1
00:00:10,575 --> 00:00:18,366
[eerie music]
2
00:00:28,637 --> 00:00:30,769
[mellow jazz music]
3
00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:32,380
[announcer] This is suburbia,
4
00:00:32,510 --> 00:00:35,513
America's newest lifestyle.
5
00:00:35,644 --> 00:00:37,515
Home to more than half
the nation's population.
6
00:00:37,646 --> 00:00:40,605
America has a lot to learn
about this new lifestyle
7
00:00:40,736 --> 00:00:42,259
called suburbia,
8
00:00:42,390 --> 00:00:44,218
this booming new phenomenon
9
00:00:44,348 --> 00:00:47,308
that is happening across
the breadth of our land.
10
00:00:47,438 --> 00:00:49,527
One place to look for
some of the answers
11
00:00:49,658 --> 00:00:52,617
is to America's first
and largest suburb,
12
00:00:52,748 --> 00:00:54,793
Long Island, USA.
13
00:00:54,924 --> 00:00:56,447
[gentle acoustic guitar music]
14
00:00:56,578 --> 00:00:58,623
[Tommy] Amityville's
an old town,
15
00:00:58,754 --> 00:01:01,365
and it was one of the
major towns, you know.
16
00:01:01,496 --> 00:01:04,412
There was bootlegging
in the '30s and '40s.
17
00:01:04,542 --> 00:01:06,675
That's pretty much what
Amityville was known for.
18
00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:11,158
I mean, Al Capone lived there.
19
00:01:11,288 --> 00:01:14,378
He had a house down
there on the water.
20
00:01:14,509 --> 00:01:16,206
And my family
moved from Brooklyn
21
00:01:16,337 --> 00:01:19,209
out to Long Island in 1952.
22
00:01:19,340 --> 00:01:21,516
It was after the war,
when everybody was
23
00:01:21,646 --> 00:01:24,301
migrating out of the
city onto the Island.
24
00:01:24,432 --> 00:01:27,261
And I grew up there
in Amityville.
25
00:01:27,391 --> 00:01:29,132
[Hit Crew Big
Band's "High Hopes"]
26
00:01:29,263 --> 00:01:30,370
[singers] ♪ Next
time you're found
27
00:01:30,394 --> 00:01:32,179
♪ With your chin
On the ground ♪
28
00:01:32,309 --> 00:01:34,746
[Tommy] A few years
later, a family I knew
29
00:01:34,877 --> 00:01:39,621
called the DeFeos also moved
from Brooklyn to Amityville.
30
00:01:39,751 --> 00:01:43,712
They bought a house
on 112 Ocean Avenue.
31
00:01:43,842 --> 00:01:45,322
In the front yard,
32
00:01:45,453 --> 00:01:48,064
which would be the
side that the windows,
33
00:01:48,195 --> 00:01:49,848
the famous windows,
34
00:01:49,979 --> 00:01:52,416
they had a sign with a pole,
35
00:01:52,547 --> 00:01:55,202
and it looked like a
big, white shingle,
36
00:01:55,332 --> 00:01:56,594
but it was a piece of wood.
37
00:01:56,725 --> 00:01:58,857
And it said in black
letters, "High hopes."
38
00:01:58,988 --> 00:02:04,733
[singers] ♪ High hopes
He's got high hopes ♪
39
00:02:04,863 --> 00:02:06,604
♪ He's got...
40
00:02:06,735 --> 00:02:08,693
[Tommy] I took it as
being cool, you know?
41
00:02:08,824 --> 00:02:11,348
Like, who does that? Why
are you doing it, you know?
42
00:02:11,479 --> 00:02:13,698
You know, for... hey,
they must have high hopes.
43
00:02:13,829 --> 00:02:17,354
And I also took it as, like,
wherever they moved from,
44
00:02:17,485 --> 00:02:19,356
maybe they were starting
over, and this was
45
00:02:19,487 --> 00:02:22,316
gonna be the new thing,
and it was a good thing.
46
00:02:22,446 --> 00:02:24,318
It was a good sign, to me.
47
00:02:24,448 --> 00:02:29,192
[singers] ♪ Oops, there goes
Another problem, kerplop ♪
48
00:02:29,323 --> 00:02:31,847
♪ Kerplop
49
00:02:31,977 --> 00:02:34,850
But after what happened,
I kinda wondered
50
00:02:34,980 --> 00:02:38,245
why it was "high hopes."
51
00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:39,855
I don't know.
52
00:02:39,985 --> 00:02:43,685
[eerie synth music]
53
00:02:43,815 --> 00:02:48,298
♪
54
00:03:19,024 --> 00:03:26,336
♪
55
00:03:46,835 --> 00:03:49,533
[crickets chirping]
56
00:03:49,664 --> 00:03:52,710
[screaming, explosions on TV]
57
00:03:57,933 --> 00:04:02,285
[muffled chatter on TV]
58
00:04:02,416 --> 00:04:05,549
- [channel clicks]
- [static droning]
59
00:04:14,950 --> 00:04:17,822
[eerie tone]
60
00:04:17,953 --> 00:04:19,694
♪
61
00:04:19,824 --> 00:04:22,914
[gunshots]
62
00:04:23,045 --> 00:04:25,743
[dogs barking]
63
00:04:25,874 --> 00:04:29,617
[gunshots continue]
64
00:04:33,011 --> 00:04:35,275
[gunshot]
65
00:04:38,974 --> 00:04:40,236
[door opens]
66
00:04:40,367 --> 00:04:41,977
[gunshot]
67
00:04:42,107 --> 00:04:44,458
[dogs barking]
68
00:04:48,113 --> 00:04:50,986
[ominous music]
69
00:04:51,116 --> 00:04:53,510
♪
70
00:05:10,048 --> 00:05:14,749
[sirens wailing in distance]
71
00:05:14,879 --> 00:05:17,534
[creaking]
72
00:05:21,799 --> 00:05:23,975
[crowd chattering]
73
00:05:24,106 --> 00:05:26,326
[indistinct radio chatter]
74
00:05:29,981 --> 00:05:32,854
[Joel] I was the first
reporter on the scene.
