The 5 Most Shocking Facts About The True Story Of The Amityville Horror (Updated 2025)

The Amityville Horror remains one of the most commercially successful and terrifying ghost stories in modern history, yet the true events behind the 1977 book and subsequent film franchise are far more complex and disturbing than any movie script. This article, updated for late 2025, separates the established facts of a brutal mass murder from the sensational claims of a demonic haunting, revealing the true, unsettling nature of what happened at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York.

The narrative is split into two distinct, yet intertwined, chapters: the horrific DeFeo family massacre in 1974 and the subsequent, highly scrutinized, 28-day haunting experience reported by the Lutz family in 1975. The most significant recent update to the story is the 2021 death of the killer, Ronald DeFeo Jr., bringing a final, somber close to the murder chapter of the saga. Understanding the true story requires confronting both the verifiable crime and the controversial claims of the paranormal activity that followed.

The True Crime: Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s Biography and the 1974 Murders

The foundation of the entire Amityville legend is a verifiable, horrific crime that took place on November 13, 1974. Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr., the eldest son, murdered his entire family while they slept in their beds at 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial home in the quiet Long Island suburb.

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The DeFeo Family Victims

Ronald DeFeo Jr. used a Marlin .35-caliber rifle to systematically kill six members of his family. The fact that all victims were found in their beds, lying face down, with no signs of a struggle, remains one of the most chilling and inexplicable aspects of the case. The victims were:

• Ronald Joseph DeFeo Sr. (Father, 43)
• Louise DeFeo (Mother, 43)
• Dawn DeFeo (Sister, 18)
• Allison DeFeo (Sister, 13)
• Marc DeFeo (Brother, 12)
• John Matthew DeFeo (Brother, 9)

The Killer and His Fate

Ronald DeFeo Jr., known as "Butch," initially tried to claim the murders were the work of a mob hitman before confessing to the crime. At his trial, his defense attorney, William Weber, attempted an insanity plea, arguing that DeFeo Jr. was driven to kill by "voices" in the house. This claim of supernatural influence would later become a key element in the Lutz family’s story.

DeFeo Jr. was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 1975 and sentenced to six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life. He spent the remainder of his life in prison, dying in custody in March 2021 at the age of 69. His death closed the book on the man responsible for the initial tragedy, but did little to quell the legends surrounding the house itself.

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The 28 Days: The Lutz Family's Haunting Claims

Thirteen months after the murders, in December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz, along with Kathy's three children from a previous marriage (Daniel, Christopher, and Missy), purchased the house at a drastically reduced price. They knew about the murders but believed they could overcome the house's dark history.

Their residency lasted only 28 days. The family fled the home in January 1976, claiming they had been subjected to a terrifying, escalating series of paranormal events. Their story, recounted in Jay Anson's 1977 book, *The Amityville Horror: A True Story*, introduced the world to the legend.

Alleged Paranormal Events

The claims made by the Lutz family were sensational and included a wide range of frightening phenomena:

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• The Priest's Warning: A Catholic priest, Father Ray, who attempted to bless the house, allegedly heard a voice tell him to "Get out!" and suffered physical illness afterward.
• Mysterious Slime and Odors: Foul smells, black sludge oozing from walls, and green slime were reported.
• Physical Manifestations: George Lutz claimed to wake up every night at 3:15 a.m.—the approximate time of the DeFeo murders. Doors slamming, cold spots, and levitation were also reported.
• Demonic Pig Figure: The youngest daughter, Missy (later known as Melissa), allegedly befriended an invisible pig-like creature named "Jodie."
• The Red Room: The family claimed to discover a small, hidden "Red Room" in the basement, which their dog refused to go near.

The story gained massive traction, leading to the 1979 film and dozens of sequels, forever cementing the address 112 Ocean Avenue in the global consciousness as the ultimate haunted house.

