Amiityville Podcast

The podcast discusses the infamous events that occurred at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville. Instead of focusing on the alleged hauntings experienced by George and Kathy Lutz, the podcast explores the brutal murders of the DeFato family. Ronald DeFato Jr. systematically murdered his entire family as they slept in their beds. The house had a history of ownership before the DeFatos, but nothing remarkable happened there until they moved in. The DeFato family had a troubled dynamic, with Ronald Sr. being controlling and abusive towards his son, Butch. Butch's behavior escalated over time, leading to clashes with his father and a reputation for heavy drinking and drug use. On the night of November 13, 1974, Butch used a rifle to murder his parents and siblings. He attempted to cover up the crime, but eventually confessed. The podcast explores the details of the murders and the aftermath. When one hears the word Amityville, their immediate thoughts go to the alleged hauntings experienced by George and Kathy Lutz, who are forced to their home after only 28 days claiming they were plagued by evil forces in the home. But in this episode of Horror Facts Deeply Disturbing, we're not focusing on the so-called claims of George and Kathy Lutz and the supernatural torment they allegedly endured at 112 Ocean Avenue, as that story has been done to death. Let's be honest, how much of their story is actually true, and how much is pure hoax? Instead, I want to focus on the truth, the real horror behind 112 Ocean Avenue, a case far more chilling than any fabricated haunting, the brutal murders of the DeFato family. On the night of November 13, 1974, 23-year-old Ronald Bush DeFato Jr. would forever shock the quiet town of Amityville, New York, and define its infamous legacy. One by one that night, he systematically murdered his entire family as they slept in their beds. So join me as we examine the case of the DeFato family murders. Long before it became infamous as a site of the DeFato family murders, and as opposed to Lutz hauntings, 112 Ocean Avenue was just an ordinary house. The first owners of the house were John and Catherine Monaghan, who built the house in 1927. A large Dutch colonial home, both five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a boathouse, and a swimming pool. Over the years, the house changed hands a few times, but for nearly four decades, nothing remarkable ever happened there. It was just a home. No ghosts, no curses, no signs of the horror that would later define its legacy. But as we know, that all changed once the DeFato family decided to call 112 Ocean Avenue a home. The DeFato family purchased the home in 1965 for approximately $30,000. Drawn to its size and prime location in the quiet suburban neighborhood of Amityville, the DeFatos envisioned it as the perfect place to raise their growing family. They even hung a sign at the end of the property that read, High Hopes, a symbol of the optimism they wanted to embody. The truth is that behind closed doors, the DeFatos were anything but a happy family. Ronald DeFato Sr. was a successful car salesman who worked hard to provide for his family. However, he was also known for his aggressive and domineering personality. Accounts he was familiar with the DeFatos described Ronald Sr. as controlling and abusive. Ruling his household was an iron fist. His volatile behavior often led to violent outbursts, and the main target of abuse was his eldest son, Butch. Born on September 26, 1951, Butch had a strong relationship with his father. As the oldest of five children, Butch bore the brunt of Ronald Sr.'s wrath. Over time, this toxic father-son relationship took a significant toll on Butch's mental and emotional state. Reports suggest the abuse Butch endured at the hands of his father contributed to his later struggles with anger, rebellion, and addiction. By his late teens, Butch began exhibiting troubling behavior. He developed a reputation for being hot-headed, and his clashes with his father became more frequent and intense. At one point, Butch allegedly escalated the conflict by pulling out a gun on his father during an argument. Although no one was injured, the incident highlighted just how strained their relationship had become. Butch also struggled to maintain a sense of direction in life. Despite working for a time in his father's auto dealership, his employment was erratic. He would often show up to work late or leave after only a couple hours. Instead of dedicating himself to work, Butch spent most of his time frequenting local bars where he developed a reputation for heavy drinking and drug use, including using heroin. These habits only worsened over time, further alienating him from his family. Though Butch's behavior was disruptive and his relationship with his father deeply dysfunctional, no one in the family seemed to believe that he was capable of the horrific act that later shocked the nation. The tension in the fellow household submerged beneath the surface, undetected by neighbors or friends, who only saw the facade of a happy, successful family. But