75
00:05:32,984 --> 00:05:34,595
Not because of any
miracle or because
76
00:05:34,725 --> 00:05:36,466
I'm any magical person.
77
00:05:36,597 --> 00:05:37,946
I lived the closest.
78
00:05:40,775 --> 00:05:43,473
And we get there, and
there's a crowd of people.
79
00:05:43,604 --> 00:05:45,388
And you could see police cars
80
00:05:45,519 --> 00:05:47,912
and emergency vehicles,
lights flashing.
81
00:05:48,043 --> 00:05:50,524
And I just asked,
"What's happening?"
82
00:05:50,654 --> 00:05:52,197
They said, "A whole
family has been murdered."
83
00:05:52,221 --> 00:05:53,440
I said, "Oh, my God."
84
00:05:53,570 --> 00:05:56,617
[tense music]
85
00:05:56,747 --> 00:05:58,793
♪
86
00:06:02,797 --> 00:06:04,755
It was a very surreal scene.
87
00:06:06,017 --> 00:06:08,063
It almost was like you
were in some kind of
88
00:06:08,193 --> 00:06:09,847
science fiction horror movie,
89
00:06:09,978 --> 00:06:11,719
and everybody was very quiet.
90
00:06:13,677 --> 00:06:16,376
People were dead
silent, watching.
91
00:06:17,986 --> 00:06:20,118
And as I'm standing
there, dear God,
92
00:06:20,249 --> 00:06:22,512
I see them bringing out
one of the dead children.
93
00:06:22,643 --> 00:06:25,515
They accidentally dropped him.
94
00:06:27,125 --> 00:06:28,562
They dropped him on the ground.
95
00:06:28,692 --> 00:06:30,061
And when they put
him back on the tarp,
96
00:06:30,085 --> 00:06:32,130
before they covered him
again, for a moment,
97
00:06:32,261 --> 00:06:33,654
you could see the bullet hole.
98
00:06:35,786 --> 00:06:37,875
People all went... [gasps]
99
00:06:38,006 --> 00:06:40,574
all gasped, because it
was just heartbreaking.
100
00:06:41,705 --> 00:06:43,577
[Patrick] What can I
tell you about the case?
101
00:06:43,707 --> 00:06:45,883
I can tell you that
we have six bodies.
102
00:06:46,014 --> 00:06:47,494
We know that.
103
00:06:47,624 --> 00:06:52,412
They were found last night
in bed, shot and killed.
104
00:06:54,022 --> 00:06:55,173
[reporter 1] Do these
people appear to have
105
00:06:55,197 --> 00:06:56,677
been shot at very close range?
106
00:06:58,200 --> 00:06:59,723
[Patrick] They have been shot,
107
00:06:59,854 --> 00:07:01,527
and I would say it had
to be at close range
108
00:07:01,551 --> 00:07:04,032
because you can't get at a
long range within a house.
109
00:07:05,773 --> 00:07:07,427
[reporter 2] Chief,
how unusual is it
110
00:07:07,557 --> 00:07:08,797
to have six members of a family
111
00:07:08,906 --> 00:07:10,604
on two separate floors killed,
112
00:07:10,734 --> 00:07:12,693
and nobody moving
from their bed?
113
00:07:12,823 --> 00:07:15,043
It's not the experience that
I've ever had in that line.
114
00:07:21,136 --> 00:07:24,748
[Joel] And so I speak
to some kids who lived,
115
00:07:24,879 --> 00:07:27,534
you know, in the
neighborhood, right around.
116
00:07:27,664 --> 00:07:29,536
I said, "Listen, my
name is Joel Martin."
117
00:07:29,666 --> 00:07:32,016
"I'm the news director
at BAB here in Babylon."
118
00:07:32,147 --> 00:07:34,628
"BAB?" He said, "Are
you the crazy guy
119
00:07:34,758 --> 00:07:36,543
who does the shows about
the flying saucers?"
120
00:07:36,673 --> 00:07:38,153
I swear that was
the conversation.
121
00:07:38,283 --> 00:07:39,937
I said, "Yeah."
122
00:07:40,068 --> 00:07:43,463
Sure as heck, they tell
me the dog started to bark
123
00:07:43,593 --> 00:07:45,943
between 3:00 and 3:30 sometime.
124
00:07:46,074 --> 00:07:48,555
They have a hound or
one of those dogs that
125
00:07:48,685 --> 00:07:50,085
they don't bark so
much as they bay.
126
00:07:50,165 --> 00:07:51,645
It was baying.
127
00:07:51,775 --> 00:07:54,125
[imitates baying dog] Crying.
128
00:07:54,256 --> 00:07:56,780
Six members of the
DeFeo family are killed.
129
00:07:56,911 --> 00:07:58,591
I said, "So everybody
in the whole family?"
130
00:07:58,695 --> 00:08:01,959
"Oh, well, there's one...
One person left alive."
131
00:08:02,090 --> 00:08:03,657
I said, "Who's that?"
132
00:08:03,787 --> 00:08:07,051
"Ronnie... Ronnie DeFeo,
the sole surviving son."
133
00:08:09,271 --> 00:08:12,143
Ronald is being safeguarded
by Suffolk County Police
134
00:08:12,274 --> 00:08:14,078
- at this time.
- [reporter 1] Why safeguarded?
