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"And as far as I'm concerned, what I did was self-defence and there was nothing wrong with it. DeFeo, 23 at the time, shot each of his family members with a .35-caliber Marlin Lever action rifle, police said. Nissa Burkhalter Bio, Wiki Nissa Burkhalter was the ex-wife of Ronald DeFeo who was an American murderer . By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. DeFeo, who was 69, was convicted of killing his father, mother, two brothers and two sisters inside their Amityville home in 1974, according to CNN affiliate WABC. The cause of his death wasn't revealed at the time. Ronald "Butch" DeFeo, who committed the murders at the heart of the Amityville Horror book and movies, has died in New York state custody. It was reported that his cause of death would be determined and announced by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office officially. He died while still serving time on Friday. Murder Victim. Welcome to the Quantum Realm. . The house stood empty for 13 months until the Lutz family bought for $80,000 in December 1975 they thought it was a bargain. Paranormal investigator Stephen Kaplan, who investigated the home shortly after the Lutzs fled, wrote a book critical of their supernatural allegations. DeFeo was ordered held without bail on one count of second-degree Read More Ronald DeFeo Jr., center, leaves Suffolk County district court after a hearing, Nov. 15, 1974. 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. Troubled Youth. In advance of the series premiere, heres what you need to know about the real-life Amityville Horror.. The killings were reported by the only surviving member of the family: the oldest son, Ronald J. DeFeo Jr., Newsday reported. DeFeo was ordered held . DeFeo told detectives: \"Once I started, I just couldn't stop. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime that would inspire The Amityville Horror book and movie franchise, died March 12 at the Albany Medical Center in New York. "'There were sounds," George Lutz told ABC. The authorities believed that all six victims were shot at close range, and a silencer could not have been used. DeFeo's initial trial defense was that he had heard his family's voices plotting against him. For more true crime stories, watch Family Massacre, premiering Friday, December 3 at 9/8c on Oxygen. He married secondly, Margaret, daughter of Allan Lord Cathcart, by his Helen . "I never saw a case that would amount to what DeFeo did in his own home. It was maybe a combination of the suburban setting and the zeitgeist of that era, which was a little bit on the kooky side.". At the ensuing trial after the confession, Butchs lawyers mounted an insanity defense. Mother of the DeFeo family and wife of Ronald DeFeo, Sr. She was murdered, along with the rest of her family, by her eldest son, Ronald Jr., on November 13, 1974. 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. The movie The Amityville Horror was partly inspired by the real-life murders committed by Ronald DeFeo Jr., who killed his entire family in their Amityville, Long Island, N.Y. home in 1974. Butch died on March 12, 2021, at 69-years-old at a hospital in Albany, New York. At the police station, he said an alleged hitman, Louis Falini, had carried out the murders and claimed that he might be in danger, too. It was after 3am on November 13, 1974, when DeFeo, who was known as "Butch", went from room to room killing his loved ones. The weapon was believed to be a .35-caliber rifle, and a similar firearm was later found in a creek behind the family home. DeFeo, 69, died March 12, 2021, while receiving treatment for an illness at Albany Medical Center, according to theNiagara Gazette. He was 69. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. In 1975, DeFeo was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of his mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters. Those details, and others, have come under scrutiny, reported the Washington Post in 1979. The murders became famous for being central to the book and movie "The Amityville Horror". At around 6.30pm that evening, DeFeo went into a nearby bar asking for help, pretending to have just discovered the bloodbath. I think my mother and father are shot!\"[2] DeFeo and a small group of people went to 112 Ocean Avenue, which was located near the bar, and found that DeFeo's parents were dead inside the house. Prison officials released the news to the public but did not reveal why he had been at the hospital in the first place or what his cause of death was. Who is Nissa Burkhalter? "And as far as I'm concerned, what I did was self-defence and there was nothing wrong with it. The house stood empty for 13 months until the Lutz family bought for $80,000 in December 1975 they thought it was a bargain. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. DeFeo was serving 25 years to life in prison at the Sullivan Correctional Facility. Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr. was the oldest son of 43-year-olds Ronald DeFeo Sr. and Louise DeFeo. But the story of the house where the killings took place, on 112 Ocean Avenue, has become the stuff of legend because of chilling paranormal claims made about it. Robert DeFeo JR. Address Meanwhile, a prosecution expert testified that while DeFeo was an admitted LSD and heroin user, he was sane at the time of the murders, DeFeo Jr. tried but failed to get a retrial in the case in 1992 after claiming that his 18-year-old sister Dawn had murdered the other family members and he had only killed her, according to the, A year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the DeFeos' old home but left in less than a month, claiming it was haunted. Their story inspired author, Jay Ansons 1977 book The Amityville Horror.. Ronald DeFeo Jr., whose 1974 murders of his Long Island, N.Y., family inspired the horror movie franchise The Amityville Horror, has died in prison at age 69, state officials said Monday. But the story of the house where the killings took place, on 112 Ocean Avenue, has become the stuff of legend because of chilling paranormal claims made about it. