10 Shocking Facts About Amityville Murders

Members of the DeFao family. Author; Mango1630. Wikimedia

10 Shocking Facts About Amityville Murders

On 13^th November 1974, the residents of Amityville, Long Island in New York were shocked by the gruesome murders of six family members. Six members of the DeFeo family were murdered by being shot with a .35 caliber lever action Marlin 336C rifle.

Ronald DeFeo Sr. (43-year-old), Louise DeFeo (43-year-old), Dawn (18-year-old), Allison (13-year-old), Marc (12-year-old), and John (9-year-old) were the victims of the Amityville murders. At around 6:30 PM that evening, Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. stormed into a bar looking confused.

He declared, “You got to help me! I think my mother and father are shot!” A small group of people accompanied Ronald to 112 Ocean Avenue and found the whole family dead. Joe Yeswit, a friend of Ronald, made an emergency call to the Suffolk County Police Department who responded immediately and found the bodies of the family in their beds.

His parents were shot twice, and his siblings were shot once. Ronald was taken to the police for interrogation where he stated that a mob hitman known as Louis Falini had committed the crime. However, after a series of inconsistent interrogations, Ronald confessed to the murders.

He was given a condemnation of six sentences of 25 years to life. Ronald DeFeo died while in prison on 12^th March 2021. Here are the 10 Shocking Facts About Amityville Murders:

1. Six Members of the DeFeo Family were Victims of the Amityville Murders

Members of the DeFao family. Author; Mango1630. Wikimedia

On 13^th November 1974, at around 6:30 PM, people enjoying their evening at Henry’s Bar in Amityville were startled by the news of a homicide. 23-year-old Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. got into the bar and declared that his family members were murdered.

Ronald took a group of people to the scene where they found his six family members shot dead in their beds. His mother, his father, two brothers, and two sisters were victims of the Amityville murders.

2. The Victims had been Shot with a .35 Caliber Lever Action Marlin 336C Rifle at 3 in the Morning

A person holding out a gun. Author; Maxim Hopman. Unsplash

At the crime scene, the group of people found Ronald DeFeo Sr, Louise DeFeo, Dawn, Allison, Marc, and John shot dead. Their bodies were found lying on their beds.

They had been shot using a .35 caliber lever action Marlin 336C rifle. It is believed that the Amityville murders had taken place at three o’clock in the morning of 13^th November 1974.

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3. The DeFeo Parents Were Shot Twice, and the Children Once

One of the friends of Ronald Joseph DeFeo called the police who arrived quickly at the scene of the murders. Some shocking revelations were made from the bodies of the six family members of the DeFeo family.

Ronald DeFeo Sr and Louise DeFeo were shot twice by the assailant, while Dawn, Allison, Marc, and John had been shot and killed once. This stunning revelation was crucial during the investigations carried out.

4. Physical Evidence Suggested Louise & her Daughter were Awake during the Murders

At the beginning of the investigations, officers were unable to obtain crucial information about how the murders took place. However, some details were revealed after the physical examination of the bodies of the murdered DeFeo Family.

Physical evidence led to suggestions that 43-year-old Louise DeFeo and her daughter, Allison DeFeo were awake when the murders were carried out. All the bodies of the murdered DeFeo family were lying with their faces down in the bed.

5. The Eldest & Surviving Son of the DeFeo’s Accused a Hitman of the Murders

Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. was the only surviving child and the Eldest of the DeFeo family. He was also known as “Butch”. Police officers decided to take him to the station for protection after he made some requests.

Ronald had told the police that the killings were carried out by a mob hitman, Louis Falini. The police wanted to protect him from the accused murderer without knowing that they had the killer with them. Louis Falini had an alibi that ruled him out of the case as he was not in the state during the murders.

6. Ronald Confessed to Committing the Murders and Couldn’t Stop

Amityville house and mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr. Photo by Naxalovka123. Wikimedia

While in police custody, Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr had to be interviewed too about his family’s murders. Initially, he was under the protection of officers to avoid another homicide as he accused a hitman of committing the murders.

However, the following day, Ronald confessed to having committed the murders. He also revealed that when he started killing his family, he couldn’t stop the act. “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. It went so fast.” Ronald told the detectives.

7. The Murderer Admitted To having Taken a Bath & Redressed after the Act

After making the confession of killing his family, Ronald Joseph DeFeo had to give more details about the killings. The detectives wanted to know the step to step events after he carried out the murders.

Ronald Joseph DeFeo revealed that he took a bath after committing the murders. He then redressed and discarded crucial evidence such as the blood-stained clothes, the rifle, and cartridges before he went to work.

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8. Ronald Claimed his Family was Plotting against Him before the Murders

On 14^th October 1975, the trial of Ronald Joseph DeFeo began with William Weber being his defense lawyer. Ronald came up with a new allegation against his family during the trial period.

He accused his family of plotting against him as he had overheard their voices. Ronald also claimed that the murders were a means of self-defense.

9. The Murderer was a User of Heroin and LSD

Heroin. Narcotic drug. Attribution is to be given to Rehab Center Parus. Wikimedia

Other than the self-defense claim, Ronald Joseph DeFeo also pleaded that his sanity was not at the point during the murders. His insanity plea was supported by Daniel Schwartz, a psychiatrist for Ronald.

It was revealed that he was a user of heroin and LSD. The substances use made him have an antisocial personality disorder. However, he was told that he was aware of his actions when committing the murders.

10. Ronald had a Volatile Relationship with His Father and asked about His Life Insurance

Later on, it was discovered that Ronald Joseph DeFeo had a volatile relationship with his father. However, the motive for his family’s murders has never been revealed.

At one point, Ronald DeFeo made a shocking inquiry to the police. He made an inquiry on how he could collect the life insurance of his father.

Ronald Joseph DeFeo was found guilty of the Amityville murders and sentenced to six sentences of 25 years of life. He tried to plead for parole, but his pleas were not heard. Ronald DeFeo Jr. died on 12^th March 2021 at the Albany Medical Centre at the age of 61 with the cause of death not revealed.

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