135
00:08:14,102 --> 00:08:17,105
Why? Because there's six
members of the family dead,
136
00:08:17,235 --> 00:08:18,672
and we don't know why,
137
00:08:18,802 --> 00:08:20,162
and he's the sole
remaining member.
138
00:08:20,238 --> 00:08:21,675
Is he also a suspect?
139
00:08:21,805 --> 00:08:23,981
[Patrick] He's not a
suspect at this time.
140
00:08:24,112 --> 00:08:25,505
[reporter 2] And
the dog was found
141
00:08:25,635 --> 00:08:26,835
in the basement of this house?
142
00:08:26,941 --> 00:08:28,812
Not in the basement,
but in the house.
143
00:08:28,943 --> 00:08:30,814
- [reporter 2] Alive?
- Yes, he's still alive.
144
00:08:30,945 --> 00:08:32,947
And I don't know... Where
is the dog at this time,
145
00:08:33,077 --> 00:08:34,601
do you know?
146
00:08:34,731 --> 00:08:36,274
[reporter 3] Anybody know
the name of the dog too?
147
00:08:36,298 --> 00:08:37,908
No, I don't.
148
00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:40,191
[interviewer] Mrs. Gangitano,
you knew the DeFeo family.
149
00:08:40,215 --> 00:08:41,279
What sort of people were they?
150
00:08:41,303 --> 00:08:43,174
I think they were
just very sweet,
151
00:08:43,305 --> 00:08:47,614
very religious people,
very family-minded people.
152
00:08:47,744 --> 00:08:49,024
And that's about
all I could say.
153
00:08:49,050 --> 00:08:52,183
Very good, very
generous, this type.
154
00:08:52,314 --> 00:08:55,012
Very close with their children.
155
00:08:55,143 --> 00:08:56,294
[interviewer] How was
their relationship
156
00:08:56,318 --> 00:08:58,102
with the oldest boy, Ron?
157
00:08:58,233 --> 00:08:59,669
[Gloria] The phone rang.
158
00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,019
We were having
supper or finishing.
159
00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:05,196
For some reason, I said, "I
wonder what's wrong now?"
160
00:09:05,327 --> 00:09:06,850
I don't know why.
161
00:09:06,981 --> 00:09:11,855
And someone said all
the DeFeos were killed,
162
00:09:11,986 --> 00:09:13,465
or were gone.
163
00:09:13,596 --> 00:09:18,775
And I thought, "Oh, was there
an explosion in the house?"
164
00:09:18,906 --> 00:09:22,039
What could I think of
that the whole family...
165
00:09:22,170 --> 00:09:26,348
And then they told me,
"No, they were shot."
166
00:09:26,478 --> 00:09:30,004
And then I think
I said, "Butchy."
167
00:09:30,134 --> 00:09:33,050
[eerie music]
168
00:09:33,181 --> 00:09:40,144
♪
169
00:09:43,191 --> 00:09:44,864
[interviewer] What kind
of a guy was Ron DeFeo?
170
00:09:44,888 --> 00:09:46,934
He didn't look for
trouble, you know?
171
00:09:47,064 --> 00:09:49,240
He was that type of
fellow, you know?
172
00:09:49,371 --> 00:09:50,764
He was all right.
173
00:09:50,894 --> 00:09:53,070
Like, he seemed a nice
guy to me, you know?
174
00:09:53,201 --> 00:09:55,246
[indistinct chatter]
175
00:09:55,377 --> 00:09:59,686
[Tommy] It was November
13th, 1974, in Henry's,
176
00:09:59,816 --> 00:10:00,991
was the last time I saw him.
177
00:10:01,122 --> 00:10:04,081
We were playing craps
on the pool table.
178
00:10:04,212 --> 00:10:07,911
He was in and out three
or four different times,
179
00:10:08,042 --> 00:10:09,913
which was totally
normal for him.
180
00:10:10,044 --> 00:10:13,787
And, um, Ronnie had
come back to the bar
181
00:10:13,917 --> 00:10:17,051
and said that, "The mob
just killed my father."
182
00:10:18,792 --> 00:10:20,794
I was thinking, this poor guy.
183
00:10:20,924 --> 00:10:22,926
Especially, you know,
being with him that day,
184
00:10:23,057 --> 00:10:25,102
you know, seeing
him all day long.
185
00:10:26,887 --> 00:10:29,759
Then I had gone home,
186
00:10:29,890 --> 00:10:32,240
and then I saw it on the
news later that night.
187
00:10:33,894 --> 00:10:35,330
I was stunned.
188
00:10:35,460 --> 00:10:36,940
It wasn't real.
189
00:10:37,071 --> 00:10:38,072
It was not real.
190
00:10:40,335 --> 00:10:43,773
[Gloria] Ronnie Sr.
Was a very caring,
191
00:10:43,904 --> 00:10:46,080
very protective father,
192
00:10:47,951 --> 00:10:51,912
and he wanted to have
his wife admire him.
193
00:10:53,304 --> 00:10:54,784
And Louise was sweet.
194
00:10:57,134 --> 00:10:59,180
And the kids were adorable.
195
00:10:59,310 --> 00:11:02,270
And I just think it's
just a heartbreaking,
196
00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,274
unbelievable situation.
197
00:11:06,404 --> 00:11:09,103
♪
198
00:11:14,108 --> 00:11:16,216
[Paula] My sister and I came
home from school that day,
199
00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:18,068
got off the school
bus, came home.
200
00:11:18,199 --> 00:11:21,855
I probably was watching
Dark Shadows on television.
201
00:11:21,985 --> 00:11:23,385
And then the 5
o'clock news came on,
202
00:11:23,465 --> 00:11:25,336
and I remember when we saw it.
203
00:11:25,467 --> 00:11:28,209
I said, "Mom, Mom, there
was a murder in Amityville."
