The Files « The Amityville Files - America’s Most Famous Haunted House Controversy

The Participants

Ronald DeFeo, Jr.

Ronald DeFeo, Jr. is the oldest son of Ronald and Louise DeFeo. Better known as “Butch” to his friends, Ronnie was convicted of murdering his entire family inside the house at 112 Ocean Avenue on Thursday, November 14, 1974.

DeFeo originally confessed to the killings, telling police, “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop.” But years since, Ronnie has changed his story numerous times. The latest version names his sister, Dawn DeFeo, as the real killer of the family and Ronnie only killed Dawn in a rage.

Ronald is currently serving six consecutive life sentences at the Green Haven Correctional facility in New York.

1999 Parole Hearing Transcripts

2002 Parole Hearing Transcripts

2003 Parole Hearing Transcripts

Ronald DeFeo 8 Page Statement

Sole Survivor - The Buick Dealer's Lot Attendant

Talking With Serial Killers - Ronald DeFeo

Why They Killed - Ronald DeFeo

George and Kathy Lutz

Married in July of 1975, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the home at 112 Ocean Avenue following the DeFeo slayings the year before. Claiming they only stayed in the house 28 days, the Lutzes left all of their personal belongings in the home, vowing never to return. They claimed supernatural events made the house uninhabitable.

Kathleen Lutz passed away on August 17, 2004.

George Lee Lutz passed away on May 8, 2006.

Good Housekeeping Part 1

Good Housekeeping Part 2

Good Housekeeping Part 3

Good Housekeeping Part 4

Good Housekeeping Part 5

Lie Detector Tests Part 1

Lie Detector Tests Part 2

Lie Detector Tests Part 3

Lutz Vs De Laurentis

Father Ralph Pecoraro

A friend and personal counselor of the Lutz family, Ralph Pecoraro was a Catholic Ecclesiastical Judge who worked for the Rockville Diocese on Long Island.

George Lutz befriended Pecoraro during the annulment proceedings for his first marriage and subsequently asked the Priest to bless his new home at 112 Ocean Avenue. Father Pecoraro has since testified, under oath, that he heard a voice commanding him to, “Get out”, while performing the house blessing.

Ralph Pecoraro was said to have passed away sometime in the late 1980’s. The exact date is unknown.

Ralph Pecoraro speaks on "In Search Of" (1979)

Ed and Lorraine Warren

Since 1952, Ed and Lorraine Warren have been the directors of the New England Society for Psychic Research and to date they have investigated over 4,000 hauntings.

The Warrens were the chief psychic investigators for the Amityville case and visited the home on February 24, 1976, and returned on March 6, 1976. The Warrens concluded that an inhuman force was present in the home and to this day continue to support the Lutzes’ claims.

Ed Warren passed away on August 23, 2006.

For These Two Demonlogists, Life Is A Spirited Affair

Ghost Hunt Turns Up Surprise

Ghost Hunters Spell Out Observations At La Roche

Ghost Hunting Couple To Present Two Lectures On Haunts, Witchcraft

Hunters Of Ghosts Doing Well

Meek-looking Couple Can Do Battle With Demons

Monroe Ghost Hunters Make Living In Strange Out Of This World Way

That's Close Enough To Hell For Me

Timely Interest In Amityville Lucky Fluke At LCCC

Stephen Kaplan Ph.D.

Stephen Kaplan was originally contacted by George Lutz prior to the Warrens investigation of 112 Ocean Avenue. Kaplan believed that the Lutzes paranormal experiences were a hoax and documented much of his findings in the book, The Amityville Horror Conspiracy.

Stephen Kaplan passed away on June 9, 1995.

A Life's Pursuit - Vampires

A Vampire Authenticator Part 1

A Vampire Authenticator Part 2

Ghost Hunt - Xpert To Probe Forces In DeFeo House

Ghost Hunter Smells A Hoax

William Weber

William Weber was the court-appointed defense attorney for Ronald DeFeo, Jr. Weber has claimed that he helped create the Amityville haunting story, with George and Kathy Lutz, over many bottles of wine in February of 1976.

A Letter To Ronnie - June 25, 1979

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 1

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 2

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 3

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 4

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 5

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 6

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 7

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 8

The Devil Made Me Do It Part 9

Hans Holzer Ph.D.

A leading authority on the paranormal and psychic phenomena, Hans Holzer visited the house at 112 Ocean Avenue, along with deep-trance medium, Ethel Johnson Meyers, who sensed that the house was constructed atop a sacred Indian burial ground. Holzer believes Ronald DeFeo, Jr. was possessed by the spirit of an Indian chief during the time of the DeFeo murders.

Dr. Hans Holzer passed away on April 26, 2009.

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Laura DiDio

Laura DiDio was a Channel 5 news reporter in New York who put the Lutz family in contact with Ed and Lorraine Warren in February 1976. She befriended the Lutzes while they were residing at Kathy’s mother’s home, and decided to help them during the beginning wave of media coverage.

Jay Anson

Jay Anson authored the book, The Amityville Horror: A True Story.

Anson was introduced to the Lutz family by Prentice/Hall editor, Tam Mossman. George and Kathy Lutz refused to be interviewed for the book and, instead, gave Anson “self-help” tapes they had recorded as a way of documenting what happened to them while they lived at 112 Ocean Avenue.

It is widely known that Jay Anson took many liberties with the facts in the case, and went as far as to create various characters and situations to boost the story.

Jay Anson passed away on March 12, 1980.

Jim and Barbara Cromarty

Jim and Barbara Cromarty purchased 112 Ocean Avenue on March 18, 1977.

Due to the Lutz’s claims of the house being haunted, the Village of Amityville became synonymous for its “house of horrors”. During this time, the Cromarty family changed the address on the house to confuse the hordes of tourists and ghost hunters who lined up by the dozens to take photographs of the infamous property.

After the relentless wave of publicity proved unbearable, the Cromartys moved out of the house and left Frank Burch, a family friend, to tend the property while they were away. After the house had been on the market for some time, the Cromartys decided to move back into the house. They remained there until 1987 when Barbara’s son, David Roskin, passed away.

Ric Osuna

Ric Osuna is a Las Vegas-based writer and author of, The Night the DeFeo’s Died.

Considered a controversial figure in the Amityville case, Osuna originally had worked with George Lutz on a book project entitled, The Amityville Horror: Discovering the Truth, only to come to apparent disagreements with Lutz soon thereafter.

The Night the DeFeo’s Died supports the theory that Dawn DeFeo was directly involved in the mass murders. This particular book discredits the Lutz’s story and includes various evidence for the hoax theories.

Rick Moran

Rick Moran is a former newspaper editor and Adjunct Professor of Journalism at Richland College, in Dallas, Texas. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors for ASUP: The Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomena, Inc.

Moran is best known for his unconventional theories of the DeFeo murders. He is considered one of the main debunkers of the Lutz’s story, feeling that George and Kathy only lived in the house “for a weekend” and intended to profit off of the DeFeo murders from the very beginning.

Fortean Times Cover

Fortean Times Letter

Fortean Times Part 1

Fortean Times Part 2

Fortean Times Part 3

Fortean Times Part 4

Fortean Times Part 5

Fortean Times Part 6