Ronald DeFeo, Jr.

Ronald DeFeo Jr.
DeFeo's mug shot, November 14, 1974
Born	Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. (1951-09-26) September 26, 1951 (age 65) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Other names	Butch
Criminal penalty	6 concurrent sentences of 25 years to life
Conviction(s)	6 counts of second-degree murder
Killings
Date	November 13, 1974
Target(s)	His family
Killed	6
Weapons	.35 Marlin rifle

Ronald Joseph "Butch" DeFeo Jr. (born September 26, 1951) is an American mass murderer. He was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters. The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror.

Around 6:30 PM on Wednesday, November 13, 1974, 23-year-old DeFeo entered Henry's Bar in Amityville, Long Island, New York, and declared: "You got to help me! I think my mother and father are shot!" DeFeo and a small group of people went to 112 Ocean Avenue, which was located near the bar, and found that DeFeo's parents were indeed dead. One of the group, DeFeo's friend Joe Yeswit, made an emergency call to the Suffolk County Police, who searched the house and found that six members of the same family were dead in their beds.

The victims were Ronald Jr.'s parents: Ronald DeFeo, Sr. (44) and Louise DeFeo (42); and four of his siblings: Dawn (18), Allison (13), Marc (12), and John Matthew (9). All of the victims had been shot with a .35 caliber lever action Marlin 336C rifle around three o'clock in the morning of that day. The DeFeo parents had both been shot twice, while the children had all been killed with single shots. Physical evidence suggests that Louise DeFeo and her daughter Allison were both awake at the time of their deaths and, according to Suffolk County Police, the victims were all found lying on their stomachs in bed. The DeFeo family had occupied 112 Ocean Avenue since purchasing it in 1965. The deceased were later buried in nearby Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.

DeFeo, also known as "Butch", was the eldest son of the family. He was taken to the local police station for his own protection after suggesting to police officers at the scene of the crime that the killings had been carried out by a mob hit man, Louis Falini. However, an interview at the station soon exposed serious inconsistencies in his version of events. The following day, he confessed to carrying out the killings himself; and the alleged hitman had an alibi proving Falini was out of state at the time of the killings. DeFeo told detectives: "Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. It went so fast". He admitted that he had taken a bath and redressed, and detailed where he had discarded crucial evidence such as blood-stained clothes and the Marlin rifle and cartridges before arriving to work as usual.