204
00:11:28,339 --> 00:11:30,317
And then when we saw the whole
thing unfolding, and then
205
00:11:30,341 --> 00:11:32,169
every day when we
got home from school,
206
00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:34,104
we would rush home to
see what was on the news,
207
00:11:34,128 --> 00:11:35,956
because there was no
other way to find out.
208
00:11:37,522 --> 00:11:41,309
My mom, she volunteered at
the church in various ways,
209
00:11:41,439 --> 00:11:43,180
and so she would talk
to the other mothers
210
00:11:43,311 --> 00:11:44,984
and they would try to
find out from the police
211
00:11:45,008 --> 00:11:46,444
what was happening.
212
00:11:46,575 --> 00:11:49,230
So that was how we all
found out what was going on.
213
00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:51,972
The rumors were so crazy.
214
00:11:52,102 --> 00:11:53,462
You know, "I bet
it was the mafia."
215
00:11:53,582 --> 00:11:55,502
You know, there was all
this kind of speculation.
216
00:11:56,628 --> 00:11:59,849
There was a sense of tension.
217
00:11:59,980 --> 00:12:01,260
I remember thinking at the time,
218
00:12:01,329 --> 00:12:04,245
"Well, what family is
left to be with them
219
00:12:04,375 --> 00:12:05,681
when they go to the cemetery?"
220
00:12:05,812 --> 00:12:08,684
[somber music]
221
00:12:08,815 --> 00:12:15,865
♪
222
00:12:23,394 --> 00:12:26,963
I just remember just the
warmth whenever I walked in,
223
00:12:27,094 --> 00:12:28,922
and they had their
portraits up on the wall
224
00:12:29,052 --> 00:12:30,314
going up the stairs.
225
00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:35,842
There was Allison, and
then there was Dawn.
226
00:12:38,061 --> 00:12:41,195
And then there was
Marc and John Matthew.
227
00:12:44,024 --> 00:12:46,069
Her mother, Louise...
228
00:12:48,071 --> 00:12:50,030
and Ronnie with his dad.
229
00:12:53,381 --> 00:12:56,340
Dawn was in my class
in eighth grade.
230
00:12:58,081 --> 00:13:00,344
She really had a special
place in my heart.
231
00:13:02,651 --> 00:13:07,351
I had a instance where I fell
down the stairs in the school,
232
00:13:07,482 --> 00:13:10,528
and she was the only
person that came to my aid.
233
00:13:10,659 --> 00:13:12,400
So we became fast friends.
234
00:13:14,184 --> 00:13:16,796
♪
235
00:13:32,681 --> 00:13:35,945
[church bells chiming]
236
00:13:40,254 --> 00:13:41,908
[Paula] The day
of the funeral,
237
00:13:42,038 --> 00:13:44,998
we were sitting
in the choir loft.
238
00:13:45,128 --> 00:13:46,434
You could hear a pin drop.
239
00:13:46,564 --> 00:13:49,480
I mean, there was not
a sound in the place.
240
00:13:49,611 --> 00:13:50,481
There was no murmuring.
241
00:13:50,612 --> 00:13:52,396
It was just absolute silence.
242
00:13:52,527 --> 00:13:56,531
The doors open, and then
they bring in six coffins.
243
00:13:56,661 --> 00:13:59,926
[bells ringing]
244
00:14:08,195 --> 00:14:10,327
And it's just this procession...
245
00:14:10,458 --> 00:14:12,068
One after the other
after the other.
246
00:14:12,199 --> 00:14:14,549
And I remember it
was the first time
247
00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:16,159
that I actually thought,
248
00:14:16,290 --> 00:14:18,901
"Dawn is in one
of those boxes."
249
00:14:19,032 --> 00:14:20,337
Somebody that I knew.
250
00:14:20,468 --> 00:14:23,427
It was... there was
something... Again,
251
00:14:23,558 --> 00:14:27,214
it was so, um, unreal to watch.
252
00:14:35,526 --> 00:14:37,137
[Carol] I do remember
253
00:14:37,267 --> 00:14:40,488
when they were all
in their caskets,
254
00:14:40,618 --> 00:14:43,447
and my parents had to
basically carry me through.
255
00:14:45,623 --> 00:14:48,583
It was just devastating.
256
00:14:48,713 --> 00:14:50,324
[bell ringing]
257
00:14:50,454 --> 00:14:52,587
♪
258
00:14:52,717 --> 00:14:55,285
When they had the wake,
259
00:14:55,416 --> 00:14:59,986
they had these six coffins open,
260
00:15:00,116 --> 00:15:03,946
and some of them
were, like, deformed.
261
00:15:04,077 --> 00:15:08,342
Because... like, my father said,
"I don't recognize Louise,"
262
00:15:08,472 --> 00:15:09,952
you know?
263
00:15:10,083 --> 00:15:12,172
Such a sad time.
264
00:15:12,302 --> 00:15:14,348
Like, it was unbelievable.
265
00:15:14,478 --> 00:15:16,176
Unbelievable.
266
00:15:20,354 --> 00:15:23,487
Mrs. DeFeo's father
was at the wake
267
00:15:23,618 --> 00:15:26,534
with a gun,
268
00:15:26,664 --> 00:15:30,103
'cause he maybe was
involved in something
269
00:15:30,233 --> 00:15:34,063
and didn't know if
anyone was gonna come.
270
00:15:34,194 --> 00:15:36,065
I don't know what he expected.
271
00:15:36,196 --> 00:15:38,981
[church bells tolling]
272
00:15:58,783 --> 00:16:01,351
[Carol] And I had...
For a very long time,
273
00:16:01,482 --> 00:16:03,963
I was having dreams that
they were still alive.
274
00:16:05,181 --> 00:16:06,443
And that was really strange,
275
00:16:06,574 --> 00:16:08,619
because I would dream
that I would see
276
00:16:08,750 --> 00:16:10,534
the kids outside of the house.