beneath the glossy facade of suburban prosperity and the high hopes found in adorning their front yard, cracks in their fellow family dynamic were growing deeper. The tension, resentment, and dysfunction that plagued the family had reached a boiling point. For years, Butch's escalating behavior and the abuse he endured at the hands of his father had created a toxic and volatile environment within the home. And then in the early hours of November 13, 1974, everything came to a horrifying end. What happened inside 112 Ocean Avenue that night would forever change the lives of everyone who knew the DeFeos and leave a permanent scar on the quiet town of Amityville. It would be a crime so shocking, so incomprehensible, that it would become one of the most infamous family murders in American history. In this podcast, we're going to go back to that night. At around 3 a.m. November 13, 1974, Butch picked up his .35 caliber Marlin rifle and moved systematically throughout the house at 112 Ocean Avenue. One by one, he entered the bedrooms where his family slept, murdering them while they lay face down in their beds. First he shot his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr., twice in the back. He next turned his rifle to his mother, Louise DeFeo, sleeping beside her husband. Similar to his father, he fired two shots into her back. He then moved to the room where his brothers, 12-year-old Mark and 9-year-old John DeFeo, slept. He entered the sleeping boys' room and fired a single shot into both of his younger brothers' backs as they lay face down in their beds. He next went to the room where his 13-year-old sister, Allison, slept, but unlike his previous victims up to this point, Allison was shot once in the face. Authorities would later suggest that based on her body and the directory of the bullet, it is believed Allison may have woken up when Butch entered the room. It's possible she turned her head towards the door to look at Butch just before he shot her. If this is true, this means that Allison may have been the only member of the family to be awoken during the incident. Finally, Butch entered the bedroom of his 18-year-old sister, Dawn DeFeo, who, unlike the rest of the family members, had discovered that Butch had killed Dawn at close range, presumably firing the rifle only a couple feet from her head. The bullet entered through Dawn's left ear, causing significant trauma to the side of her face due to the close proximity in which the rifle was fired. Her death would actually later become the subject of a significant controversy based on the brutal way she was killed as opposed to the other members of the family. After murdering his family, Butch removed his bloody clothing, took a shower, trimmed his beard, and collected the shell casings along with the Marlin rifle in an attempt to get rid of all the physical evidence. In the morning, he then left the house and went to work at his family's auto dealership. His co-workers would later recall that Butch seemed agitated and unusually distracted. He only ended up staying for a couple hours before eventually leaving. After leaving the dealership, Butch went to a local bar called Henry's Bar, which was a popular hangout spot in Amiago. While at the bar, Butch started expressing concerns about his family. He told patrons that he had been trying to call his home throughout the day but hadn't been able to get a response. This was clearly Butch trying to build his own alibi at this time, a way to sort of feign ignorance about the murders he had just committed. At around 6.20pm, Butch left the bar, stating he was going to go home and check on his family, concerned that he still hadn't heard from them. Roughly ten minutes later, Butch burst through the doors of Henry's Bar, screaming, quote, you've got to help me, I think my mother and father are shot, end quote. Four patrons at Henry's Bar quickly followed Butch to his home, including Bobby Kelsky, a close friend of Butch. He was among the first to discover the bodies, and will later describe the scene as horrifying and chaotic. Kelsky would also play a crucial role in notifying authorities about Butch's affection for guns, including the fact that among Butch's gun collection was a Marlin rifle, the weapon that police would later determine was a murder weapon. Butch, along with Kelsky, John Autry, Joey Yeswin, and another member who some sources have identified as William Scortamiglia, also followed Butch to his family residence. Once they arrived, the four men entered the home, while Butch chose to wait outside, visibly crying and acting distraught. So this behavior was noted as odd by those present, and it seemed unusual for someone who allegedly cared about his family to do just waiting outside. After entering the home, the men quickly discovered the bodies of Ronald Sr. and Luis DeFeo, lying face down on their bed. They then went across the hall to discover the bodies of John and Mark. After discovering the bodies of the four DeFeo family members, Yeswin went into the kitchen and called the Suffolk County Police Department. During the 911 call, at approximately 