The Amityville Murders

What really lead up to the murders of the Defeo family? What drove the Lutz family away only 28 days after moving in?

The Amityville Murders

The Shinnecocks

Near Amityville, a large number of Native Indians (Shinnecocks) were killed by the Dutch in a battle led by John Underhill (an Englishman who was well known for the number of Native Indians he killed), who lived in Salem before coming to Long Island.

The largest number of killings took place on land that used to be considered part of Amityville. At the time, Long Island was divided up between Dutch and English territories. The Dutch did not have enough troops so they hired John Underhill.

In 1644 Underhill lead the only major battle against the Native Indians on Long Island. He killed 120 people.

The following is a quote from the 19th Century Historian, Samuel Jones;

"After the battle of Ft. Neck, the weather being very cold and the wind northwest, Capt. Underhill and his men collected the bodies of the Indians and threw them in a heap on the brow of the hill, and then sat down on the leeward side of the heap to eat their breakfast. When this part of the county came to be settled, the highway across the neck passed directly over the spot where, it was said, the heap of Indians lay, and the earth in that spot was remarkably different from the ground above it, being strongly tinted with a reddish cast, which the old people said was occasioned by the blood of the Indians.”

The location of this massacre was in Fort Neck which is about 1.5 miles from the Amityville house. In 1935 the bones of 24 people were dug up at the site.

Many believe that much of the Native Indians' land was taken by force. However, this seems to be untrue. It appears that the Indians willing sold some of their land over time.

John Ketcham (Catchum)

The Ketcham family at one point owned much of the land of Amityville and according to attorney William Webber (Ronald Defeo Jr's. lawyer), the Amityville house is located on property once owned by John Ketcham. Webber apparently learned this from the Huntington Historical Society as at the time, the town of Amityville was part of Huntington.

The legends state that Ketcham was a witch who arrived in Amityville from Salem and routinely practised Satanism. However, the rumours of him being burned alive and buried on the Amityville House property are untrue.

The following is an excerpt from The Amityville Horror novel written by Jay Anson;

"One of the more notorious settlers who came to the newly-named Amityville in those days was a John Catchum or Ketcham who had been forced out of Salem, Massachusetts for practising witchcraft. John set up residence within 500 feet of where George [Lutz] now lived, continuing his alleged devil worship. The account also claimed he was buried somewhere on the northeast corner of the property.”

The Defeo Family

John and Catherine Moynahan built their dream home at 112 Ocean Avenue in 1927. They had purchased the land in 1924 and tore down the cottage that stood there. The new home features three stories, 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. It is located near the water, and has a boathouse and beautiful yard that catered to their growing family.

There was only one death in the house prior to the Defeo murders. The death was in 1939. A man died in the home after an unknown/undocumented illness.

A few decades later (Around 1965), the house was purchased by a man named Michael Brigante. Michael was the father of Louise Defeo. When Louise married Ronald Defeo Sr. The family was not supportive of their marriage and disowned the couple until Ronald Jr. was born. Her parents then offered support in every way. Michael Brigante even gave Defeo senior a job at his car dealership. Michael later pretty much gifted the house to the Defeo family.

According to various sources, Ronald Defeo Jr. had a financially comfortable upbringing but definitely not a happy one. He had a terrible relationship with his father who was apparently violent and abusive. Many witnessed the abuse of Ronald Jr.

This drove Defeo Jr. to using various drugs (LSD, Heroin and Marijuana) and even threaten his father with a gun.

At around 6:30pm on November 13th, 1974, Defeo Jr. (aged 23) entered a bar (Henry's bar) and declared he needed help “I think my parents have been shot.” A small group of people accompanied him back to the house. A friend of Defeo's (Joe Yeswit) called the police, they searched the house and found not 2 but 6 people shot dead in their beds.

At 3:15am that morning, Ronald (Ronnie) Joseph DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his 6 family members in their home located at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville (Long Island, New York).

Ronald DeFeo Sr. (age 44) and Louise DeFeo, (age 42) and his four siblings, Dawn (age 18), Allison (age 13), Marc (age 12) and John Matthew (age 9). The entire family had been shot with a .35 calibre rifle. His parents had been shot twice while his siblings shot once. They believe all 6 murders took less than 15 minutes.

The family was tested for sedatives and drugs. They all came back negative. How is it possible for no one to have woken up from hearing the gunshots if they were not sedated? A silencer was proven not to have been used. Another odd finding, all the victims were found face down in their beds.

Ronald Defeo was the only survivor of the family. The police took him to the station and put him in protective custody as Defeo Jr. made them believe the murders could have been carried out by a mob hit man (Louis Falini). He gave this reasoning as the family business (car dealership) had ties to the mob.