277
00:16:10,665 --> 00:16:11,883
[camera shutter clicks]
278
00:16:12,014 --> 00:16:13,731
And then I would follow
them into the house,
279
00:16:13,755 --> 00:16:16,453
and the mother and
father were there, alive.
280
00:16:16,584 --> 00:16:19,065
And I'm like,
"What's going on?"
281
00:16:19,195 --> 00:16:21,197
"You guys shouldn't be here."
282
00:16:21,328 --> 00:16:24,548
And they were like, "Well,
it was just a way to get
283
00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:26,463
Ronnie committed, you know?"
284
00:16:26,594 --> 00:16:28,204
"It was a ruse."
285
00:16:28,335 --> 00:16:30,032
"You know, it was
a fake murder."
286
00:16:30,163 --> 00:16:32,730
I mean, I think it was my mind
287
00:16:32,861 --> 00:16:36,125
trying to make it not real.
288
00:16:38,301 --> 00:16:40,129
I had that dream
quite a few times.
289
00:16:40,260 --> 00:16:42,131
It's been a few years, though.
290
00:16:49,312 --> 00:16:51,140
[Ronnie] I would never
fight with my father,
291
00:16:51,271 --> 00:16:53,273
because I had no win, you know?
292
00:16:53,403 --> 00:16:54,728
I would run. He would
do all the hitting.
293
00:16:54,752 --> 00:16:56,015
I would run.
294
00:16:56,145 --> 00:16:57,755
I never raised my
hands at my father.
295
00:16:57,886 --> 00:16:59,453
He was the best
friend I ever had.
296
00:17:00,845 --> 00:17:02,238
No matter what I did,
297
00:17:02,369 --> 00:17:04,371
he was always there
for me to bail me out.
298
00:17:05,763 --> 00:17:07,417
Mr. DeFeo's physical size
299
00:17:07,548 --> 00:17:09,332
and his manner
matched perfectly.
300
00:17:09,463 --> 00:17:12,509
I remember asking my mother,
301
00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,164
"Is Mr. DeFeo... Is
he in the mafia?"
302
00:17:15,295 --> 00:17:17,340
You watch movies,
you're aware of things.
303
00:17:17,471 --> 00:17:19,081
And, you know, my mother said,
304
00:17:19,212 --> 00:17:21,562
"I don't... I don't
know, I don't know."
305
00:17:21,692 --> 00:17:24,739
He was definitely a presence
when he stepped into a space,
306
00:17:24,869 --> 00:17:26,654
like a made guy.
307
00:17:26,784 --> 00:17:28,656
He looked like a
big, imposing guy,
308
00:17:28,786 --> 00:17:30,440
and Ronnie did not.
309
00:17:30,571 --> 00:17:33,748
Mr. DeFeo, he worked at the
Buick dealer in Brooklyn.
310
00:17:33,878 --> 00:17:37,099
[tense music]
311
00:17:37,230 --> 00:17:39,101
The grandfather owned it.
312
00:17:40,494 --> 00:17:43,105
Ronnie, he worked
with his family,
313
00:17:43,236 --> 00:17:44,324
he's making a lot of money.
314
00:17:46,413 --> 00:17:50,286
Ronnie and his dad were
at a constant battle
315
00:17:50,417 --> 00:17:52,332
between each other.
316
00:17:53,811 --> 00:17:56,162
Because Ronnie wanted to do
whatever he wanted to do.
317
00:17:56,292 --> 00:17:57,835
He didn't think there
was any rules for him.
318
00:17:57,859 --> 00:17:59,426
He was a wise-ass.
319
00:17:59,556 --> 00:18:01,356
He didn't listen. He
didn't play by the rules.
320
00:18:01,384 --> 00:18:02,664
You know, he did what he wanted,
321
00:18:02,733 --> 00:18:04,494
went where he wanted,
came home when he wanted.
322
00:18:04,518 --> 00:18:07,695
[Laura] He had
attempted, Ronnie Jr.,
323
00:18:07,825 --> 00:18:11,612
to shoot his father
a year before.
324
00:18:11,742 --> 00:18:15,572
He claimed it was when he saw
his father hitting his mother,
325
00:18:15,703 --> 00:18:19,707
and he grabbed a
gun and put the gun
326
00:18:19,837 --> 00:18:21,274
to his father's temple,
327
00:18:21,404 --> 00:18:23,711
but it jammed in the chamber.
328
00:18:23,841 --> 00:18:29,282
After that, Big Ronnie
got religion in a big way.
329
00:18:29,412 --> 00:18:31,588
He felt it was a miracle.
330
00:18:31,719 --> 00:18:33,590
His life had been spared.
331
00:18:33,721 --> 00:18:37,681
[church choir singing]
332
00:18:37,812 --> 00:18:43,600
♪
333
00:18:59,225 --> 00:19:01,401
[eerie music]
334
00:19:06,623 --> 00:19:09,757
[Ronnie] My mother and me,
we were very, very close.
335
00:19:09,887 --> 00:19:12,499
Me and my two sisters,
we got along excellently.
336
00:19:12,629 --> 00:19:15,328
My two younger
brothers, Marc and John,
337
00:19:15,458 --> 00:19:17,199
we were very close,
too, you know.
338
00:19:17,330 --> 00:19:18,461
We used to go fishing.
339
00:19:18,592 --> 00:19:20,724
We were really a close
family, you know?
340
00:19:22,987 --> 00:19:25,468
It's a shame what happened,
but it happened, you know?
341
00:19:28,950 --> 00:19:31,257
[Carol] Ronnie... Butch...
342
00:19:31,387 --> 00:19:34,869
He was crazy man.
