Ronald DeFeo’s gruesome 1974 killing of his mother, father and four siblings in their home in Amityville, New York. His gruesome murder inspired the cult movie classic, The Amityville Horror.
DeFeo was serving six consecutive sentences of 25 years to life in prison when he died at Albany Medical Center. Prison officials transferred DeFeo to the hospital from Sullivan Correctional Facility where he was serving his sentence.
He was 69-years-old. His victims never got to live the long life he did. His father Ronald and his mother Louise were both just 43 when he murdered them. His sister Dawn was 18, his sister Allison was 13, brother Marc was 12 and John Matthew was just 9-year-old. DeFeo was 23-years-old when he murdered them.
After George and Kathy Lutz bought the home, and inspired books about the house being possessed by evil spirits.
In 1977, Jay Anson published “The Amityville Horror: A True Story”. Two years later, The Amityville Horror movie debuted in theaters across America and grossed a staggering $86,000,000 as one of the most successful independent movies of the era.
The movie was filmed at a house located near the waterfront in Toms River, New Jersey. Several local residents played extras in the film. The home became a local tourist attraction for many years. Parts of the movie were also filmed at St. Peter’s Church in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.