USA - Amityville
===

[00:00:00] Warning. This episode contains details of supernatural occurrences. Listener discretion is advised.

The room was cold. Unnaturally cold. George Lutz could see his breath as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest. His fingers brushed the banister, but it felt wrong, sticky, as if something, maybe it oozed from the walls. He pulled his hand away, wiping it on his jeans, only to freeze at the sight before him.

In the dim light, his wife Kathy lay rigid on the bed. Her body suspended directly above the mattress, as if being held there by some unseen force. The children's screams echoed down the hallway. George couldn't move. He was rooted to the spot, terror pulsing through his veins. The horrors that had plagued this house a year before, the brutal massacre [00:01:00] of a family of six had seeped into its walls.

And now, the Lutzes, we're living it. In December 1975, George and Kathy Lutz were excited to move into their new home with their three children.

The Dutch Colonial House at 112 Ocean Avenue, ~Amityville.~ Amityville, Long Island was a steal at 80, 000. Built in 1925, it had five bedrooms, a boathouse, a swimming pool, and sat on a 10, 900 square foot lot. It seemed like the perfect place to raise their young family. However, the house had been on the market for quite some time.

Just a year earlier, a crime of unimaginable horror had unfolded within its walls. The real estate agent was obliged to disclose the brutal murders of the DeFeo family, but the Lutzes were undeterred. The house's charm and price were too good to pass up. George Lutz [00:02:00] reportedly said that it was easy to overlook the home's dark past.

On the day they moved in, they invited a priest to bless the house, but according to George, the priest experienced something unsettling. In the sewing room, the priest felt an invisible force slap him and heard a menacing voice command: "Get out..."

At first, they chalked it up to the quirks of a new house, the unfamiliar sounds and creaks typical of an old building. But it quickly became clear that something far more sinister was at play. Doors banged loudly, footsteps echoed through empty hallways, and the house seemed to have cold spots that no amount of heating could warm. The temperature would drop suddenly, creating an icy chill, particularly around the staircase. Foul odors, like feces and perfume, would inexplicably fill the air.

And then, things [00:03:00] took a more terrifying turn. Despite the cold of winter, swarms of flies began to gather in an upstairs room. Daniel Lutz, only 10 at the time, later recalled: "My job was to haul boxes inside. Then I went into the house's playroom to find about four or five hundred flies buzzing about. I stood there with a newspaper, smashing them on the walls, smashing them on the window.

I killed about a hundred in five minutes. Then I ran downstairs to tell mom and when I came back up, the dead flies had gone. Even the newspaper had gone." There was also slime. A strange, green, gelatinous substance that oozed down walls and through keyholes with no logical explanation.

Whatever was haunting the house, it soon began to affect the family. This was no friendly ghost. It was a malevolent force who wanted to frighten them out of their lives. Kathy Lutz [00:04:00] claimed that she was levitated out of bed on several occasions. And there were reports of furniture mysteriously moving across the floors.

Kathy also said she noticed strange physical changes, such as discovering red welts on her body and moments where her face briefly transformed to resemble an old woman.

George Lutz reportedly became obsessed with the fireplace, always feeling cold no matter how high he turned up the heat. He would also wake up every night, coincidentally at 3. 15am, and could not fall back asleep, enveloped in a feeling of horror and dread. The family dog Harry was constantly agitated and would paw at a specific area in the basement.

George became convinced there was something sinister in that part of the house. Then, an unsettling story came from the Lutz's youngest child, Missy, who reported that she had an imaginary friend, a pig like entity that she called Jody. According to [00:05:00] Missy, Jody had glowing red eyes and wolf-like teeth.

George and Kathy later claimed to have seen these glowing eyes outside of their home. The incidents became relentless. By January 14th, 1976, just 28 days after moving in, the Lutz family fled the house in terror, leaving most of their belongings behind. They described the final night as the most terrifying. George heard loud noises, like a marching band playing inside the house.

No one was there. He also claimed to hear the sound of his children's beds slamming up and down on the floor. But when he tried to intervene, he found himself unable to move, paralyzed by an unseen force.

