#4

The Amityville Horror House

112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY

Our story begins in the small town of Amityville, located in Long Island, New York. The year is 1974. The DeFeo family lives a typical, suburban life in their lovely family home. Little do they know, everything is about to change.

DeFeo Family Members:

Ronald DeFeo Sr., age 44.

Louise DeFeo, age 42.

Ronald DeFeo Jr., age 23.

Dawn DeFeo, age 18.

Allison DeFeo, age 13.

Marc DeFeo, age 12.

John Matthew DeFeo, age 9.

Shaggy (sheepdog)

Around 10:30 pm on November 13, 1974, Ronald Jr. enters a local bar and tells patrons that he believes that his parents have been shot. A small group heads over to the family home, along with Ronald Jr.--who I'm just going to call Ron from now to differentiate between father and son. The group discovers upon entering the home that Mr. and Mrs. DeFeo have indeed been shot and are dead. It was soon discovered that the rest of the family had also been murdered. All of the family members had been shot by a .35 caliber rifle sometime around 3 am that morning. Mr. and Mrs. DeFeo had each been shot twice and the children had been shot only once. All of the victims were found laying face down in their beds.

Ron had a theory about what had happened to his family--it was clearly an attack by the mob. Police took him into protective custody because of this claim and began questioning him about why/how something this horrific could have happened. Ron couldn't maintain his brilliant theory and there were soon holes in his story wider than a skyscraper. Ron eventually confessed and provided police with details as to where he had discarded the weapon, his blood-stained clothes, etc.

Ron's trial began on October 14, 1975. Ron plead insanity; he stated that he heard his family's voices plotting against him so he killed them in self-defense. A psychiatrist for the defense agreed with this insanity plea. A psychiatrist for the prosecution stated that Ron had abused LSD and heroin BUT that Ron had antisocial personality disorder and was aware of his actions during the murder.

On November 21, 1975, Ronald DeFeo Jr. was convicted of six counts of second degree murder. He was sentenced to six consecutive sentences of 25 years to life. As of 2018, he remains incarcerated and all of his appeals have been denied. His motive for the murders remains a mystery. There are several theories that have emerged that hypothesize that Ron did not act alone; some believe that he had a friend assist him while others even say that Dawn DeFeo was the second murderer and Ron had to kill her in the end. We may never find out what really happened.

The Defeo Children

source: amityvillemurders.com

But this is just the beginning of the story.

After the DeFeo murders, the home remained empty for 13 months. In December 1975, the Lutz family purchases the home for the low, low price of $80,000 (which should have been a sign but alas) and moves in. The home is a 5 bedroom home and has a lovely swimming pool. It is located on a waterway and has it's own boathouse. All in all, it's a great home...except for the whole murder thing. George and Kathleen Lutz were newlyweds & Kathy had 3 children from a previous marriage.

Lutz Family Members:

George Lutz

Kathleen Lutz

Daniel, age 9.

Christopher, age 7.

Melissa, age 5.

Harry (Malamute/Labrador) 

Lutz Family

source: amityvillefiles.com

Prior to moving into the home on December 18, 1975, the Lutzes were informed of the home's history and asked if it would be a problem. Kathy & George talked it over and eventually decided that it would be no issue at all. Not only was this not a problem, but they also bought the furniture that remained in the home in the purchase price. A family friend wasn't so chill about the home's history and recommended to the family that the home be blessed before move-in. Luckily, Kathy was Catholic so she knew of a priest who could bless the home for them. Father Mancuso arrived at the home on move-in day, bringing along his rites and holy water. Things went south quickly. When Father Mancuso began saying the first prayer and sprinkling the holy water, he heard a male voice say "get out." He keeps this incident to himself and finishes up. About a week later, Father Mancuso calls George Lutz and tells him to avoid the second floor bedroom where he heard the voice but the call is dropped due to static. This bedroom was being used as a sewing room by the Lutz family but was the bedroom of Marc & John Matthew DeFeo. Father Mancuso also reported having a high fever and burns on his hands after visiting the home. At this time, the Lutz family had not experienced anything weird and continued with their move-in.

Things get really weird from that point forward.


The family reports experiencing the following (creepy) things:

1. Cold spots in the home with no explainable source.
2. Scent of perfumes in the home with no explainable source.
3. A swarm of flies infested in the home in the dead of winter--not prime weather for flies.
4. A crucifix hung in the living room twisted upside down & had a foul smell.
5. George Lutz would wake every morning around 3:15 am and go check the boathouse. He later learned that this was the time that the DeFeo family was murdered.
6. Kathy would feel like she was being hugged but there would be no one there. She also had countless, vivid nightmares about the DeFeo murders. She was able to see the order in which the family was killed and where the murders occurred.
7. The children began sleeping on their stomachs...just like the DeFeo children.
8. While in bed one night, Kathy woke up to see that she had red welts on her chest and was levitating 2 feet above her bed.
9. Green slime oozed from the walls and doors.
10. George discovered a very small room in the basement that was not part of the home's blueprints. This room was painted red, thereafter being called "The Red Room." The family dog Harry refused to go anywhere near this room.
11. George and Kathy saw an image of a demon while they were tending to a fire. This demon had half of his head blown off. The image was burned into the soot on the back of the fireplace. 
12. Five year old Melissa Lutz developed a new imaginary friend named Jodie. Jodie was described as a demonic pig with glowing red eyes.
13. On Christmas Day 1975, George looked into an upstairs window while he was outside on one of his early morning trips to the boathouse. He saw Melissa standing at her window with Jodie, staring at him. When he went up to check on the child, he discovered that she was fast asleep in her bed but the rocking chair in the room was slowly rocking back & forth.
14. Doors, windows, and locks would all be damaged with no explainable source.
15. Giant cloven hoof prints were found outside of the home in the snow.
16. George witnessed Kathy turning into a 90 year old woman with "the hair wild a shocking white, the face a mass of wrinkles and ugly lines, and saliva dripping from the toothless mouth." (source: The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson)
17. Kathy went to close Melissa's window; Melissa told Kathy that Jodie had just climbed out of the window and when Kathy looked, she saw a glowing pair of red eyes.
18. Melissa would constantly sing in her room. When she would leave her room, she would stop singing. Upon re-entering her room, she would pick right back up where she left off in the song.
19. Windows could be heard opening and closing with no explainable source.
20. George would hear doors slamming and go investigate to find nothing amiss.
21. George would also hear what sounded like a marching band practicing in the home but the noise would cease when he would go investigate.

On January 8, 1976, just three weeks after moving in, Kathy and George decide that something is seriously wack with their new house. They decide to carry out a blessing on the home that day. George held a crucifix while reciting the Lord's Prayer. During this, George heard many voices saying "will you stop?!" This blessing did not stop the activity that the family was experiencing. Kathy and George performed one more blessing in the home but it too was unsuccessful.

On January 14, 1976, the Lutz family packed up their belongings and left in the middle of the night. When later asked why they decided to leave so suddenly, the family refused to answer and said what had happened was too scary to talk about.

On February 6, 1976, renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren visited the home to conduct an investigation as to the Lutzes claims. The Warrens captured evidence on film and stated that the Amityville Horror House was occupied by malevolent spirits.

This image captured by the Warrens clearly shows a small boy with glowing eyes at the top of the stairs. CREEPY AF.

Several books and movies have been produced about 112 Ocean Avenue. Due to the home's infamous past, the address has been changed and several cosmetic improvements have been done to prevent curious onlookers from recognizing it. The Town of Amityville refuses to acknowledge the history of the home and will not discuss any portion of the DeFeo or Lutz families in interviews.

Have fun trying to sleep tonight!