The 5 Most Shocking Facts About Ronald DeFeo Jr. And The Amityville Horror's Lasting Legacy

The name Ronald DeFeo Jr. remains synonymous with one of the most chilling and commercially successful true crime stories in American history: The Amityville Horror. As of December 2025, the most significant and conclusive update to the DeFeo saga is his death in prison on March 12, 2021, at the age of 69, bringing a definitive end to the life of the man who murdered his entire family in 1974. This latest development refocuses attention on the brutal reality of the crime that launched a global paranormal franchise, raising fresh questions about his true motive and the fate of the infamous house at 112 Ocean Avenue.

For decades, the convicted mass murderer, often referred to as "Butch," maintained conflicting stories about the events of that fateful night, oscillating between a sole perpetrator driven by "The Voices" and claims of a conspiracy involving his sister, Dawn DeFeo. His death while incarcerated at the Sullivan Correctional Facility solidifies the factual basis of the Amityville story, separating the crime from the decades of alleged hauntings that followed. The true, non-paranormal horror of the DeFeo family's final night is a story of violence, substance abuse, and a broken Long Island family.

The Brutal Legacy of Ronald DeFeo Jr.: A Complete Biography and Profile

Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. was the eldest child in the DeFeo family, a seemingly typical working-class family residing in the affluent suburban community of Amityville, New York. His life, however, was marked by deep-seated familial conflict and substance abuse long before the murders that made him infamous.

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• Full Name: Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (Known as "Butch")
• Born: September 26, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York
• Parents: Ronald DeFeo Sr. (43) and Louise DeFeo (43)
• Siblings (Victims): Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John (9)
• Residence: 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York (The "High Hopes" house)
• Crime Date: November 13, 1974
• Weapon: Marlin .35 caliber lever-action rifle
• Conviction: Six counts of Second-Degree Murder (November 21, 1975)
• Sentence: Six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life
• Death: March 12, 2021, at Albany Medical Center (Transferred from Sullivan Correctional Facility)
• Cause of Death: Not publicly disclosed, citing privacy laws.

DeFeo Jr.'s youth was troubled. He had a tumultuous relationship with his demanding father, Ronald Sr., and was known for his heavy use of drugs, including heroin, LSD, and speed. This volatile home environment set the stage for the tragedy that would unfold in the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, forever cementing the name Amityville in the lexicon of American horror.

The Amityville Murders: A Timeline of Unspeakable Horror

The crime scene at 112 Ocean Avenue was one of profound and unsettling brutality. All six victims—parents and four siblings—were found face down in their beds, having been shot at close range with the .35 Marlin rifle. What baffled investigators was the fact that none of the victims appeared to have woken up or struggled, despite the loud noise of the rifle, leading to early speculation of a tranquilizer or drug being used, though this was never proven.

The Conflicting Motives: From 'The Voices' to Conspiracy

When Ronald DeFeo Jr. initially confessed to the Suffolk County Police, he claimed that "The Voices" in the house told him to commit the murders. This defense, pushed by his defense attorney William Weber, was the primary strategy during his trial in 1975. The narrative was designed to support an insanity plea, suggesting DeFeo was not criminally responsible for his actions due to mental illness and drug-induced psychosis.

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However, over the decades, DeFeo changed his story numerous times, a pattern that frustrated investigators and fueled the media frenzy:

• The Insanity Defense: "The Voices" from the house drove him to kill. This narrative directly contributed to the later paranormal claims made by the Lutz family and the success of the book, *The Amityville Horror* by Jay Anson.
• The Dawn Theory: In later years, DeFeo claimed that his sister, Dawn DeFeo, was the initial killer and that he only finished the job in self-defense or out of fear. This claim has been widely dismissed by law enforcement and forensic experts.
• The Conspiracy Theory: DeFeo also suggested a conspiracy involving a third party, a hitman, or other individuals, often tying back to his father's alleged connections or the family's financial troubles.

Despite the various accounts, the jury ultimately rejected the insanity defense, finding him guilty of six counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to six concurrent life terms, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life in the New York State penal system, primarily at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg.

The Amityville House Today: A Normal Life After the Horror

Just 13 months after the DeFeo murders, the house at 112 Ocean Avenue was purchased by George and Kathleen Lutz at a drastically reduced price. The Lutzes famously fled the home after only 28 days, claiming to have experienced terrifying paranormal phenomena, which became the basis for the best-selling book and film franchise, *The Amityville Horror*.

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However, the current status of the house, nearly 50 years after the crime, tells a different story—one of normalcy and quiet suburban life.

The Disappearance of the 'Demon House'

The house, a Dutch Colonial structure, still stands in Amityville, but its identity has been deliberately obscured to deter tourists and macabre sightseers. The most significant changes include:

• Address Change: The official address has been changed multiple times, moving from the famous 112 Ocean Avenue to a different number, such as 108 Ocean Avenue, to protect the privacy of the residents.
• Architectural Renovation: The iconic, quarter-round "eye" windows, which gave the house its menacing appearance in the films, have been removed or significantly altered by subsequent owners to make the home look less recognizable and more in line with the surrounding neighborhood.
• Ownership Stability: The house has changed hands several times since the Lutzes fled. It was last sold in February 2017 for $605,000. Crucially, none of the owners who have lived in the house since the Lutzes have reported any paranormal activity, a fact that strongly suggests the "horror" element was either fabricated or highly exaggerated for commercial purposes.

The current residents of the house are normal citizens living a private life, a stark contrast to the sensationalized media image. The real-life horror of the Amityville case rests not in the supernatural, but in the brutal, tragic reality of the DeFeo family's final night, a crime that ended with Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s own death in a prison hospital in 2021.

The Final Chapter: DeFeo's Death and the Lingering Questions

Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s death in 2021 closed the final legal chapter on the Amityville murders. While he was hospitalized at Albany Medical Center, the official cause of his death was never publicly released, adding a final, quiet layer of mystery to a life defined by violence and conflicting narratives.

His passing ensures that no further parole hearings will be held and, more importantly, that no definitive, final confession will ever be given. The true, unvarnished motive for the massacre—whether it was purely the result of drug abuse, a deep-seated mental illness, or a combination of both—died with him. The Amityville Horror may continue to thrive as a fictional franchise, but the real story remains a profound tragedy rooted in the facts of the DeFeo family's murder on November 13, 1974.