The Horror Of Amityville
A community was shocked by one man’s actions towards his family
Ronald DeFeo jr. stumbled into Henry’s Bar on November 13, 1974. He told the patrons that his family had been killed. They were shocked by his claims, and a group agreed to go to 112 Ocean Avenue, the house the family shared, to substantiate the young man’s claims.
Many people in the crowd recoiled at the scene. Parents Louise and Ronald DeFeo Sr., 18-year-old Dawn, 13-year-old Allison, 12-year-old Marc, and nine-year-old John Matthew were all lying face down; each of them had been shot. It was a surreal scene. Before long, they began to wonder who could have done this to the family.
Joe Yeswit, a member of the crowd, called the Suffolk Police Department. After telling them about what had been discovered, they said units were on their way. The crowd broke up when the cops arrived, everyone promising to give a statement if necessary.
Officers on the scene noted that Ronald sr. and Louise were shot twice, while the children only received one shot. Each bullet was fatal.
They began questioning Ronald jr. He immediately claimed it was a mob hit on his family, and even named Louis Falini as the murderer. However, he stopped short of giving the investigators a reason why the mafia would be after his…