Falini was later proved to have an airtight alibi for the time of all 6 murders.

During questioning at the station, Defeo Jr.'s story started to have various inconsistencies. The next day he confessed to the crimes.

Defeo claimed “Once I started, I just couldn't stop. It all happened so fast.”

He then confessed to having a bath, getting dressed, going to work and discarding his bloody clothes and the murder weapon.

His trial started on October 14th, 1975 and his lawyer (William Webber) used the defense of insanity.

Defeo stated he thought he heard voices in his head telling him to kill his family. He claimed he killed them in self-defense as he believed they (his family) was going to try to kill him.

Defeo was a user of Heroin and LSD and was also diagnosed anti-social personality disorder. However, the psychiatrist for the prosecutor maintained that Defeo knew exactly what he was doing during the murders.

Over the years, Defeo has changed his story many times. Even claiming his sister Dawn and an accomplice (that he didn't get a clear look at) killed his family and he then killed Dawn during a struggle over the gun.

He then claimed his mother killed his siblings after Dawn killed Defeo Sr. claiming “She was distraught” after Dawn had killed her husband. Then he states in a later interview that his mother killed the family. He says he took the blame for his mother because he was scared of saying anything negative about her. He was worried that anything he said to dishonor the family name would result in him being made a target of the mob.

He even listed various false alibis that he was supposedly with or who was with him a the time of the murders.

They never got a real answer from him as to why he did it. Many believe he killed his father for the life insurance and then realized he had to eliminate any witnesses.

Defeo was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in November 21st, 1975.

On December 4th, 1975, the judge sentenced Defeo to 6 concurrent, 25 years to life sentences.

He is incarcerated in Fallsberg, New York at the Sullivan Correctional Facility. All of his appeals have been denied.

The murders that took place in the Amityville house are believed to be the catalyst that triggered the later hauntings experienced by the Lutz family.

The Lutz Family

The home remained empty for 13 months after the Defeo murders took place. On December 19th 1975, George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children from a previous marriage (Daniel, 9, Christopher 7 and Melissa (Missy) 5) moved into the home. The also had a dog named Harry.

The Dutch Colonial house was purchased for the bargain price of only $80,000. They also purchased all the furniture previously owned by the Defeo's for a total of $400. During their first inspection of the house their real estate agent did disclose the Defeo's murders. The Lutzes decided this would not be an issue.

It was also revealed that George, Kathy and the kids slept in the very beds (excluding the mattresses) that the Defeo's were murdered in.

A friend of George insisted on having the house blessed due to its horrific past. George knew a Catholic priest named “Father Mancusco” (Father Ralph J. Pecoraro referred to in the book as Father Mancusco for privacy) who agreed to carry out the house blessing.

Father Pecoraro, showed up at the house while George and Kathy were unpacking and began to pray and dress the home with holy water. He entered a room on the main floor. He stated it was extremely cold. He then heard a demonic voice yell at him to “GET OUT!” When leaving the home Father Pecoraro did not mention this incident to the Lutzes but did tell then to not use the room as a bedroom.

After visiting the home, it was said Father Pecoraro developed a fever and blisters on his hands. He later also stated he was slapped in the face by an invisible force.

Finally, On December 24th, 1975, Father Pecoraro finally tried to communicate to George why he needed to stay out of the room (the former room of Marc and John Matthew Defeo). The call was apparently disconnected by static.

By mid-January, another attempt to cleanse the house by the family had been attempted.

The blessing on the house didn't seem to make any difference on the environment. Soon after, George started waking up at 3:15 am, this was the same time the Defeo murders took place. Odd smells and dark stains were appearing throughout the house. They stated a green goo-like substance also appeared in the garage (this was captured on a single photo). George stopped grooming himself. He always complained of being cold and was always tending to the fireplace.Both George and Kathy's health declined quickly.

One night George claims to have woken up to witness seeing his wife rapidly age in front of his eyes (by 60-70 years!)

The next night they claim Kathy levitated several feet above the bed while laying down.

Their young daughter spent much time in her room speaking to an imaginary friend. She said it was a “red eyed pig named Jodie.”

The last night in the house was the worst. They claim they heard voices, saw furniture move and witnessed objects levitate.

They once again tried to contact their priest. He advised them to leave immediately.

A mere 28 days after they moved in, the Lutzes fled the house. They refused to give an exact account of what happened as they described the experience as “Too frightening”.

After the encounters, the family went to stay with Kathy's mother at her home in Deer Park. They claimed that the entity followed them to her house.

On January 14th 1976, the Lutz Family left the home for good with all their possessions still inside.

A mover did come the next day to remove their items but stated he experienced no paranormal activity.