6.35 p.m., Yeswin described the shocking scene, saying, quote, we have a shooting here, uh, DeFeo, somebody shot the family, end quote. The first officer to arrive at the scene was Officer Kenneth Griguski. When Griguski pulled up to the DeFeo residence, Butch was still outside, pacing nervously, still refusing to enter the home. He appeared agitated, repeatedly insisting that someone had killed his entire family. Griguski instructed Butch to enter the house, while he began to search the premises for himself. He later described Butch as being distraught, but noted that something about his behavior seemed off. He was emotional, but his reactions didn't quite match the gravity of the situation. This officer could tell that something was off about the way he was behaving. Upon searching the home, Griguski initially found the bodies of Ronald Sr. and Louise DeFeo. Louise still had the covers pulled up over her, but Ronald Sr. was exposed, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts. Griguski discovered the two bullet holes in his back. On Louise's side of the bed, he discovered that the mattress appeared to be soaked in blood. He then went across the hall to the room that John and Mark shared. He found that, like their parents, both boys were laying face down on their beds. The covers were pulled low enough on each boy that Griguski could see the bullet holes in each boy's back. After discovering the bodies, Griguski returned to the kitchen and called his discovery. While he made the call, Griguski noted that Butch appeared to be eavesdropping on the conversation. Again, everything this guy was doing was super suspicious. After he hung up the phone, Butch informed him that he also had two sisters. At this time, another officer had arrived on the scene. Together, the two officers went up to Allison's bedroom, where, like the rest of the Fefeo family members, she was found lying face down in her bed. The officers then went up to Dawn's attic bedroom, where, like Allison, officers noted that both girls had been killed by a gunshot wound to the head. With Dawn, the exact entry point was unable to be determined by initial assessment due to the excessive damage caused by the rifle. Back in the kitchen, officers began to take Butch's statement, where he initially claimed the murders were the work of a mob hitman named Louis Fellini, whom he said had been threatening his family. Butch explained that his father, Ronald Sr., had ties to organized crime, and he suggested that this was some kind of retribution. While listening to the story, police were already suspicious. For starters, there was no sign of forced entry in the home, meaning that someone would have had to have let Fellini into the home, and the position of the killings executed one by one without any apparent struggle or disturbance seemed strange. Furthermore, Butch's demeanor alternated between nervousness and almost reversed calmness, raising eyebrows among the questioning officers. This theory initially gained some traction because of the famous connection to organized crime Ronald Sr. had alleged ties to the mob. However, this theory was dismissed after Butch confessed to the murders and it became clear that no external evidence pointed to a mob hit. Police would still follow up on this lead, but Fellini had an alibi for the time of the murders, ruling out any credibility in Butch's claim. This would also be the first of many claims that Butch would make over the years, each one becoming more elaborate than the next. After the scene was secured, Butch was taken to the Suffolk County Police Department for further questioning. Initially, detectives treated him as a witness, not a suspect. They were still considering the possibility of a mob that had hit, but as the night wore on, cracks in Butch's story began to emerge. Back at the DeFeo residence, police had been conducting a thorough search of the DeFeo home, and in Butch's room, they found a damning piece of evidence, an empty box for a Marlin .35 caliber rifle, the same type of weapon police would later determine to be used in the murders. Nearby, they also discovered boxes for the rifles and ammunition, which further tightened the crime. This discovery shifted the focus squarely onto Butch. Missing, however, was the actual rifle, which during his later confession, Butch would admit to disposing of in a nearby canal. The police also discovered that the DeFeos had been dead long before Butch discovered them, putting the murders roughly between 2 and 4 AM. In his confession, Butch had admitted that he had been home all night and had supposedly fallen asleep around 2 AM watching a movie in the basement. He claimed that in the morning he had showered and gone to work, displacing Butch in the house at the time of the murders. When confronted with this evidence, Butch's story began to crumble. Detectives pressed him, pointing out the inconsistencies and amounting evidence against him. During this time, Butch's demeanor changed. He became defensive and evasive. The investigators pushed harder, and eventually, in the early hours of the morning, Butch broke