343
00:19:34,999 --> 00:19:39,308
Dawn would tell me from time
to time about his drugs,
344
00:19:39,439 --> 00:19:42,485
about his
over-excessive drinking.
345
00:19:42,616 --> 00:19:45,314
She would witness,
you know, the fights
346
00:19:45,445 --> 00:19:47,447
between her father and Ronnie.
347
00:19:48,535 --> 00:19:51,494
I never saw him work
hard a day in his life.
348
00:19:51,625 --> 00:19:53,670
He was just living off the folks
349
00:19:53,801 --> 00:19:55,585
and the grandparents.
350
00:19:56,891 --> 00:19:59,372
It was well known
that Michael Brigante,
351
00:19:59,502 --> 00:20:02,244
the grandfather, bought
the house for them.
352
00:20:02,375 --> 00:20:04,638
But Dawn was very
private about it.
353
00:20:06,074 --> 00:20:08,381
The DeFeos were involved
in mob activity,
354
00:20:08,511 --> 00:20:09,991
but it was... you know,
355
00:20:10,121 --> 00:20:11,401
you didn't really talk about it.
356
00:20:11,471 --> 00:20:13,168
They were very guarded.
357
00:20:13,299 --> 00:20:14,691
That's not something
you play with.
358
00:20:14,822 --> 00:20:16,693
I don't wanna know nothing.
359
00:20:16,824 --> 00:20:18,695
The least you know,
the better off you are.
360
00:20:18,826 --> 00:20:21,307
[tense music]
361
00:20:23,396 --> 00:20:25,485
[indistinct chatter]
362
00:20:34,668 --> 00:20:36,348
[reporter] Today, police
combed the DeFeos'
363
00:20:36,452 --> 00:20:37,852
handsome three-story
house for clues
364
00:20:37,932 --> 00:20:40,326
while divers explored the
backyard swimming pool
365
00:20:40,456 --> 00:20:42,545
for the still unfound
murder weapon.
366
00:20:42,676 --> 00:20:45,374
Police have been
questioning the son, Ronald.
367
00:20:45,505 --> 00:20:47,025
Investigators say,
without explanation,
368
00:20:47,115 --> 00:20:49,291
that they now feel young
DeFeo was in the house
369
00:20:49,422 --> 00:20:50,814
at the time of the murders.
370
00:20:52,860 --> 00:20:54,460
[Dennis] I was called
in the next morning
371
00:20:54,514 --> 00:20:56,864
to interview Ronald DeFeo.
372
00:20:58,561 --> 00:21:00,563
He continued to
change his story.
373
00:21:01,825 --> 00:21:04,480
At that time, I had
investigated about 50
374
00:21:04,611 --> 00:21:08,397
other murder cases, and
in talking to DeFeo,
375
00:21:08,528 --> 00:21:10,660
it was obvious that
he was deceiving us.
376
00:21:10,791 --> 00:21:14,490
[dramatic music]
377
00:21:14,621 --> 00:21:15,981
[Ronnie] I got
high. I used heroin.
378
00:21:16,013 --> 00:21:17,624
I was using a lot
of heroin back then.
379
00:21:17,754 --> 00:21:20,322
I was getting blackouts
but didn't realize it.
380
00:21:21,584 --> 00:21:23,369
I went upstairs,
and what happened...
381
00:21:23,499 --> 00:21:25,371
It was like a nightmare.
382
00:21:29,636 --> 00:21:31,701
I'm looking at my mother and
father dead, and my sister.
383
00:21:31,725 --> 00:21:33,379
I said, "My God."
I got scared.
384
00:21:33,509 --> 00:21:35,337
I ran out of the house,
jumped in my car,
385
00:21:35,468 --> 00:21:36,575
ran down the street,
got my friends,
386
00:21:36,599 --> 00:21:37,861
and came back to the house.
387
00:21:37,992 --> 00:21:40,560
They all went in the
house. I stood outside it.
388
00:21:40,690 --> 00:21:44,433
♪
389
00:21:55,705 --> 00:21:58,317
[Dennis] As a suspect,
initially he denied
390
00:21:58,447 --> 00:21:59,883
any involvement in the case.
391
00:22:00,014 --> 00:22:01,798
But as we continued
to talk to him,
392
00:22:01,929 --> 00:22:05,628
he displayed angry
feelings toward his parents
393
00:22:05,759 --> 00:22:08,936
and toward his family
and his family situation.
394
00:22:09,066 --> 00:22:11,982
He told us that when he
saw his brother get shot,
395
00:22:12,113 --> 00:22:13,810
he could see the leg twitching.
396
00:22:13,941 --> 00:22:15,397
And it was at that
point that we realized
397
00:22:15,421 --> 00:22:18,380
that he was definitely
at the scene of the crime
398
00:22:18,511 --> 00:22:19,947
and finally did admit
399
00:22:20,077 --> 00:22:22,732
that he hated his
mother and father.
400
00:22:22,863 --> 00:22:25,474
In fact, when we started
to interrogate him,
401
00:22:25,605 --> 00:22:27,563
he told us that he
had thrown the gun
402
00:22:27,694 --> 00:22:29,435
in the Great South Bay.
403
00:22:30,958 --> 00:22:33,308
And with the assistance
of the Marine Division,
404
00:22:33,439 --> 00:22:35,049
they recovered
the murder weapon,
405
00:22:35,179 --> 00:22:36,920
a 0.35 caliber Marlin.
406
00:22:37,051 --> 00:22:38,487
[gun clicks]
407
00:22:38,618 --> 00:22:40,620
[radio chatter]
408
00:22:44,885 --> 00:22:46,582
[gun clicks]
409
00:22:46,713 --> 00:22:49,672
And he also told us he
buried some bloody clothing
410
00:22:49,803 --> 00:22:52,893
in a street sewer in Queens
County in New York City,
411
00:22:53,023 --> 00:22:55,809
that only the killer would
have known where it was.
