rifle. He was serving six concurrent sentences of 25-years-to-life in an upstate New York prison until his death on March 12, 2021. . Why them? The question was asked, rhetorically, by many of those at the church. If anything, it was the grist for horror pop culture, what with the book and the movies. Ronald DeFeo Jr's bloody past. Ric Osuna's book was adapted into a docudrama titled Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders. He later confessed to the murders, was tried, found guilty, and incarcerated. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Four people were found shot to death on Nov. 14, 1974, inside this home in Amityville, New York. When I saw it; Derek said the sister killed them. March 16, 2021. Dead were parents Louise and Ronald DeFeo Sr., and his siblings 18-year-old Dawn, 13-year-old Allison, 12-year-old Marc, and nine-year-old John Matthew. 9:38 PM EDT, Mon March 15, 2021. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. In a 1986 interview with Newsday, DeFeo even claimed his sister, Dawn DeFeo, had carried out the murders with an accomplice. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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His cause of death was not immediately available, but it will be determined and released by the Albany County Medical Examiners Office and is at that offices discretion whether the results will be made publicly available, the spokesperson said. Investigators found his story to be full of discrepancies and his guilt was further substantiated with the uncovering of evidence linking him to the crimes. There, Father McNamara read from the Script tures again, as about 300 mourners stood with red carnations in their hands. 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]. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. [21], Most of the claims made in Ric Osuna's book are sourced to DeFeo's ex-wife, Geraldine Gates. He was convicted in 1975 of six counts of second-degree murder. Oops, something didn't work. [2], Around 6:30p.m. on November 13, 1974, DeFeo, who was then 23, entered Henry's Bar in Amityville, Long Island, New York, and declared: "You got to help me! [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. So what was his cause of death? The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Download for FREE! The then-23-year-old killed his family members, who were all in bed at the time. Mother of the DeFeo family and wife of Ronald DeFeo, Sr. All Rights Reserved. In 1975, DeFeo was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of his mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters. Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his parents, sisters and brothers in Amityville, New York, in 1974. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Please kindly scroll down and let us know in the comments box. As far as hauntings go, however, there are ongoing conflicting reports. 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". The official cause of death has not been released to the public. Butch didnt run into a police station saying he found his parents shot, he ran into a bar a got his friend, the bar owner, and 2 others to go to the house. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. In support of his motion, DeFeo asserted that Dawn and an unknown assailant, who fled the house before he could get a good look at him, killed their parents and Dawn subsequently killed their siblings. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Police found traces of unburned gunpowder on Dawn's nightgown, which DeFeo proponents allege proves she discharged a firearm. Get breaking news alerts in the FOX 5 NY News app. The following day, he confessed to carrying out the killings himself; and Falini, the alleged hitman, had an alibi proving he was out of state at the time of the killings. AP. Death: November 13, 1974 (43) (murdered by son) Immediate Family: Son of Rocco DeFeo and Antoinette "Nettie" DeFeo. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Early in the police investigation, DeFeo lied to authorities stating he believed the murders were mob-related. But the family that was slaughtered there was real. What can you say? Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr. was the oldest son of 43-year-olds Ronald DeFeo Sr. and Louise DeFeo. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. killed his entire family. 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. This case inspired the book and movie The Amityville Horror.. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. On November 13, 1974, the peace in the tiny Long Island town of Amityville, New York, an upper-middle-income community of 10,000, was shattered when 23 year-old Ronald DeFeo returned from a night of drinking and shot every member of his entire family. Alllll of them needed professional help. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. The man had accumulated an arsenal of guns, using the stipend from his father and the money he'd stolen from the dealership. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Your email address will not be published. Another possible reason he might have killed his family members was for a possibly sizable life insurance policy. [3][14][15], After his conviction, DeFeo gave several varying accounts of how the killings were carried out. DeFeo had claimed as much during his defense, but he was found guilty of murder and was serving out six sentences of 25 years to life in prison when he died. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. The house would later become entangled in the Amityville horror imbroglio which was featured in the Hollywood movie, The Amityville Horror. What was Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s cause of death? This website uses cookies to improve your experience. DeFeo was scheduled for a parole hearing in July, online DOC records show. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Failed to delete memorial. DeFeo whose murderous spree served as the inspiration behind the "The Amityville Horror" book and movie franchise died Friday while serving a 25-years-to-life sentence at Sullivan. Please enter your email and password to sign in. There was an error deleting this problem. Copyright 2023 Distractify. By 1974, the DeFeo family lived in the Long Island community of Amityville. Physical evidence suggests that Louise DeFeo and her daughter Allison were awake at the time of their deaths. His crimes inspired multiple movies in which the family home in Amityville, N.Y. was depicted as haunted, having malevolent powers over those who live in it. He was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters. In 1974, Ronald DeFeo shot and killed six of his family members in a large Dutch Colonial house in a suburban neighbourhood in Amityville. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. A book and the resulting film franchise including the 1979 original with James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger; several sequels; and a 2005 remake with Ryan Reynolds portrayed a home with strange voices, walls that oozed slime, furniture that moved on its own and other supernatural features. however, the Albany County Medical Examiner s Office will execute a postmortem . Failed to remove flower. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The six victims were later buried in Saint Charles Cemetery nearby in Farmingdale. The cause of his death wasn't revealed at the time. An autopsy by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office will rule an official cause of death. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision confirmed the death on Monday and said that the cause would be determined by the Albany County coroner. Stark further declared, "Defendant's testimony that he did not shoot and kill the members of his family is likewise incredible and not worthy of belief". [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). To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Scroll down to view the Amityville House murder photos where the entire Defeo family was murdered by Ron Defeo (but be forewarned, it is quite gruesome. DeFeo was held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in the town of Fallsburg, New York, and until his death all of his appeals and requests to the parole board had been denied. His court-appointed lawyer mounted an insanity defense. Source: Getty Interesting take, with some factual errors. During their initial investigation, police reported that DeFeo told them "the voices of the house" compelled him to commit the crime. The website if anything, it was the oldest son of 43-year-olds Ronald DeFeo Jr & # ;... Records show book and the movies and FREE s cause of death not. `` the voices of the house would later become entangled in the police investigation, DeFeo claimed he only his! I saw it ; Derek said the sister killed them release Ronald DeFeos cause of death has not released. Would later become entangled in the comments box York prison until his death wasn & # x27 ; t at. Own family member for Horror pop culture, what with the book the Horror. 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