down and finally confessed. According to his confession, Butch admitted to shooting his family in the early hours of November 13th. He claimed that after spending the evening arguing with his father, he had reached a brazen point. Sometime after 3 AM, he retrieved the modern rifle from his closet and systematically, over a period of 15 minutes, murdered each member of his family as they slept in their bed, starting with his father and mother, along with admitting to disposing of the rifle in a nearby canal. Butch told investigators that he disposed of his bloody clothing and shell casings, discarding them in a storm drain in Brooklyn on his way to work. Butch claimed he had long harbored anger towards his father, Ronald Sr., who was known to be a violent and abusive man. When asked why he killed his siblings, Butch reported saying something defective, Once I started, I just couldn't stop. It went so fast. Despite Butch's confession that he acted alone and killed all six members in their sleep, there were still a lot of unanswered questions about the case. One of the biggest mysteries was the fact that all six members of their fellow family were found laying face down in their beds. Even more strange was the fact that none of them appeared to have woken up, other than Allison, who appeared to have woken up when Butch entered her room. Now, the .35 caliber rifle, that's a very loud weapon. Firing inside the house, this would have echoed throughout the entire residence. This would have been heard from a significant distance outside. Yet, the weirdest thing is no neighbors actually reported hearing the shots, and none of the family members reacted. Again, we have Allison, who evidence shows that she turned her head, but again, it was just when Butch walked into the room. That's what I'm saying. That's what makes this case so strange. Only one neighbor would later report that they heard the fellow family dog barking during the early morning hours. That's all they heard. It was later revealed that Butch had actually tied the family dog outside of the back door right before committing the murders. That's proof right there. That is a sign of premeditated murder. He consciously tied the dog outside. Not one of the dogs involved, not one of the dogs maybe possibly getting in his way. Right there. That is a sign that Butch had this all planned out. It wasn't a spur of the moment. He knew what he was intending to do. Now, one of the theories actually suggests that Butch may have actually drugged his family, though through toxicology reports, it's revealed that none of the victims actually had drugs or sedatives in their systems. This ruled out the possibility that Butch had drugged them beforehand. However, some have speculated that the rifle's loudness might have actually caused temporary shock or disorientation, preventing the victims from reacting quickly. Again, this theory is kind of speculative. Another theory is that Butch might have attempted to suppress the shots fired from his rifle. As this would account for nobody heard any shots that night, although authorities didn't find any evidence to suggest that the rifle had been equipped with any form of a suppressor. It was even theorized that Butch might have used a makeshift suppressor, such as a blanket or a pillow, to muffle the shots, although no evidence to be found at the scene to support this theory. Despite all the theories and speculations that have come out over the years, the truth is no one knows why all the members of the DeFeo family were found laying face down in their beds or why no one heard the shots that night. These are the aspects that make this such a unique and eerie case, and the truth is we'll probably never know what really happened that night. The only one who really knows what happened was Butch, and as you'll see, Butch is an unreliable narrator. What we're going to focus on now is some of the events that followed Butch's confession. Butch would make numerous attempts over the years to claim his innocence, even after his conviction. One of his earliest attempts to deflect responsibility for the murder was this robbery gone wrong theory. This claim was a modified version of his original claim that his family were murdering a mob hit. In this new version of the story, Butch claimed that his family were victims of a botched robbery. According to Butch, unknown intruders broke into the DeFeo home in the middle of the night. Their intent, he claimed, was robbery, but for reasons unknown, the supposed criminals turned violent, killing his parents and siblings while leaving Butch, the eldest son, unharmed. In this version, Butch painted himself as a terrified survivor who'd been spared by sheer luck, or perhaps the mercy of the intruders. From the onset, investigators found Butch's robbery gone wrong story difficult to believe. Several key pieces of evidence quickly discredited this theory. Number one, there was no evidence to suggest a break-in at the DeFeo house. Doors and windows were intact, and there was no signs of tampering or struggle anywhere in the house. The lack of forced entry indicated that