The Ultimate Debunking: Hoax, Lies, and the Legal Angle

Despite the terrifying claims and the enduring popularity of the story, the Amityville haunting has been widely and authoritatively debunked over the decades. The true story is less about demons and more about a calculated collaboration between the Lutz family and a desperate lawyer.

The William Weber Confession

The most damning evidence against the Lutz family's claims came from William Weber, Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s defense attorney. Weber publicly stated that he and George and Kathy Lutz "created this horror story over many bottles of wine."

• Weber claimed the idea was to write a book to make money, which they would split.
• He confirmed that the "voices" DeFeo Jr. claimed to hear were a fabrication for the insanity defense, which was then recycled and elaborated upon for the haunting narrative.

While the Lutzes (particularly George Lutz, who maintained the story until his death) consistently denied the hoax claims, the evidence supporting a fabrication is substantial. Subsequent owners of the house have reported zero paranormal activity, and many of the specific events detailed in the book have been contradicted by investigators and neighbors.

The Warrens' Involvement

The famous paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, were called in to investigate the house shortly after the Lutzes fled. Their investigation, which included the famous photograph of a ghostly boy, helped to legitimize the story in the eyes of the public and in the subsequent films (including a nod in *The Conjuring 2*). However, even the Warrens' involvement is often viewed with skepticism by critics, who point out their history of sensationalizing cases like the Perron haunting and the Enfield Poltergeist.

Topical Authority Entities & Key Facts

To fully grasp the true story, one must distinguish between the verifiable facts and the sensationalized fiction. The following entities and facts are crucial to understanding the Amityville phenomenon:

Key Entities and Locations:

• 112 Ocean Avenue: The physical location of the murders and the alleged haunting.
• Long Island, New York: The geographic setting of the event.
• Jay Anson: The author of the 1977 book, who based his work on hours of interviews with the Lutz family.
• George and Kathy Lutz: The family who lived in the house for 28 days and whose claims launched the global horror franchise.
• Ronald DeFeo Jr.: The convicted mass murderer who died in prison in 2021.
• William Weber: DeFeo Jr.'s defense attorney who later claimed the haunting story was a hoax.
• Father Ray (Father Pecoraro): The priest who allegedly experienced a demonic warning, though he denied many of the details attributed to him in the book.
• The High Hopes: The original name of the Dutch Colonial house.
• The Amityville Horror (1979): The first and most iconic film adaptation.
• Ed and Lorraine Warren: Paranormal investigators who briefly examined the house.

Five Most Shocking Facts:

1. The Killer Died Recently: Ronald DeFeo Jr. died in March 2021, meaning the man responsible for the initial tragedy was alive and in prison for nearly 50 years after the crime.
2. The Hoax Confession is Public: DeFeo's lawyer, William Weber, openly admitted that he and the Lutzes fabricated the haunting story over drinks to secure a lucrative book deal.
3. The House Is Still a Private Residence: Despite the notoriety, the house is privately owned, has been renovated, and its iconic "eye" windows have been replaced to deter tourists.
4. The 3:15 AM Phenomenon: George Lutz’s claim of waking up at the exact time of the murders was a key detail in the book, yet it served to link the haunting directly to the DeFeo crime, a detail now widely regarded as part of the fabrication.
5. The Lutzes Never Filed a Lawsuit: Despite the severity of their alleged demonic torment, the Lutzes never sued the sellers or the real estate agent for knowingly selling them a "haunted" or "demonically possessed" house, which is highly unusual for a family claiming such trauma.

The true story of the Amityville Horror is ultimately a dual tragedy: the brutal, verifiable murder of six people, and the subsequent exploitation of that tragedy for fame and profit. While the DeFeo murders are a dark chapter in true crime history, the "horror" that followed—the demonic haunting—is generally accepted by investigators and skeptics as one of the most successful and enduring paranormal hoaxes of the 20th century, a chilling reminder of how easily fact can be obscured by sensational fiction.