412
00:22:55,939 --> 00:23:03,469
♪
413
00:23:03,599 --> 00:23:05,427
We recovered that
bloody evidence.
414
00:23:05,558 --> 00:23:08,343
[camera shutter clicking]
415
00:23:08,474 --> 00:23:10,737
[distant sirens wailing]
416
00:23:10,867 --> 00:23:15,045
Eventually, he admitted to
killing his two brothers,
417
00:23:15,176 --> 00:23:16,873
two sisters, and his parents.
418
00:23:17,004 --> 00:23:18,804
[reporter] Police in
Suffolk County, New York,
419
00:23:18,832 --> 00:23:21,704
have charged 23-year-old
Ronald DeFeo Jr.
420
00:23:21,835 --> 00:23:24,490
With the execution-style
murders of his parents,
421
00:23:24,620 --> 00:23:26,056
two brothers, and two sisters.
422
00:23:26,187 --> 00:23:27,928
The bodies were
discovered Wednesday night
423
00:23:28,058 --> 00:23:29,973
at the family home in
Amityville, Long Island.
424
00:23:30,104 --> 00:23:32,541
[Carol] I remember seeing
it in the newspaper
425
00:23:32,672 --> 00:23:33,542
that he was charged.
426
00:23:33,673 --> 00:23:34,891
I wasn't surprised.
427
00:23:35,022 --> 00:23:36,023
I didn't believe it.
428
00:23:36,153 --> 00:23:37,894
I mean, two weeks before that,
429
00:23:38,025 --> 00:23:40,506
he was telling me how proud
he was of his younger brother
430
00:23:40,636 --> 00:23:42,986
making the Massapequa
Mustangs football team.
431
00:23:43,117 --> 00:23:45,032
And then you go
shoot him in his back
432
00:23:45,162 --> 00:23:46,322
while he's sleeping in a bed?
433
00:23:48,296 --> 00:23:50,429
It just seemed impossible.
434
00:23:56,173 --> 00:23:58,741
Why would Ronnie
confess to that?
435
00:23:58,872 --> 00:24:01,135
There's only a couple
possibilities in your mind...
436
00:24:01,265 --> 00:24:03,572
That he's scared to death,
437
00:24:03,703 --> 00:24:05,792
or the cops beat it out of him,
438
00:24:07,533 --> 00:24:09,709
or he was threatened.
439
00:24:12,015 --> 00:24:14,540
That's the only three
I can come up with.
440
00:24:19,327 --> 00:24:21,677
[Ronnie] I was really, uh...
441
00:24:21,808 --> 00:24:25,594
Really, really out of
it, mentally out of it.
442
00:24:25,725 --> 00:24:26,919
I remember the
lever on the rifle.
443
00:24:26,943 --> 00:24:28,336
I hit the lever on the rifle.
444
00:24:28,467 --> 00:24:29,966
A live round of ammunition
jumped out of the rifle...
445
00:24:29,990 --> 00:24:31,948
You know, ejected
from the rifle.
446
00:24:32,079 --> 00:24:36,083
And when it ejected, you
know, another one went in.
447
00:24:36,213 --> 00:24:38,781
I shot her... I thought I
had shot her in the neck,
448
00:24:38,912 --> 00:24:41,523
but I had shot her in the head.
449
00:24:41,654 --> 00:24:43,327
And then when I realized
what I did, you know,
450
00:24:43,351 --> 00:24:44,787
I said, "My God," you know?
451
00:24:44,918 --> 00:24:46,223
I mean, it happened so fast.
452
00:24:46,354 --> 00:24:47,703
I never even knew what I did.
453
00:24:49,662 --> 00:24:52,752
[gunshots]
454
00:24:54,841 --> 00:24:56,538
[gunshot]
455
00:24:56,669 --> 00:25:01,021
[gunshots continue]
456
00:25:01,151 --> 00:25:03,850
[dramatic music]
457
00:25:03,980 --> 00:25:05,828
[reporter] ...one major
question about this crime
458
00:25:05,852 --> 00:25:07,244
which still hasn't
been answered:
459
00:25:07,375 --> 00:25:08,811
the question of motive.
460
00:25:08,942 --> 00:25:10,987
It's reported that
Ronald DeFeo Jr. stood
461
00:25:11,118 --> 00:25:13,512
to gain about $200,000
in life insurance
462
00:25:13,642 --> 00:25:15,078
from the death of his family.
463
00:25:15,209 --> 00:25:17,907
Police say they're not ruling
that out as a possibility.
464
00:25:18,038 --> 00:25:19,692
No doubt, it's one
of the questions
465
00:25:19,822 --> 00:25:21,911
which will be considered by
the grand jury this week.
466
00:25:22,042 --> 00:25:25,654
In Amityville, Long Island,
Phil Barno, News Center 4.
467
00:25:27,395 --> 00:25:31,834
[Laura] Michael Brigante Sr.,
Ronnie's maternal grandfather,
468
00:25:31,965 --> 00:25:36,709
was a very emotional-type man,
469
00:25:36,839 --> 00:25:39,668
and the Brooklyn DA's
office was investigating
470
00:25:39,799 --> 00:25:44,325
the suspected ties
to Joe Colombo
471
00:25:44,455 --> 00:25:46,762
that the Brigante family had.
472
00:25:46,893 --> 00:25:50,157
They were being bugged.
473
00:25:50,287 --> 00:25:51,593
There were tapes.
474
00:25:51,724 --> 00:25:52,899
What you heard on the tapes
475
00:25:53,029 --> 00:25:56,598
was Michael Brigante Sr. saying,
476
00:25:56,729 --> 00:25:57,729
"What are we gonna do?"