either the killer was already inside the house, or the victims had willingly let them in. The second, the weapon used in these killings was a .35 caliber Marlin rifle. This was not some unknown intruder's tool. It belonged to Butch himself and was kept inside the house. This immediately raised questions about how intruders would have known about or accessed the weapon during a robbery. The fact that Butch's own rifle was the murder weapon left little room for this unknown intruder's narrative. Also, nothing appeared to be missing from the home. The DeFeo house was filled with valuable items, and nothing had been stolen or even disturbed. If intruders had truly entered with the intent to rob the family, they'd done a remarkably poor job of it. As well as the fact that no witness reported seeing any suspicious activity near the DeFeo home that night. The only thing that one witness later reported was that they noted that some of the lights were on in the DeFeo home in the early hours of the morning. If anything, this only proved that Butch had been up during the time authorities believed the murders took place. While the robbery gone wrong theory was swiftly dismissed by investigators, having found no evidence or any other suspects, this was an important piece of a larger puzzle when examining Butch DeFeo's behavior in the aftermath of the murders. It was one of his first attempts to shift blame away from himself, a pattern that would continue as he cycled through various other explanations for the crime, each one more plausible than the last. This theory also highlights Butch's desperation to avoid taking responsibility. By presenting himself as a survivor of a violent crime, he may have hoped to gain sympathy or deflect suspicion. But as we'll see, each new story he told only deepened the mystery and further eroded his credibility. Following his robbery gone wrong theory being dismissed, during his trial, Butch's defense attorney William Weber attempted to state that on the night of the murders, Butch wasn't acting in his own free will. Instead, he claimed the mysterious voices inside his head compelled him to kill. These voices, Butch said, were relentless, urging him to carry out the massacre of his parents and siblings. The defense attempted to paint a picture of a man who was not in control of his own mind. Driven by hallucinations and auditory delusions, he committed unspeakable acts, likely in attempt to argue an insanity plea. According to Weber, Butch's mental state at the time of the murders rendered him incapable of understanding right from wrong, a key component of a legal definition of insanity. The idea of being driven to murder by disembodied voices was not only terrifying, but also convenient for Butch. By presenting him as a victim of forces beyond his control, he attempted to explain away his actions and avoid taking responsibility for the brutal slayings. While this defense quickly fell apart under the scrutiny of psychiatric experts, multiple evaluations concluded that Butch was not psychotic. Instead, he was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, a condition characterized by a lack of empathy and paucity and a disregard for the rights of others. While this diagnosis explained some of Butch's behavior, it did not support the idea that his hearing voices were incapable of understanding the consequences of his actions. The evaluations ultimately determined that Butch was fully aware of what he was doing when he murdered his family. This claim would, however, become one of the more infamous aspects of the case, tying to the supernatural lore that would come to define the house at 112 Ocean Avenue, and as you will see, this will also come up again later. Despite Butch's attempts to claim his innocence or find outside causes for his actions, on November 21, 1975, Butch was found guilty on six counts of second-degree murder. On December 4, Judge Thomas Stark sentenced Butch to six sentences of 25 years to life. While delivering his sentence, Stark is quoted as saying that Butch's crimes were the most heinous murders committed in Suffolk County since its founding. Now, I wish I could tell you that Butch's story ends there, but as you'll soon find out, Butch wasn't done coming up with wild and elaborate claims of what happened that night, many of which will involve Don DeFeo. The first one we're going to look at is Butch's claim that Don not only played a role in the murders, but was ultimately killed by him in a fit of rage. In this version of the events, Butch alleged that he and Don had conspired to kill their abusive father, Ronald DeFeo Sr. According to Butch, the plan was simple, end the reign of terror that their father had inflicted on the family for years. But things apparently sparred out of control. Butch claimed that while he wanted to stop after killing their parents, Don insisted they couldn't leave any witnesses, meaning their younger siblings had to die too. Butch alleged that Don took the rifle and methodically shot their siblings while they slept. Enraged and horrified by what she had done, Butch claimed that he turned the