Inside ‘demonic’ Amityville House of Horror where family of six were butchered

It is the infamous house of horrors where a family of six were brutally murdered in their beds with spine-tingling stories of demons and poltergeists inspiring a book and cult film.

The Amityville house was the location of a horrific tragedy when killer Ronald DeFeo Jr gunned down his entire family, inspiring The Amityville Horror book and film.

In November 1974, 23-year-old Ronald Jr, murdered his parents Louise, 43, and Ronald Sr, 43, and four siblings Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, Marc, 12 and John, 9.

The killer used a .35-caliber Marlin lever-action rifle, to kill his family inside their home on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island.

DeFeo Jr then ran from the scene, screaming for help before admitting to committing the atrocities himself.

His six victims were found in the same position, in their beds lying down on their stomachs.

At the time of his trial in October 1975, DeFeo blamed his actions on "voices" inside his head telling him to kill his family.

He admitted he was an LSD and heroin user but he was deemed safe at the time of the attack.

In December 1975 he was sentenced to 25 years-to-life for the horrific murder of his whole family.

Why he did it

There have been numerous speculations over the years as to why he chose to kill his family but the motive behind the DeFeos' killings remains unclear.

DeFeo Jr has changed the story multiple times over the course of the years.

At first, when he reported the murders himself, he told police he suspected Louis Falini, a mafia hitman had broken into the house and killed his family.

There was also speculation DeFeo did it for his father’s insurance policy after his immediate query to access the policy following his family’s deaths.

Although his insanity plea was supported by the psychiatrist for the defence, the one for the prosecution said DeFeo had an antisocial personality disorder which meant he was aware of his actions at the time of the tragedy.

During a 1986 interview for Newsday, he claimed his sister Dawn was behind the killings.

The 69-year-old murderer was serving his sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility in upstate Fallsburg and died in March 2021.

The home's original address was 112 Ocean Ave but was later changed to 108 to deter tourists.

Paranormal activity begins

A year after the murders it was bought by George and Kathy Lutz for $88,000.

The pair only stayed a month, as they claimed they were forced to flee due to paranormal activity in the house, leaving their belongings behind.

The Lutzes claimed a demonic force inside the house which was plaguing them.

They claimed green slime was oozing from the walls, a spirit knocked down a knife in the kitchen, Kathleen and their sons Daniel and Christopher levitated in their beds and George awoke at 3.05am every morning, the exact time the murders took place.

Author Jay Anson took an immediate interest in the story and interviewed the Lutz family that contributed to the bestselling book, The Amityville Horror.

The book was published in 1977, a mere three years after DeFeo ran to the bar on that fateful night, pleading for help.

Only one year before Anson’s death on March 12, 1980, he spoke with Writers Digest and said, “I have no idea whether the book is true or not. But I’m sure that the Lutzes believe what they told me to be true.”

The house now

The story was made into a film and in 1979, The Amityville Horror, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder, immediately became a huge hit with horror fans.

The Amityville house has had three owners since the Lutzes abandoned the property – the name of the current owner is unknown.

But it was the second family who moved into the house in 1977 who decided the house needed a change of identity.

Tourists descended on the house wanting to catch a glimpse of the so-called haunted piece of real estate in the lead-up to the release of The Amityville Horror film in 1979.

It was at that point, to deter tourists, James and Barbara Cromarty changed the address to 108 Ocean Avenue.

Although the ruse didn’t work, the Cromartys said they never witnessed a single demonic event in the decade they lived in the Amityville house.

The stately 5,000-square-foot abode, which sits on a 10,900 square foot lot and features a large boathouse and two-car garage, underwent renovations after Caroline and David D’Antonio purchased it in 2010 for $950,000.

In 2016, the notorious five-bedroom, 3½-bathroom colonial home hit the market for $850,000 — and went into contract months later.

According to the Realtor estate agency, the house which was built in 1925, has been on the market four times and was sold in March 2017 for $605,000.

To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here .

Source: Read Full Article

Previous post Alton Brown Left His Southern Baptist Faith After the Church Tried to Prevent His Divorce
Next post Woman gobsmacked as husband tells colleagues shes a sex worker when shes not