The Night the DeFeos Died

About the Book

On November 13, 1974, police received a report of a homicide at 112 Ocean Avenue in the village of Amityville, a small seaside community located on Long Island´s South Shore.   Once there, the police discovered six members of the DeFeo family -- father, mother and four of their five children -- shot and killed execution style.  The surviving son, Ronald "Butch" DeFeo Jr., was eventually charged and tried for the murder of his family and is currently serving six concurrent life sentences.

Some theorize that Ronald DeFeo Jr. was a sociopath turned killer.  Others reason that Ronald DeFeo Jr. had to be possessed by the devil in order to shoot and kill the slumbering family he adored.  To this day, questions remain. Such as:

• Why did it appear that six members of the DeFeo family slept through eight high-powered gunshots?

• Why were all of the victims found in the same position in their beds?

• Is there any truth to Ronald DeFeo Jr.´s allegations that his sister, Dawn, was involved?

• Was the motive money, as the prosecution theorized?

• Was Ronald DeFeo Jr. possessed or insane at the time of the murders, or was that just a ploy for his defense?

• Was justice served, or was there a coverup instituted at the highest level in Suffolk County?

Ric Osuna´s The Night the DeFeos Died provides definitive answers to questions that have been left unanswered over the years about the case.  It also offers incontrovertible proof of the true motives behind this terrible tragedy and reveals Ronald DeFeo Jr. did not act alone in the commission of this crime.  Furthermore, The Night the DeFeos Died shows that certain unscrupulous people set up the supernatural stories to aid Ronald DeFeo Jr.’s defense while lining their own pockets.  This book finally puts to rest the false myths and misinformation surrounding the Amityville case.

A number of exclusives will be presented in The Night the DeFeos Died to give the reader, for the first time, an unbiased look at the facts that either were kept secret or were not published because they did not fit with the sensational qualities of the hoax. The Night the DeFeos Died is based upon:

• Exclusive interviews with the people who know the real story and have remained silent for the last 27 years.
• Affidavits from witnesses who now recant their original testimony given at the DeFeo trial.
• Trial transcripts, appeals and motions that tell a very different story from the one offered to the public.
• Forensic evidence that indicates that not all of the victims were asleep or in bed at the time of their deaths.
• Investigative reports that contradict many of the allegations set forth by the police and prosecution.
• Official reports from state agencies corroborating many allegations set forth by Ronald DeFeo Jr. against certain Suffolk County law enforcement agencies and personnel.
• Civil court documents, letters and testimony that prove, beyond a doubt, that The Amityville Horror was nothing but an elaborate hoax originally intended to aid Ronald DeFeo Jr.´s defense.
• Rare black-and-white photographs of the DeFeo family and their home that have never before been made public are included for readers.

Over the years, the famous Dutch Colonial house has inspired a string of successful books.  Unlike its competition, all of which are currently out-of-print, The Night the DeFeos Died is based upon concrete proof, not unfounded, half-researched

About the Author

In 1977, author Ric Osuna began following the famed Amityville case. Although he wavered for years between being a believer and a skeptic regarding the supernatural claims made about 112 Ocean Avenue, Ric Osuna was most intrigued by the concept that a whole family could be wiped out by one of its own. Yet puzzling questions remained. Was Ronald “Butch” DeFeo possessed by demons? Or was he a sociopath bent on murder? In 2000, author Ric Osuna began an in-depth investigation to discover the truth and set out to write The Night the DeFeos Died.