Today, we bring you the tale of the Amityville Horror house before the fateful events of the Lutz family. We bring you the murder that started it all…

It was a quiet November evening in 1974 when the residents of a suburban neighborhood on Long Island were awoken by the sound of gunfire. The shots came from the home of Ronald DeFeo Jr., a 23-year-old man who lived with his family in a large, two-story house.

When police arrived on the scene, they found a grisly scene inside. DeFeo had murdered his entire family in their beds, shooting each of them with a .35 caliber rifle. The victims included his parents, Ronald Sr. and Louise, and his four younger siblings, Dawn, Allison, Marc, and John Matthew. All of them were found in their respective bedrooms, each with multiple gunshot wounds.

The investigation into the murders revealed that DeFeo had a troubled past. He had a history of drug abuse and had been involved in several altercations with his family. He also claimed to have heard voices in his head, telling him to commit the murders.

Despite this, DeFeo initially tried to cover up the crime, claiming that an intruder had broken into the house and killed his family. But the evidence against him was too strong, and he was eventually arrested and charged with six counts of second-degree murder.

At his trial, DeFeo claimed that he had been possessed by a demon at the time of the killings. He said that the demon had told him to kill his family and that he had no control over his actions. This defense was met with skepticism by the prosecution, who argued that DeFeo was simply trying to avoid responsibility for his actions.

In the end, DeFeo was found guilty on all six counts of murder and was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences. He has been incarcerated ever since, serving his time at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York.

The case of Ronald DeFeo Jr. and the murder of his family remains one of the most shocking and bizarre in the history of Long Island. It has inspired numerous books, movies, and TV shows, including the bestselling novel “The Amityville Horror,” which tells the story of the Lutz family, who moved into the DeFeo house after the murders and experienced strange and terrifying occurrences that they believed were caused by the spirits of the deceased.

To this day, the case of Ronald DeFeo Jr. continues to haunt and fascinate people, a reminder of the darkness that can lurk within even the most ordinary of lives.