In the early morning hours of November 13, 1974, a horrific event unfolded within the walls of a large Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, New York, forever etching its address, 112 Ocean Avenue, into the annals of true crime history. Among the victims of the tragedy that transpired was Marc Gregory DeFeo, a 12-year-old boy. Born on September 4, 1962, Marc was the fourth of five children in the DeFeo family.
At the time of his death, he was still a young boy, his life abruptly and brutally cut short.
The quiet, affluent community of Amityville was shaken to its core by the discovery of the six deceased members of the DeFeo family, all found shot in their beds. The victims included Marc's parents, Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43, and Louise DeFeo, 43, and his siblings Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, and John, 9. The sole survivor, and indeed the perpetrator of this familicide, was the eldest son, Ronald DeFeo Jr., then 23 years old. He would later be arrested and charged with six counts of second-degree murder.
The investigation revealed that Ronald Jr., known as 'Butch,' had used a. 35-caliber Marlin rifle to systematically kill his entire family. The motive for the killings has been a subject of debate and speculation over the years, with theories ranging from a heated family dispute to claims of demonic possession, the latter of which would form the basis for the infamous 'Amityville Horror' book and films. However, the legal proceedings focused on more earthly explanations.
During his trial, Ronald DeFeo Jr.'s defense team argued that he was insane, claiming that he heard voices telling him to commit the murders. The prosecution, however, contended that he was a cold-blooded killer motivated by a desire to collect on his parents' life insurance policies. After a lengthy trial, the jury rejected the insanity plea and found Ronald DeFeo Jr. guilty on all six counts of murder on November 21, 1975. He was subsequently sentenced to six concurrent sentences of 25 years to life in prison. He remained incarcerated until his death in March 2021. Throughout his years in prison, DeFeo's story changed multiple times, at various points implicating his sister Dawn in the killings, but his conviction as the sole perpetrator stood.
