(1951-)

Who Is Ronald DeFeo?

Despite having a comfortable childhood in Amityville, New York, Ronald DeFeo grew up emotionally troubled. In 1974, he murdered his entire family as they slept. The murders were popularized in several novels and films, including The Amityville Horror: A True Story.

Troubled Youth

Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. was born on September 26, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York. DeFeo was the oldest of five children born to Ronald, a successful car salesman, and Louise DeFeo. Ronald Sr. worked at his father-in-law’s Brooklyn Buick dealership and provided the family with a comfortable, upper-middle-class lifestyle. But he also served as a domineering authority figure and engaged in hot-tempered fights with his wife and children. The most frequent target of abuse was their eldest child, Butch, of whom much was expected. It only got worse at school, where the overweight and brooding boy was the victim of relentless taunting from his classmates.

As DeFeo matured, he began lashing out physically against his father, as well as his few friends. His concerned family took him to a psychiatrist, but the visits didn’t sit well with DeFeo, who denied that he needed help. The trips to the doctor stopped, and in their place, the DeFeos used the incentive of cash and presents—including a $14,000 speedboat—in the hopes that the gifts would placate their troubled son. But the new tactic only made the problems worse; by the age of 17, DeFeo had become an LSD and heroin user and was expelled from school for his violent outbursts.

In spite of his academic setbacks, the DeFeos continued to reward their son. At the age of 18, DeFeo received a prized position at his grandfather’s car dealership, with little to no expectations. He also earned a weekly stipend from his father, regardless of his attendance or job performance at work. DeFeo funneled this salary into his new car—another present from his parents—as well as guns, alcohol and drugs.

Conflicts With His Father

DeFeo’s strange behavior seemed only to increase with time. He threatened a friend with a rifle during a hunting trip then, later that day, acted as if nothing happened. He also attempted to shoot his father with a 12-gauge shotgun during a fight between his parents. DeFeo pulled the trigger at point-blank range, but the gun malfunctioned. His surprised father ended the argument but was left stunned by the confrontation. The incident foreshadowed the more violent events to come.

In 1974, DeFeo, feeling irritated by what he believed a meager salary, plotted methods for embezzling money from the car dealership. In late October, the dealership entrusted him with the responsibility of depositing more than $20,000 to the bank. DeFeo planned a mock robbery with a friend, agreeing to split the money evenly with his accomplice. The plan went off without a hitch until police came to the dealership to question him. Instead of calmly answering the officers’ questions, DeFeo exploded into rage. When police, suspicious that DeFeo was lying, asked him to come into the station to check out mug shots of possible suspects, he refused to comply. Ronald Sr. began to suspect that his son had committed the robbery. But when he questioned his son about his lack of cooperation with police, DeFeo threatened to kill his father.

Murder of the DeFeo Family

In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, DeFeo acted on his threat. Using a .35-caliber Marlin rifle from his secret gun stash, he entered his parents’ bedroom and shot them both while they slept. He then entered his brothers’ bedroom, shooting them both in their beds. He ended by shooting his sisters, point-blank, in their bedrooms. All the murders took place within 15 minutes. DeFeo then showered, dressed for work and collected his bloody clothing and the murder weapon in a pillowcase. He dumped the evidence in a storm drain on the way to work at the dealership at 6 a.m.

Upon arriving at work, DeFeo called home, pretending not to know why his father hadn’t shown up for work. Saying he was bored around noon, he left work and spent the day with friends. He attempted to secure an alibi by telling each of the people he visited that he couldn’t seem to reach anyone at home. At 6 p.m., he called a friend in mock surprise, saying that someone had broken into the house and shot his family.

Investigation

Friends came to the home and contacted authorities. When a Suffolk County detective questioned DeFeo about who could be a suspect in these murders, he told them he believed mafia hitman Louis Falini may have been responsible. DeFeo cited an old grudge between the made man and the family over some work DeFeo did for him at the dealership. He then told police he had been up late watching TV and, unable to sleep, left for work early. He said he believed his family was alive when he left for work, then told them of his whereabouts for the rest of that day. Police placed DeFeo in protective custody as they searched for a suspect.

After police more carefully searched the family’s house, however, DeFeo’s testimony began to crumble. Finding an empty box for a recently purchased .35-caliber Marlin gun in DeFeo’s room gave authorities pause. As the timeline came together, it seemed more realistic that the murders had happened early in the morning—the family had all still been wearing their pajamas, so it couldn’t have happened earlier in the day—placing DeFeo at home at the time of the homicides.

When authorities questioned DeFeo about the new evidence, he began changing his story. He said that Falini had appeared at the house early that morning, and put a revolver to DeFeo’s head. He then said Falini and an accomplice dragged him from room to room as they murdered his family. As the story unraveled, police extracted a confession from DeFeo. He finally broke down. “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop,” he said. “It went so fast.”

Trial and Imprisonment

DeFeo’s trial began on October 14, 1975, nearly a year from the date of the murders. DeFeo’s defense attorney, William Weber, attempted an insanity plea for him, and the murder suspect told jurors that he heard voices that told him to kill his family. The psychiatrist for the defense, Dr. Daniel Schwartz, supported the claim, saying that DeFeo was neurotic and suffered from dissociative disorder. But the psychiatrist for the prosecution, Dr. Harold Zolan, proved that DeFeo suffered from antisocial personality disorder. The illness made him the defendant aware of his actions but motivated by a self-centered attitude.

Jurors agreed with the assessment, and on November 21, 1975, they found DeFeo guilty on six counts of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences, and sent to Green Haven Correctional Facility in Beekman, New York. His appeals to the parole board have all been turned down.

After his imprisonment, several novels and films appeared about the slayings. The first of them, entitled The Amityville Horror: A True Story, was published in September 1977. The account followed the Lutz family, who lived in the DeFeo house after the murders. The story detailed the allegedly true stories of poltergeists that terrorized the Lutz family. A movie based on the book, called The Amityville Horror was released to popular appeal in 1979. Subsequent remakes and sequels to this film include the 2005 film remake produced by Michael Bay and a factual account of the DeFeo tragedy in the book Mentally Ill In Amityville (2008) by Will Savive.

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Ronald DeFeo
• Birth Year: 1951
• Birth date: September 26, 1951
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Brooklyn
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: In 1974, Ronald DeFeo killed his entire family, including his parents, brothers and sisters, while they were sleeping in their beds. The murders inspired the film ‘The Amityville Horror.’
• Industries
• Crime and Terrorism
• Astrological Sign: Libra

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Ronald DeFeo Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/crime/ronald-defeo
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 16, 2019
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014