Here follows a direct quote from Wikipedia;

“The various owners of the house since the Lutz family left in 1976 have reported no problems while living there. James Cromarty, who bought the house in 1977 and lived there with his wife Barbara for ten years, commented: "Nothing weird ever happened, except for people coming by because of the book and the movie.”

Although both Daniel and Christopher Lutz have on various occasions claimed they experienced paranormal activities and even possession, there have also been stories of how George Lutz and Defeo Jr's lawyer (William Webber) lied about the entire situation in order to write a book about the home.

Webber claimed that George and Kathy approached him about the book and that the entire situation was a complete hoax concocted over many bottles of wine.

Webber later sued the Lutzes for taking the book idea to another publisher. The book profits were over 60 million dollars.The case was settled out of court for a total of $17,500 ($15,000 of this was for his services connected with the book and later the movie).

George Lutz sticks to his story and for over 30 years their story has never changed. He states that the book written by Jay Anson is “mostly” true. He states there are a few parts that were embellished however, he does not go into any more detail.

The house has been owned by four different families since the murders.One of these families even requested that the address be changed.

The home now sits at 108 Ocean Avenue. The original address no longer exists.

Ed and Lorraine Warren

A mere 20 days after the Lutzes fled, renowned Paranormal Investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were contacted by news anchor Marvin Scott. They had met Marvin a year earlier at a haunted church in New Jersey.

The Warrens had not heard about the killings in Amityville as they had been out of the country at the time.

They went to the home with Scott and a camera crew. They were supposed to meet George Lutz there but George didn't turn up. Scott called him and George stated “The closest I will come to that house is 4 blocks away.”

They met George at a pizza parlor to collect the keys for the home.

Ed approached George and asked him what happened to him in that house. George's only response was to point at Ed and say “You know.” Ed continued to explain he did not know and admits to getting a bit frustrated with George who would only respond with that finger point and “You know.”

Ed admits that George was terrified of the house, didn't want to talk about it and didn't want to acknowledge out loud what had happened.

They returned to the house and upon entering, Ed stated the house “Reeked of death”.

Lorraine said her first impression of the house was extreme depression. She felt odd because when the Lutzes fled, they only took 3 pairs of clothes each (The priest had told them not to take anything out of the house with them). The house was completely intact as if “They just went out to the store and would be back any minute.”

While Lorraine explored with the camera crew, Ed ventured down into the cellar. Ed's custom when entering a place he believes to be possessed a dark entity is to hold up a crucifix and proclaim “In the name of Jesus Christ and the blood of Christ, whatever is here, reveal yourself.”

Ed said it wasted no time and he immediately felt like he was “Under a waterfall” due to the amount of pressure he felt on his head and shoulders. He states this pressure forced him to the floor and he then felt hundreds of points of electricity pin-pointing his body and then like someone had taken a hot towel and drop it over his face. He could barely breath.

He then tried what he describes as “religious resistance”. This is the process of commanding the entity to leave and go back to wherever it came from. The pressure immediately lifted off him.

Ed then returned upstairs to Lorraine and the camera crew.

During this occurrence, Lorraine had conducted a walk-through of the main floor and states that while she was in the “wet room” (bar room), that all she could see was bodies. She claimed to see the Defeo's all lined up on the floor in the room and this is where they were before they were taken out of the house.

She also states during this time she wasn't aware that Ed had gone down into the basement.When she ventured up the stairs to the first landing, she stated that she started to feel pressure on her chest, like heavy water!

She clutched her relic of Padre Pio (an Italian Friar/Priest/Mystic who later become a Saint. Famous for exhibiting Stigmata most of his life). She asked for strength and continued up the stairs to the left.

She entered the room that was being used as a sewing room for Kathy Lutz.

After looking into the room, Lorraine turned to Scott and proclaimed “I hope this is as close to hell as I ever get.”

This is the room where Father Ralph J. Pecoraro (it took years before anyone was allowed to use his real name) was told to get out and was slapped in the face.

Ed claims that the press who were claiming that Pecoraro's statements were never documented and were a lie, was untrue. Warren states that he spoke to Pecoraro and he was told the exact same story and that it was also documented in case files.

Ed goes on to claim that the reason people are saying Amityville is a hoax is due to the Atheists. That they don't want anyone to believe that a quiet, peaceful home can house demonic entities. They want to kill your belief in anything outside of the normal because if you can believe in a place like Amityville, then why not a supernatural God?

“A skeptical public is the best protection the devil can have.”

He even goes as far as to offer $3000 for anyone who can prove that his prior case on Lily Street in Bridgeport Connecticut or the Lutz case is a hoax.

Lorraine states that the camera men they had with them during the investigations were both experienced in combat assignments. The men experienced a total of 6 severe heart palpitations combined during the investigation. The attacks were so severe it forced them to their knees.