gun on Don, shooting her in the head. This version of events is supported, at least in part, by controversial piece of forensic evidence, gunpowder residue found on Don's nightgown. Some have argued to suggest she may have fired a weapon that night. Now while some have claimed that Don might have been involved due to the gun residue found on her nightgown, others have countered that the residue could also be explained by her proximity to the gunshots, rather than proving she pulled the trigger herself. This is coupled with the fact that the trajectories of the gunshots don't align with the idea of Don being the shooter. Investigators maintain that all the shots were fired by the same weapon and by the same person, Butch. Despite law enforcement's conclusion that Butch acted alone, some theorists continue to speculate that he may have had help. After all, how could one person kill six people so methodically without waking anyone up? This question has fueled the idea that Don, or possibly someone outside the family, wasn't involved. Supporters of the Don theory point to a few key pieces of evidence. Besides the previously mentioned gunpowder residue on her nightgown, some individuals claim that Don's body shows signs of a struggle, such as bruising, which would indicate a confrontation with Butch before her death. However, these findings are insignificant, and many have discredited this theory stating inconclusive evidence. Next is the brutality of Don's death. Don was shot at close range, with a bullet entering her left ear in what many describe as execution style. Some theorists argue this level of violence suggests a deeply personal rage, possibly the result of a fight between her and Butch after the murders. Despite the controversy over this new narrative, this initial claim by Butch to implicate his sister in the murders was riddled with inconsistencies, and lacked enough real physical evidence to support it. This, as previously mentioned, would only be the first time Butch would attempt to put the blame on Don. In one of his next claims, Butch attempted to state that Don was one who actually killed their father, identifying that Ronald DeFeo Sr. was the only intended target that night. He next alludes to the hysterical body events of witnessing her husband being killed, Luis DeFeo, in a fit of psychosis, picked up the rifle and began killing her own children. In this version of the story, Butch again attempts to paint himself as the hero, alleging that like his Don theory, he was forced to sue his mother for her actions. Butch then goes on to state that he falsely admitted to killing his entire family in order to cover up the actions of his mother, identifying that if he attempted to tell anyone what actually happened that night, his grandfather, Michael Burgundy Sr., and his father's uncle, Peter DeFeo, who was the head of the Genovese crime family at the time, would have him killed. If that wasn't outlandish enough, Butch attempted to claim that he was married at the time to Geraldine Gates, and that the two of them were living together in New Jersey. Butch stated that on the night of the murders, his mother called him and asked him to come home to break up a fight between Ronald DeFeo Sr. and Don. He alleges he drove to the house that night with Geraldine Gates' brother, Richard Armando, and that Richard could collaborate his events of that night. What makes this claim probably one of Butch's most crazy stories is that Butch was not married at the time. While Geraldine wasn't a factual person, she had never met DeFeo. This claim was easily the most bizarre to date, not to mention the fact that Butch was living at 112 Ocean Avenue at the time of the murders. In a weird side note, Geraldine would later meet and marry Butch while he was in prison. Just a couple of years later, Butch would attempt to file a plea to overturn his conviction, this time stating that the murders were committed by Don and an unknown assailant. In this new version, it was his assailant that took Butch's place in the murders. Butch alleged that Don and this unknown individual committed the murders, stating that this individual was responsible for killing his parents, while he again accused Don of being the one to kill their siblings. He then stated that after Don killed his younger siblings, he accidentally killed her while struggling over the rifle, identifying that he didn't intend to shoot his sister that night, the gun just went off by accident. The crazy part about this theory is that Butch once again attempted to claim that he was married to Geraldine, and that her brother was once again with him at the house that night and could verify his story. I will note by this time, Geraldine had met and married DeFeo, and while she wasn't married to him now, the court was able to prove that Geraldine was married and living in upstate New York on the night of the murders. When his motion was brought forth to Judge Stark, the original judge proceeding over Butch's case, Stark identified that he believed Butch's claims to be, quote, false and fabricated. The judge pointed out that Butch was living