A tragedy so famous across the nation that an award-winning book, and not one, but two movies were filmed about its events. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue in the suburban neighborhood of Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island, New York. He was 23 years old at the time and was convicted of second-degree murder in November 1975.

His gruesome crime was documented in the 1977 book by Jay Anson, which led to an entire franchise of movies produced, beginning with the one starring James Brolin in 1979. The book claimed to be based on the real-life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family, who lived in the house where the DeFeo family was murdered. But it has spawned years of controversy and lawsuits over its truthfulness. When the first movie was released, it was quite a sensation.

According to the New York Department of Corrections, via the New York Post, Ronald DeFeo Jr died on Friday, March 12th at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York. He was 69 years old and was serving a 25 years to life sentence for the murders. He was pronounced dead at the Albany Medical Center. No cause of death has been released as of yet for the prisoner, who was nicknamed "Butch". See the official trailer for the original 1979 film below.

 

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