Daniel Lutz reported the same incident: "My brother and myself shared a levitation experience in our beds. We both woke up and our headboards and foot boards were smashing each other and banging off the ceiling. Mom said, go pack a bag. We're going to grandma's. We're getting outta [00:06:00] here. I didn't know we were never coming back."

The Lutz's experience, immortalized in Jay Anson's book The Amityville Horror, was both chilling and ambiguous. After they left, paranormal experts visited the house and concluded that it was plagued by a demonic presence. One famous photograph taken during this investigation shows what appears to be the ghostly image of a young boy peeping out from a bedroom doorway.

Now infamously known as the ghost boy photo. But what was it that led to such intense paranormal activity? To answer that, we need to go back to the horrifying crime that took place. A year earlier.

In 1974, the DeFeo family were the occupants of 112 Ocean Avenue. The family had moved there from Brooklyn in the early 70s. Outwardly, the DeFeos were a typical family living in Long Island. Ronald Big Ronnie DeFeo Sr. worked as a [00:07:00] car salesman, and his wife Louise had reportedly dated Mel Tormei before she met Ronald.

She had given up a potential modeling career to focus on family life. There were even rumors that Louise's family had mafia connections, though Big Ronnie and Louise chose not to be a part of that world. Invariably, they were. Big Ronnie and Louise had five children. Ronald Jr., also called Butch, Don, Allison, Mark, and John Matthew.

They were well known in the community. And the children were popular at school. Except for the eldest. Butch. He was the black sheep of the family. Things only worsened as he grew older. As a teenager, Butch was overweight, and bullies at school called him Porkchop, the Blob, or Bucky Beaver.

18 year old Dawn had many friends and was desperate to leave the family home to live independently so she could spend more time with her boyfriend. But her parents [00:08:00] wouldn't allow it. Allison, 13, was intelligent and excelled at school and perhaps the only sibling who looked up to her older brother Butch.

Mark DeFeo, only a year younger than Allison, was a keen football player and exactly the kind of son his dad had always wanted. John Matthew was the youngest DeFeo child, and he loved spending time outdoors, swimming or boating with the family. With their Italian heritage, the DeFeos were a Catholic family, so devout, in fact, that they had a sign out front with the words, High Hopes, and a statue of St.

Joseph holding baby Jesus near the front door. Some people wondered how Ronnie could afford such a large and impressive home with the money he made as a car salesman. Apparently, It was Louisa's dad, Michael Bugante, Sr. Who helped them out financially. The Defeos house was a busy home, and there was always something happening. Neighborhood kids would often come around for pool parties, while adults stopped by for prayer [00:09:00] circles. But behind the seemingly perfect family facade, trouble brewed. Big Ronnie was known to be abusive, especially towards Butch. And Butch seemed to have inherited his father's rageful tendencies. As he grew older, the tension between father and son grew worse. Friends and relatives recounted disturbing incidents of violence, such as Big Ronnie throwing his son across a room during a fit of rage.

According to investigative journalist Ric Osuna, author of 'The Night the Defeos died', Ron Sr. Was quite abusive to the children, especially Butch.

Ron Sr. would go on an abusing spree and then go pray in front of the St. Joseph statue for forgiveness. Neighbors didn't want to get involved because Ron Sr. bragged about having mob connections. At 23, Butch was troubled, volatile, and heavily into drugs. His relationship with his father was fraught with tension.

While Butch received [00:10:00] financial support from his parents, money, a speedboat, whatever he asked for, their relationship remained toxic. Butch's lifestyle revolved around heavy drug and alcohol use. He often brought bar patrons home after hours to continue partying, much to his parents dismay, given the young children in the house. Dawn's friend, Paula Uburu, offered a telling description of Butch to A& E True Crime.

He was always lurking around, and he seemed like a creepy guy. He kinda looked like Charles Manson.

Still, the Defeos maintained the appearance of a close-knit religious family to their neighbors, friends and family.

However, the violence and resentment sied beneath the surface of their seemingly picture perfect lives. Then one night, it all came to a deadly head. On the evening of November 12th, 1974, the DeFeo home felt eerily silent. The [00:11:00] next day at 6. 30pm, Butch walked into a nearby bar called Henry's, telling friends in a panic that someone had shot his parents.