at home at the time, and that his claims of being married were not worthy of belief. What's more is, during the proceedings, Mindy Wise testified at the time of the murders she was in a relationship with Butch, further discrediting his claims of being married to Geraldine. It was also around this time that Geraldine admitted that her brother, Butcher Armando, didn't exist, testifying on her oath that he'd been made up. In the end, his motion was denied, with Stark stating that if in his testimony they did not shoot and kill the members of his family, it was likewise incredible and not worthy of belief. This, of course, would not be the end of Butch and his wild claims, but it would be a number of years before Butch would once again attempt to spin another tale. In the year 2000, the family of Rick Asuna, who was writing a book title, The Night Their Fables Died. Asuna claims that while meeting with Butch, he once again changed his story, this time stating that him, Dawn, and two of their friends, including Bobby Kelsky, the same friend who had been in Harry's body that night of the murder, had helped discover the bodies. In this version, Butch was attempting to claim self-defense, stating that his parents had plotted to kill him, and that he only killed them out of desperation. This story was similar to his original attempt to implicate Dawn in the murders. In this version, he once again was the one who killed his parents, while Dawn, not one who had any witnesses, killed the younger siblings. Butch also once again stated that he had turned the gun on his sister, this time identifying that he knocked her out and then put the gun back to her head, firing the rifle at close proximity. It's Butch's numerous versions of the story involving Dawn, coupled with the gunpowder revue that had been found in her nightgown, along with the mystery of how one person was able to shoot everyone in the house without anyone hearing it while waking up, that will unfortunately tie Dawn to this case to the end of time, as we will unfortunately never know what really happened that night. While the true events of that tragic night may have forever remained shrouded in mystery, one element of Butch's story seems to have persisted throughout the years, his claim of hearing voices. This detail not only became a cornerstone of his defense, but also seems to have played a significant role in shaping the infamous legend of 112 Ocean Avenue. Butch's tale of hearing voices likely directly influenced Butch's alleged claims of being tormented by an evil force inside the house, and as strange as the fate, those same claims may have later inspired Butch to revisit it and reinforce his own story of supernatural influence. Let's unpack how these eerie effects fit into one another, learn the line between fact and fiction. So it's important to remember that Butch Taffaro's claims of hearing voices didn't emerge immediately after the murders. During his initial confessions and trials, his defense team used the voices narrative as part of their insanity plea, but that wasn't something Butch had consistently claimed from the beginning. It was likely a strategic move by his defense attorney, William Weber, to paint him as mentally unstable. When the insanity plea failed, many dismissed the voices claim as a convenient excuse. Now fast forward to December 1975, more than a year after the DeFeo murders, when the Lutz family moved into 112 Ocean Avenue. Within 28 days they fled the house, claiming it was haunted by evil spirits. Their story would become the basis for the book of The Avenue of Veil of Horror by Jay Anson, an entire franchise of films. So central to their claim was the idea that the house itself was cursed, possibly influenced by the brutal murders of the DeFeo family. The Lutz's alleged that the house's dark energy caused them to experience terrifying paranormal activity, including hearing disembodied voices. So by the time the Lutz's moved in, the DeFeo murders were still fresh in the public's mind, and Butch's trial had just concluded a month earlier. So the story of a young man hearing voices and killing his family had already been sensationalized in the media. It's possible that the Lutz's family, or even Jay Anson, the author of The Avenue of Veil of Horror, saw an opportunity to weave Butch's voices' claims into their haunted house narrative. After all, what's scarier than a home so cursed that it could compel someone to commit mass murder? By linking their experience with the DeFeo murders, the Lutz's story gained credibility. If the house could drive Butch to kill, it wasn't such a stretch to believe that it could torment the next family to live there. This connection between Butch's claims and the Lutz's story helped solidify the idea that 112 Ocean Avenue wasn't just the site of a tragedy, it was the place of pure evil. Now let's flip the script. As the Lutz's family haunted story gained national attention, it's possible that Butch DeFeo saw an opportunity to reclaim his body. After all, by the late 1970s, the Lutz's story had become less than allowed. The book was released in 1977, and