She goes on to claim that all the men (excluding Marvin Scott) who have entered that house have all gone on to die of heart related problems. Ed was the only exception. However, Ed did go on to experience a serious heart attack a few years later. No women were ever affected this way.

Another man, known as “Duke” was severely affected in the house during the investigation. He collapsed and had to be removed from the home.

Ed states that George and Kathy often heard voices coming from Missy's room. The rocking chair located in the room was often seen moving on its own. Missy could often be heard talking to the entity that occupied the chair.

He also described an event where the Lutzes claimed to see demonic red eyes looking in at them through the window. These eyes were seen on several occasions including out by the boathouse. George went out to investigate and saw hoof shaped prints in the snow leading out to the dock.

To close their investigation, the Warrens wanted to present to the public the results of a polygraph test taken by both George and Kathy Lutz on June 19th 1979. The exams were conducted by the American Polygraph Association (President Chris Gugus and Michael Weiss ).

The questions pertained to the events that took place at the Amityville home. Both were deemed testable based on the pre-test interview questions, stimulation tests and reviews.

The questions were as follows;

1) Are the details you gave me on your frightening experiences at the Amityville House true?2) When you fled your Amityville house, were you in fear of your life and the well-being of your family?

3) After leaving Amityville, did you and Kathy both levitate at your Mother in Laws house? 4)During your 28 days in Amityville, did you experience unexplained flies and disturbing odors on several occasions?

5) At the Amityville house, did you hear what sounded like a marching band tuning up in the middle of the night.

After review of all answers given, it was ruled that both George and Kathy were being truthful in all aspects of questions asked during the examination. No deception of any kind was indicated.

Although many news outlets and publications continue to claim that the case was a hoax; the Warrens are very clear on their position. “This is not a hoax.”

In conclusion to the investigation conducted by Ed and Lorraine Warren, this photo, known on the internet as the “demonic boy photograph”, was taken during that investigation. You can clearly see a small boy in the corner of the photo even though no children were present in the home at the time of the investigation.

Many believe the boy in the image is the spirit of John Matthew Defeo. He was only 9 years old at the time of his murder.

Missy Lutz claims that she has seen the boy and used to play with him when she lived in the house. None of the other Lutzes have ever seen the boy.

The House Now

In March 1977, James and Barbara Cromarty, purchased the house for $55,000. The couple claims they never experienced anything like what the Lutz family experienced.They were the buyers who had the address changed from 112 to 108 Ocean Avenue. They did this to confuse gawkers and avoid the stigma of the house's past.

Below is a history of purchase and sale of the Amityville House:

Sold September 10th, 1987 for $325, 000

Sold June 17th 1997 $310,000

Listed May 24th, 2010 for $1,150,000 million. Three months later the listing was removed and relisted.

Sold September 21st, 2010 $950,000

Listed on June 2rd, 2016 for $850,00. November 2014, the listing was removed.

Sold February 9th 2017 for $605, 000

Listed June 15th, 2020 for $850,000

The property has been sold 5 times in the last 33 years. The house is currently a private residence.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_DeFeo_Jr.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amityville_Horrorhttps://allthatsinteresting.com/amityville-murders-ronald-defeo-jrhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/22/the-amityville-horror-house-is-for-sale-five-bedrooms-3-5-bathrooms-and-one-bloody-history/https://www.bustle.com/p/9-creepy-facts-about-the-amityville-horror-case-you-probably-didnt-know-67039https://www.fancypantshomes.com/movie-homes/the-real-story-of-the-amityville-house(Amityville Horror! Ed and Lorraine Warren’s Most Famous case!)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsX9HMzWg_Ehttps://www.dreadcentral.com/news/169516/warren-files-exploring-famous-real-life-cases-paranormal-investigators/https://www.ihorror.com/ghost-boy-in-amityville-horror-house-photo/https://filmdaily.co/news/the-amityville-murder-house/https://allthatsinteresting.com/amityville-murders-ronald-defeo-jrhttps://www.darkweirdshit.com/the-real-story-behind-the-amityville-movie/https://amityville-horror.fandom.com/wiki/Ronald_DeFeo_Jrhttps://amityvillemurders.com/the-defeos/crime-scene.html/nggallery/page/1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padre_Piohttps://www.marketwatch.com/story/you-can-live-in-the-amityville-horror-home-for-850000-2016-06-29https://www.theloop.ca/the-amityville-horror-house-is-up-for-sale/https://www.biography.com/news/the-real-amityville-horror-factshttps://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/108-Ocean-Ave_Amityville_NY_11701_M30114-03781https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWdilAOSIfwhttp://truelegends.info/amityville/indians.htmhttp://truelegends.info/amityville/amityville.htm