Although there have been other claims of the supernatural occurring at the Amityville house, there are former residents of the house who claim nothing of the sort happened to them. DeFeo was serving a sentence of 25 years to life in the 1974 killings in Amityville, on suburban Long Island. DeFeo was 69 years old at the time of his death and it's possible that he died of natural causes or some underlying health condition that wasn't public knowledge. DeFeo gunned down his family using a .35-caliber Marlin lever-action rifle, inside their home on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, on November 13, 1974. appreciated. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. He was 69. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Learn More Here, From the Cecil Hotel to The Stanley Hotel, These Are the Most Haunted Hotels in America. Ronald DeFeo Jr was convicted of murdering his parents Louise and Ronald DeFeo Sr and his four siblings Dawn, Allison, Marc and John. On December 4, Judge Thomas Stark handed down six sentences of 25 years to life. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Ronald DeFeo Changes His Story Over the years, DeFeo changed his story many times. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The cause of death will be determined by the Albany County Medical Examiner's Office, the spokeswoman said. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Market data provided by Factset. In that regard, it could be all about the power of perception. However, DeFeo's immediate loved ones aren't known and his cause of death is still a mystery to many. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Ronald DeFeo, 69, died Friday at Albany Medical Center, where he was taken Feb. 2 from a prison in New York's Catskill Mountains, the state Department of Corrections and Community Services said. Ron DeFeo, has died in prison. 2023 FOX Television Stations, slaughtering his parents and four siblings, Frederick, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of US-15, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, Study: NFL players who experience concussions may exhibit cognitive failure later in life. DeFeo, who went by the nickname Butch, was eligible for a parole hearing in July. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Officials did not disclose the reason DeFeo was hospitalized to PEOPLE, citing privacy laws. So what was his cause of death? Your email address will not be published. Maybe Butch deserved to die the way he did or maybe he was tortured in that house. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. One year after the murders, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house. Early in the police investigation, DeFeo lied to authorities stating he believed the murders were mob-related. Four people were found shot to death on Nov. 14, 1974, inside this home in Amityville, New York. Search above to list available cemeteries. Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA. When I saw it; Derek said the sister killed them. Born to Ronald and Louise DeFeo, his father was a successful automobile salesman for his family's Brooklyn dealership. Ronald DeFeo, 69, died Friday at Albany Medical Center, where he was taken Feb. 2 from a prison in New York's Catskill Mountains, the state Department of Corrections and Community Services. His initial trial defense was that he had heard his familys voices against him. Please enter your email and password to sign in. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224476445/ronald-defeo. Prison officials released the news to the public but did not reveal why he had been at the hospital in the first place or what his cause of death was. Over the course of time DeFeo has changed his version of the story multiple times. based on information from your browser. The creepy events served as the inspiration for the 1977 book The Amityville Horror and, two years later, the cult classic film The Amityville Horror, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. He was 69. The killer's last victim was the family's youngest child, John DeFeo, 9. Take an exclusive look at the name and renderings for a potential casino, resort and entertainment venue on Coney Island. Ronald Jr mom Louise DeFeo, 43, was the second victim who was shot in the back twice. . 'The Staircase' : Where Is Michael Peterson Now? DeFeo, 69, died March 12, 2021, while receiving. Offers may be subject to change without notice. The corrections department said it couldn't disclose why DeFeo was hospitalized, citing health privacy laws. Learn more about merges. My Simpathy for all. It is believed the 13-year-old girl was awake at the time of her death when she received a bullet in her head. We've received your submission. Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. Download for FREE! ", "The whole story was made up," O'Neill said. 2 min read Ronald DeFeo Jr., the Long Island man serving a life sentence for slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a 1974 crime that would inspire The. ALBANY, N.Y. - The man convicted of slaughtering his parents and four siblings in a home that later inspired the "The Amityville Horror" book and movies has died, prison officials said Monday. His cause of death was not released. Some people outside of the case presumed this to mean that he had heard voices in his head due to the family home being haunted. The home was listed as recently as 2016 for $850,000. A system error has occurred. The convicted murderer was transferred to Albany Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. An autopsy by the Albany County Medical Examiners Office will determine an official cause of death. Verify and try again. The New York man convicted of gruesomely killing his siblings and parents in 1974 and subsequently inspiring the Amityville Horror franchise has died. DeFeo whose murderous spree served as the inspiration behind the The Amityville Horror book and movie franchise died Friday while serving a 25-years-to-life sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York, according to the state Department of Corrections. Why Felicity Hoffman Sentenced to Only 14 Days in Prison? (Bettmann via Getty Images). Try again. DeFeo died Friday at Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, where he was serving six 25 years to life sentences. So I understand that part of it. The scene of six grisly murders went on to inspire the Amityville Horror books and movies. I found on Findagrave.com. DeFeo was serving a sentence of 25 years to life for shooting and killing his parents and four siblings as they slept in their beds, the he New York state Department of Corrections and Community Services told PEOPLE. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. It wasn't clear why DeFeo, who was serving his sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility, was hospitalized, and a cause of death was still being determined by the medical examiner's office in Albany County, officials said. American Criminal. ). His cause of death was not immediately available, but it will be determined and released by the Albany County Medical Examiners Office and is at that offices discretion whether the results will be made publicly available, the spokesperson said. The cause of his death wasn't immediately known. All six victims were later buried in St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale. DeFeo had claimed as much during his defense, but he was found guilty of murder and was serving out six sentences of 25 years to life in prison when he died. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Ronald DeFeo Jr. On Nov. 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr., the oldest of five children in the DeFeo family, alerted police that his parents and four siblings had been killed in a bloody rampage. Ronald DeFeo, Jr., pictured here being escorted by detectives in Suffolk County. Dr Hilary says Sarah Everard vigils are 'Covid superspreading events however strong people feel'. Because of DeFeo's claims, however, many have believed that the Amityville house is haunted and that it can control its inhabitants. Over the years in interviews, DeFeo stated several unsubstantiated explanations of what happened including blaming his sister Dawn for killing their siblings and attempting to kill him, which resulted in DeFeo killing her in self-defense. According a 1974 report in The New York Times, the DeFeos were considered, in the words of one neighbor, "a nice, normal family." People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much DeFeo whose murderous spree served as the inspiration behind the "The Amityville Horror" book and movie franchise died Friday while serving a 25-years-to-life sentence at Sullivan. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. After confessing to the murders, he was convicted in November 1975 and the following month he was sentenced to six sentences of 25-years-to-life by Judge Thomas Stark. Make sure that the file is a photo. More articles: Former NWA & WWE Star Don Kernodles Cause of Death at 71. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. He was a PI on the case. The home became the basis of a horror-movie classic after another family briefly lived there about a year after the killings and claimed the house was haunted. So what do you think about it? 2. Ray Liuzza, a 34-year-old businessman, was recently promoted to Vice President of a hotel. He was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder on November 21, 1975.