1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: a show that shines a light on the ups and 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: downs of everyday history. I'm Gabelusier, and today we're talking 5 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: about a grisly act that captured the public's imagination and 6 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: proved that sometimes truth is much scarier than fiction. The 7 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: day was October nineteen. Ronald DeFeo Jr. Stood trial for 8 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: the brutal killing of his six family members, a crime 9 00:00:55,320 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: known today as the Amityville murders. The family Lee's house 10 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: was later said to be haunted, and these rumors served 11 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: as the basis for the Amityville Horror book and movie series. 12 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: The killings took place less than a year earlier. On 13 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: November four. That evening, twenty three year old Defio Jr. 14 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: Entered a bar in Amityville, New York, screaming that his 15 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: parents and four siblings had been shot inside their home. 16 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: A few patrons from the bar accompanied him back to 17 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: his family's house to confirm the story. Once there, a 18 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: man named Joe yes Wit called the police to report 19 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: the crime. Each member of the Defio family had been 20 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: shot to death in their beds, with a thirty five 21 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: caliber rifle. Because of the execution style killings, de Fio 22 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: first tried to claim the murders were carried out by 23 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: the New York mob, but by the next day he 24 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: dropped the act and confessed to the crimes himself. He 25 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: told detectives quote, once I started, I just couldn't stop. 26 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: It went so fast. While the actual murders may have 27 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: gone quickly, DeFeo Jr. Took his time afterward. He later 28 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: admitted that he took a bath and put on fresh 29 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: clothes before heading to the bar to report what had happened. 30 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: He showed the police where he had hidden his bloodstained clothes, 31 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: as well as the murder weapon. Even with these crucial 32 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: pieces of evidence, investigators were confused by several aspects of 33 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: the case. For one thing, all six victims appeared to 34 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: have died in their sleep, There were no signs of struggle, 35 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: and neighbors didn't recall hearing any gunshots. It's unclear how 36 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: the family members could have slept through the other's murder, 37 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: but given the circumstances, it could be considered a small blessing. 38 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: When Defo Junior's trial began on October four, the next year, 39 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: his lawyer tried to plead insanity, but the jury didn't 40 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: buy it. A month later, Defio was found guilty on 41 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: all six counts of second degree murder. He was sentenced 42 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: to six consecutive terms of twenty five years to life. 43 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: About a year after the murders, the Defio house was 44 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: sold to George and Cathy Lutz, who moved in with 45 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: their three children in December nine. Twenty eight days later, 46 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: the family fled in terror, claiming the house was haunted 47 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: by the restless spirits of Deafio Junior's victims. George Lutz 48 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: took his story to the press and recounted the supernatural 49 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: events that had supposedly driven his family from their home. 50 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: He said they heard strange voices in the night, that 51 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: the house was infested with flies, and that the walls 52 00:03:54,360 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: oozed green slime, among many other strange occurrences. Critics were 53 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: skeptical of the Lutz family's claims, but the public couldn't 54 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: get enough of the reports. Eventually, the story was picked 55 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: up by author j Anson, who wrote a best selling 56 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: book about the house in nineteen seventy seven, The Amityville Horror. 57 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: Two years later, the best selling book was turned into 58 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: a movie of the same name, which later spawned two 59 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: dozen sequels, spinoffs, and remakes, none of which are very good. 60 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: As for DeFeo Jr. He continued to change his story, 61 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: later claiming his sister and two other accomplices were the 62 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: ones truly responsible for the murders. He eventually admitted that 63 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,599 Speaker 1: his defense and court had been a sham, saying quote, 64 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: there was no insanity, only people talking to my lawyer 65 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: about books, movies, and me being possessed. He apparently viewed 66 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: the supernatural claims to be a bridge too far, saying 67 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: at one point, quote, there was no demon. You know 68 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: who the demon is. I am the demon. After all 69 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: these years, there's still no concrete motive for De Fio 70 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: Junior's crimes. He once told his lawyer he felt his 71 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: family was plotting against him, but he didn't go into 72 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: further detail. Some of theorized that he killed his family 73 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: as a way to claim his father's two hundred thousand 74 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: dollar insurance policy, but if that was the case, the 75 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: plan fell apart almost immediately. Since his conviction in nineteen 76 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: seventy five, Ronald de Fio Junior was held at the 77 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: Sullivan Correctional facility in Fallsburg, New York. Over the years, 78 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: he filed several motions to have his case reopened, but 79 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: all were denied. In March of twenty twenty one, Defio 80 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: Junior died at the age of sixty nine. The full 81 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: truth of what happened that night in nineteen seventy four. 82 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: I'd with him, but reports of supernatural activity and Amityville 83 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: will likely continue long after his death, no matter what 84 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: you believe about spirits or the occult. For the sake 85 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: of his family's memory, I think we should take to 86 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: THEO Jr. At his word. There was no possession, no demon. 87 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: The crimes and the punishment for them were his alone. 88 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,679 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lousier and hopefully you now know a little 89 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you 90 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: enjoyed today's show, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and 91 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Instagram at t D I HC Show. You can also 92 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and if you 93 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: have any feedback for how we're doing so far, you 94 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: can drop us a line at this day at I 95 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 96 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: the show, and thank you for listening. 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