They rushed to his home and found the gruesome truth. Suffolk County Police arrived at the scene on 112 Ocean Avenue to find a massacre. All six members of the DeFeo family had been shot dead as they slept in their beds. Big Ronnie, Louise, 18 year old Dawn, 13 year old Allison, 12 year old Mark and John Matthew, only 9 years old.

All of the victims were found lying face down, hands raised as if in prayer. Because there were no signs of struggle, investigators speculated that they may have been drugged or unaware of what was happening. Butch DeFeo told police that he was unable to reach his family on the home phone all day. When he arrived home from work, he discovered the scene.

At first, Butch claimed the murders were the work of a mob hitman, Louis Fellini, [00:12:00] Seeing as he had a grudge against the family, this story quickly fell apart. Within hours, Ronald DeFeo Jr. confessed to the killings. His explanation? Voices in the house had compelled him to murder his family. Explaining this, Butch made an ice cold comment:

"Once I started, I just couldn't stop." He later claimed he'd been hearing voices for some time, dark whispers in his head that had finally pushed him to commit the unthinkable. Investigators and psychiatrists speculated about his mental state. Butch had a history of drug abuse, using substances like LSD and heroin, which may have further warped his already fragile mind.

From witness accounts, investigators were able to paint a broader picture of the relationship between Butch and his dad. In the weeks leading up to the murders, tension between the two men had reached a critical point. Butch, dissatisfied with the money his father gave him, hatched a plan to steal [00:13:00] more.

Two weeks before the killings, he was sent on an errand by the Buick dealership where he worked, tasked with depositing 1, 800 in cash and 20, 000 in checks. Instead, he conspired with a friend in the stage of robbery, splitting the money between them. Butch and a co worker left for the bank around 12:30, returning two hours later with a story about being held at gunpoint while stopped at a red light.

Big Ronnie was furious when he heard the tale, exploding in anger at the dealership and blaming the staff for trusting his son with such a task. The police were called, but as soon as they began questioning Butch, his demeanor changed. Instead of cooperating, he grew tense and hostile, especially when they pressed him on the two hour gap.

His anger boiled over and he lashed out, cursing at the officers and slamming his fists on a car in frustration. While the police let the matter drop for a moment, Big Ronnie was convinced his son had staged the [00:14:00] robbery. A few days later, on the Friday before the murders, Butch was asked to review mug shots to potentially identify the supposed thief. He agreed at first, but refused to follow through. When his dad found out, he confronted Butch at the dealership, demanding an explanation. "You got the devil on your back," he shouted.

Butch's response was chilling: "You fat prick, I'll kill you!" He stormed off. But the final confrontation between father and son was just days away. During police interviews after the murders, Butch explained that tensions within the house had reached a boiling point on the evening of November 12th. Big Ronnie had one of his all too familiar tirades and shouted at everyone.

Fed up with years of abuse and spurred on by the voices from the house. Butch decided it was time to act. He took a 35 caliber Marlin rifle and walked through his home, killing each member of his [00:15:00] family as they slept. His parents were shot first, followed by his siblings, one by one. After the murders, Butch disposed of the evidence, including bloody clothes and the murder weapon in a canal behind the house.

Then he had a shower, got dressed, and headed to work. Throughout the day, he made phone calls to his home, pretending to be concerned about why his father had not shown up for work. Butch went about his day, visiting his girlfriend and then some friends as though nothing had happened.

As the investigation progressed, the autopsy results revealed some interesting information. Firstly, it was confirmed that each victim had been killed by a 35 caliber Marlin rifle. There were no signs of struggle, and the victims appeared to have been shot while they were asleep. Each victim was killed with a single gunshot, except for Louise de Feo, who was shot twice.

The exact placement of the gunshots varied, but the fatal wounds were all to the upper body or head. [00:16:00] All the victims were found lying face down. Which was unusual, as there were no clear signs of how they could have ended up in that position without resisting, or reacting, to the sounds of gunfire.

Despite some early speculation, the autopsies revealed that none of the family members had been sedated or drugged prior to being killed. This raised questions about how none of the family members woke up during the shootings, especially given the loud noise of the rifle being used.

There was some debate over the presence of unburnt gunpowder found on the nightgown of Dawn DeFeo, the oldest daughter. This led to theories that she might have been involved in the shootings, or had fired a gun herself. But ballistics experts testified that the residue was more consistent with proximity to the muzzle blast, not with her firing a weapon.