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime that would inspire The Amityville Horror book and movie franchise,. A-Z Index. Birthday September 26, 1951. Ronald DeFeo Jr was serving a 25-to-life sentence for the brutal killing of his mom, dad, two sisters and two brothers. Siblings Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, Marc, 12, and John, nine, were each shot once all of them were found face down in their beds. Recently Added. 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. They seemed like an average good family, the Rev. Ronald DeFeo at a court hearing in 1992 - he died on Friday at the age of 69 while serving life for the murders of his parents and four siblings in Amityville, New York Credit: Getty The 1974. "Skip" Mercier Dies: Tony-Nominated Broadway Set And Costume Designer Was 66, Henry Darrow Dies: 'The High Chaparral', Emmy-Winning 'Santa Barbara' Actor Was 87, Carmel Quinn Dies: Irish Songstress, TV Star And Concert Attraction Was 95. But upon pressing further, he admitted to murdering them. Though all of the supernatural claims were eventually debunked and the book criticized as a hoax, nearly 30 films either theatrical or direct-to-video have used the Amityville title or concept, including1983s Amityville 3-D, 2005s The Amityville Horror remake starring Ryan Reynolds, and, in 2017, Amityville: The Awakening. inside their upscale home in suburban Amityville, New York. According to The New. But just to be safe, they decided to have a priest come and bless the property as they unpacked which is where their nightmare began. His defense attorney, William Weber, tried to make a case that the defendant, who allegedly heard voices, was innocent by reason of insanity. . 2K Views. DeFeo Jr. tried but failed to get a retrial in the case in 1992 after claiming that his 18-year-old sister Dawn had murdered the other family members and he had only killed her, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, a prosecution expert testified that while DeFeo was an admitted LSD and heroin user, he was sane at the time of the murders, according to a Newsday report in 2021. The year prior, the Lutz family, doing business as Amityville Enterprises, filed legal documents to remove Dimension Films option on the franchise from the court-supervised sale of Weinstein Co. assets. Related tags : Criminal Previous Article Next Article Criminal He died while still serving time on Friday. Victims were found in their nightclothes and were shot in the back, apparently while they were asleep. In a 1986 interview with Newsday, DeFeo even claimed his sister, Dawn DeFeo, had carried out the murders with an accomplice. Since then there has been a 3-D movie take on the story and a 2005 remake of the original film starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. Ronald DeFeo's cause of death. Their account of what they went through was made into a book called The Amityville Horror: A True Story which has been repeatedly adapted into several terrifying Hollywood films. Newsday originally revealed his passing. All Rights Reserved. The confessed killer, after first pleading an insanity defense, would later attempt to shift blame on one of his deceased sisters. But just to be safe, they decided to have a priest come and bless the property as they unpacked which is where their nightmare began. Physical evidence suggests that Louise DeFeo and her daughter Allison were both awake at the time of their deaths. The case inspired the book and film versions of . He also alleged that his wife, Kathy, would sometimes appear transformed into a wrinkled old woman, and that green slime had oozed from the walls. He said the killings' lore was elevated with the 1977 novel "The Amityville Horror," by Jay Anson, and the 1979 cult horror film of the same name starring James Brolin. IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. While we all know the story of the haunting of Amityville, before the Lutz family even lived there, a real life horror story occurred within the walls. Murder Victim. Ronald DeFeo, the 'Amityville Horror' murderer who killed his six family members in 1974 on New York's Long Island, has died in prison. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime . He was 9 years old. In 1977, author Jay Anson published The Amityville Horror, claiming the haunted house tale was based on the experiences of the Lutz family who moved into the house following the murders. At the time, the family lived in a home in Amityville in Long Island, New York, and Butch worked with his father at a car dealership. Screams to Screens: The Amityville Horror. George and Kathy Lutz moved into the Dutch Colonial home with their three kids a year after the massacre, but famously fled 28 days later without their possessions because they'd been so traumatised by hauntings in the house which included claims of slime oozing from the walls and a priest's hands bleeding after attempting to bless the property. When DeFeo initially reported the deaths of his family, he ran into a local bar and claimed they had been shot. He claimedthat his oldest sister, Dawn, first shot their father, and then his mother killed Dawn and the other siblings.