the first movie adaptation followed in 1979. The house itself had become infamous, not just for the murders, but as the supposed epicenter of paranormal horror. Now you have Butch sitting in prison. He may have realized that by aligning his story with the Lutz's claims, he could breathe new life into his own narrative. If the house really was haunted, then maybe he did hear voices in there. By leaning into the supernatural angle, Butch could retroactively justify his actions, suggesting that he wasn't fully in control of himself when he killed his family. He could shift the blame from his own mental state to the forces inside the house. Now this theory actually raises an intriguing question. Did Butch's later claims of hearing voices evolve as a response from the Lutz's haunted house story? If so, it would mean that the Lutz's built on Butch's original insanity defense, and then Butch, in turn, built on their paranormal claims, creating this sort of feedback loop that perpetuated and amplified the legend of the Amityville Horror. If we consider the timeline, it's easy to see how this feedback loop might have developed. Butch's initial voices claim would have been in 1974-1975. Remember, during his trial, Butch's defense team introduced the idea that he heard voices urging him to kill. While this was dismissed by the court, it planted the seed of a supernatural explanation for the murders. Now, a year after the murder, the Lutz's family moves into the Fale House, and subsequently flee, claiming the house to be haunted. Their story begins to gain attention, with many connecting their experience to the rift of crime that took place a year prior. The idea that the house itself is cursed begins to take hold. With the release of the Amity Horror book in 1977 and the movie in 1979, the legend of the haunted house becomes a global phenomenon. The book specifically mentions the Fale murders, tying them directly to the supposed forces that plagued the Lutz family. This publicizes the idea that the house was a dark supernatural power capable of influencing those who live there. So now, post-1979, in the later years following the publication and success of the Amity Horror, Butch begins to reframe his own narrative, emphasizing the voices he allegedly heard on the night of the murders. By aligning his story with the Lutz's family's claims of a haunted house, Butch keeps himself relevant and shifts some of the blame from his actions onto the supernatural. This new version of events reinforces the idea that the house is a sinister force, perpetuating the legend. Now, how credible is this feedback loop theory? While there's no definitive proof that Butch and the Lutz family were directly influenced each other, the timing of their claim raises interesting questions. Both narratives evolve in the same cultural moment, when America was captivated by stories of true crime and the paranormal. It's entirely possible that the Lutz family saw an opportunity to connect their story to the failed murders and that Butch, in turn, recognized the potential to use the Lutz's claims to his own advantage. It's also worth noting that William Weber, Butch's defense attorney, later admitted to working with the Lutz's on the development of the Amity Horror, Weber claimed that he and the Lutz family fabricated parts of the story to sell the book, which suggests that there is at least some unintentional overlap between the two narratives. If Weber was willing to embellish the Lutz's story for profit, it's not hard to imagine that Butch might have encouraged either directly or indirectly to do the same. Whether or not this feedback loop theory is true, it speaks to the enduring power of both the DeFeo murders and the Amityville Horror legend. Together, they have created a cultural phenomenon that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, true crime and the paranormal. The murders are undeniably real, but the mythology surrounding them has taken on a life of its own, evolving over decades as new claims and theories emerge. But with the death of Ronald Butch DeFeo in 2021, the last surviving individual who truly knew what happened that night is now gone, and with him, any hope of uncovering the full truth has vanished, leaving this case to remain one of America's greatest mysteries, a story that will no doubt continue to captivate and intrigue for generations to come. Yet, amidst all the speculation, it's worth noting one undeniable fact, since the Lutz family got a house in 1976, no reported paranormal activity has ever occurred there. Perhaps we suggest that the real story here isn't about haunted houses or demonic forces, but about human nature. Maybe Butch DeFeo wasn't influenced by anything otherworldly, but maybe he was simply a deeply assertive individual capable of unimaginable evil, and as for the Lutz family, it's not hard to imagine they may have simply tapped into the evil, not as victims, but as opportunists turning tragedy into profit. In the end, the true horror of the story may not lie in ghosts or demons, but in the darkness of a human soul, and our unending fascination with it.