In the end, everything pointed at Butch, who had already confessed to the murders. His trial began in October 1975. His defense attorney, William Weber, [00:17:00] attempted to argue insanity, suggesting that the voices Butch heard were a result of mental illness exacerbated by his drug use. The prosecution, however, countered this by pointing out that Butch was aware of his actions as evidenced by his attempts to cover up the crime.

In November 1975, Butch was found guilty of six counts of second degree murder and sentenced to six consecutive life terms. Justice Thomas Stark called the crimes 'the most heinous and abhorrent' he had ever seen. Over the years, Butch DeFeo continued to alter his version of events. At one point, he even implicated his mother. But mostly his story centered around Dawn's involvement, claiming she had committed the murders, which caused him to turn the gun on her in a rage after she killed their siblings.

Despite these shifting narratives, the evidence against them remained overwhelming. However, his motive has never been confirmed. Some believe it was purely out of [00:18:00] hatred for his father and jealousy of his siblings. Others theorize that greed may have been a factor, as he assumed he would inherit his parents estate.

One of the most baffling elements of the crime was how little commotion it caused. The 35 caliber Marlin rifle Butch used in the commission of the murders , is powerful enough for medium to large game hunting. Its gunshot is very loud, typically around 160 decibels, which could harm hearing if protection is not used.

No one seemed to react to the gunshots. Despite the noise, none of the family members seem to have awakened, attempted to hide, or tried to escape. Equally puzzling is that no neighbors reported hearing any suspicious sounds during the incident.

Mind repetition and editing,

Ric Osuna interviewed Butch DeFeo in prison while researching his book. [00:19:00] After talking to Butch and securing court transcripts and other evidence, Osuna reckons it is not implausible that Dawn was involved.

And possibly, one or two more accomplices, as Butch's versions explained how he, together with some friends, wanted to stage the crime scene to look like a botched burglary.

Ryan Katzenbach, who has made multiple documentaries about the Amityville affair, agrees. His team recovered a handgun from the same canal where Butch's rifle was found. When police first processed the crime scene, they found a holster for a handgun, but it was empty. Katzenbach believes Dawn was equally frustrated with her father's violent behavior and stoked the fires with Butch to end it all.

However, she probably did not realize that she would end up dead too. In one version of events, Butch claimed that Big Ronnie's tirade on the evening of November 12th was off the charts. When things had calmed down, Butch, his sister Dawn, and two friends went downstairs [00:20:00] to the basement to get high, escape the tense vibe in the house.

Frustrated by her father's control and long standing abuse, Dawn proposed killing their parents. Butch said no at first, but eventually agreed, after hours of substance abuse. In the early hours of November 13th. Armed with a 35 Marlin rifle, Butch, Dawn, and a friend ascended to the second floor bedroom to execute their plan.

The attack was swift and brutal, ending with both parents fatally shot. Dawn, seeking to eliminate any witnesses, then turned the gun on her younger siblings. Contrary to the original plan of taking them to safety, Butch claimed he was not present during these killings, having chased their friend who had run off in horror.

The final terror unfolded is Dawn callously murdered Mark and John, found face down, then Allison, shot as she looked up from her bed. Shocked about the murders Dawn had committed, [00:21:00] Butch confronted her and then fatally shot her, concluding the tragic sequence of events. Butch wrote a letter to Asuna in which he said it was cold blooded murder, period.

No ghosts, no demons, just three people in which I was one. Don's high school friend, Paula, does not believe Don would have been a part of a murder plot. She feels that blaming Don was Butch's attempt to look for a scapegoat. But Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr. died in prison. In March of 2021, at the age of 69, taking with him the full truth of what happened that fateful night.

The DeFeo family's story, which became the basis for the Amityville Horror, sparked widespread fascination with the house, leading to books, movies, and a global paranormal phenomenon. The book quickly spawned a 1979 film adaptation, and there has been multiple versions ever since. The Lutz family's account of their terrifying experience has gripped audiences for decades.

[00:22:00] George Lutz later learned that the DeFeo murders took place at 3. 15 in the morning, the exact time he found himself awake while living in the house.

However, many people are skeptical about the claims of supernatural activity in the house. Butch DeFeo's former attorney William Weber later suggested that the haunting was exaggerated. In fact, he said that he and the Lutzes had concocted the story of the haunting over several bottles of wine as a way to profit from the tragedy.

George Lutz vehemently denied Weber's claims and insisted that the hauntings were real till his death in 2006.

In a Writer's Digest interview with Amityville Horror author Jay Anson, when asked if the story is true, he said, "It's funny, almost nobody ever says to me, ' Hey, that book of yours is a bunch of bull. I didn't believe a word of it.' Instead, they ask if I think what the Lutzes told me is true, and I answer them the same way I answered you when you asked the question. I tell them that I have no idea whether the book is true or [00:23:00] not, but I'm sure that the Lutzes believe what they told me to be true.

In the documentary, My Amityville Horror, Daniel Lutz blame his stepfather George for opening the door to evil. According to Daniel, George was always intrigued by the occult and dark forces and because of this, he invited them in. Daniel spoke openly to filmmaker Eric Walter but made it clear he did not want to speak to the press, telling Eric he would only tell a story once.

"It's not easy to tell somebody how you got thrown up a staircase. Or that your bed was bouncing off the ceiling because the headboard posts were jammed into the sheetrock. The stench, black toilets, thousands of flies, like a fucking carnival man. I'm getting a little tight right now. This is not something I enjoy discussing."

The Lutz family's 28 day experience at 112 Ocean Avenue has become one of the most notorious hauntings in recent history. With its distinctive quarter circle windows resembling [00:24:00] ominous eyes overlooking the neighborhood, the property emerged as an icon of terror.

Although the house has changed hands multiple times since the Lutz's departure, no subsequent reports of paranormal activity have been made. The house itself, now with a changed address to deter unwanted attention, remains a site of morbid fascination for true crime fans and paranormal enthusiasts alike.

In an intense recount of their harrowing experience at the Amityville house, Ed and Lorraine Warren shared specific details that painted a vivid picture of the dark presence in the infamous location.

Ed, a seasoned demonologist, immediately felt an overpowering atmosphere of death upon entering the home. He described a physical suppression, akin to being under a waterfall, coupled with sharp sensations and an inability to breathe, triggered by what he believed were the malevolent spirits residing there.

Using a crucifix, Ed confronted these forces, building a rush of resistance that momentarily overwhelmed him before he [00:25:00] called upon religious tenets to banish the presence. Lorraine, sensitive to the spiritual disturbances, traversed the house with a mixture of dread and determination. She recounted seeing the spectral alignment of bodies, a residual haunting of the murders that occurred years prior.

She recounted seeing the spectral alignment of bodies, a residual haunting of the 1974 murders. The atmosphere was so dense with the echo of past horrors that she visualized the tragedy,

feeling a tangible barrier of evil that seemed almost solid blocking her path. Both Ed and Lorraine sternly addressed the skepticism surrounding the Amityville Horror, affirming the haunting's reality against widespread claims of it being a hoax. Their experiences, marked by a blend of personal sensory overload and a detailed investigative approach, underscored their unwavering stance. That what transpired in the Amityville house was a genuine manifestation of supernatural horror, [00:26:00] far beyond mere mortal fabrications. Still, the true terror of this story stems not from paranormal phenomena, but from the tragic events of November 13th, 1974. Butch himself once said, "I guess the Amityville horror really is supposed to be me.

Because I'm the one who got convicted of killing my family. I'm the one, they say, who did it. I'm the one that's supposed to be possessed by the devil." At the core of this story is a brutal family annihilation that claimed six lives, and left one man imprisoned for life. While the Amityville house gained notoriety for its alleged hauntings, the true lasting horror is the truth of the DeFeo family murders.

A tragedy that continues to cast a shadow over the town of Amityville. If you'd like to dive deeper into this case, check out the resources we used for this episode in the show notes. Don't forget to follow us on social media for more updates on today's case. [00:27:00] You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

We also have channels on YouTube and TikTok where you can watch more content. If you enjoy what we do here at Evidence Locker, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening right now, and consider leaving us a five star review. This was The Evidence Locker.

Thank you for listening.