477
00:25:57,773 --> 00:25:59,340
"If that kid gets off,
478
00:25:59,470 --> 00:26:02,038
if he's acquitted,
we got problems."
479
00:26:02,169 --> 00:26:05,694
"He knows too much
about what's going on
480
00:26:05,825 --> 00:26:07,566
in our business."
481
00:26:07,696 --> 00:26:10,046
After the verdict,
at the trials,
482
00:26:10,177 --> 00:26:12,788
he embraced his
grandson, kissed him,
483
00:26:12,919 --> 00:26:14,747
spoke to him in
Italian and English.
484
00:26:16,749 --> 00:26:18,968
I think this was more a case of,
485
00:26:19,099 --> 00:26:22,885
keep your friends close
and your enemies closer.
486
00:26:23,016 --> 00:26:25,061
[Herman] On your left,
you have the DeFeo house,
487
00:26:25,192 --> 00:26:29,283
where the six murders took
place in November '74.
488
00:26:29,413 --> 00:26:31,198
And of course, as
you know, I got
489
00:26:31,328 --> 00:26:32,939
involved in this murder case.
490
00:26:33,069 --> 00:26:35,245
[Michael] My father
was Herman Henry Race.
491
00:26:35,376 --> 00:26:41,904
He became a police officer,
detective, sergeant.
492
00:26:42,035 --> 00:26:45,038
Did you ever hear the
expression "crime pays"?
493
00:26:45,168 --> 00:26:46,648
Pays very well.
494
00:26:48,041 --> 00:26:50,870
So he became a
private investigator,
495
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:52,306
did a lot of criminal work.
496
00:26:52,436 --> 00:26:54,656
One of the cases he
got involved with
497
00:26:54,787 --> 00:26:56,832
was with the Colombo family.
498
00:26:56,963 --> 00:27:01,228
Michael Brigante, who is
the grandfather, the father
499
00:27:01,358 --> 00:27:03,404
of the deceased Louise DeFeo,
500
00:27:03,534 --> 00:27:07,887
personally asked me to conduct
an investigation to determine
501
00:27:08,017 --> 00:27:11,107
what really took place on
the night of the murders.
502
00:27:11,238 --> 00:27:12,935
"Where were you?"
503
00:27:13,066 --> 00:27:14,937
"What's the actual
cause of this?"
504
00:27:15,068 --> 00:27:18,637
"See... if you can, find
out what the motive was."
505
00:27:21,117 --> 00:27:24,207
And that's what Mike
Brigante was trying to do.
506
00:27:24,338 --> 00:27:26,645
One person killing
your entire family?
507
00:27:27,863 --> 00:27:28,995
It wasn't normal.
508
00:27:31,084 --> 00:27:32,868
There's a time frame involved.
509
00:27:32,999 --> 00:27:35,262
Did he have clarity
in what he was doing?
510
00:27:35,392 --> 00:27:36,959
I think he did.
511
00:27:37,090 --> 00:27:38,613
He went from room to room
512
00:27:38,744 --> 00:27:41,137
and executed his entire family.
513
00:27:41,268 --> 00:27:43,270
Here, you have people spread
out in different rooms
514
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:45,272
on different floors.
515
00:27:45,402 --> 00:27:47,013
It's not one person.
516
00:27:47,143 --> 00:27:49,711
It's impossible to do
this all by yourself.
517
00:27:51,104 --> 00:27:52,758
I mean, even with a
split personality,
518
00:27:52,888 --> 00:27:54,673
you can't be on two
different floors.
519
00:27:56,413 --> 00:27:58,764
Someone had to help him.
520
00:27:58,894 --> 00:28:00,766
The question is, is who?
521
00:28:03,420 --> 00:28:05,268
[William] You're talking about
the crime of the century,
522
00:28:05,292 --> 00:28:06,292
as far as I'm concerned.
523
00:28:08,382 --> 00:28:11,080
I have no explanation why Ronnie
524
00:28:11,211 --> 00:28:13,779
killed his whole family,
if at all he did.
525
00:28:15,084 --> 00:28:18,348
How a boy who loved his mother,
526
00:28:18,479 --> 00:28:22,135
who adored and idolized
his two younger brothers,
527
00:28:22,265 --> 00:28:24,877
could possibly do such
a thing, you know,
528
00:28:25,007 --> 00:28:27,967
to me, it was an
act of insanity.
529
00:28:28,097 --> 00:28:32,972
♪
530
00:28:37,498 --> 00:28:39,369
[Ellen] I'm Ellen Stark,
and I'm the daughter
531
00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:41,807
of Judge Thomas Stark,
who was the judge
532
00:28:41,937 --> 00:28:44,331
in the DeFeo murder trial.
533
00:28:44,461 --> 00:28:46,115
It just really
caught my attention
534
00:28:46,246 --> 00:28:49,423
when he talked about the
manner of people being killed.
535
00:28:49,553 --> 00:28:53,993
I do remember him talking about
DeFeo going from room to room
536
00:28:54,123 --> 00:28:55,298
and shooting everybody.
537
00:28:55,429 --> 00:28:57,344
I mean, that sort of
stuck in my memory.
538
00:28:58,214 --> 00:29:01,217
That was just horrifying,
that an entire family
539
00:29:01,348 --> 00:29:03,785
had been murdered.
540
00:29:06,179 --> 00:29:10,226
The DeFeo trial took
place in the fall of 1975.
541
00:29:10,357 --> 00:29:13,142
My father thought it
was a strong legal team
542
00:29:13,273 --> 00:29:14,273
on both sides.
543
00:29:15,579 --> 00:29:17,190
William Weber was
544
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:19,409
a very accomplished
defense lawyer,
545
00:29:19,540 --> 00:29:21,977
and Gerry Sullivan was an
accomplished prosecutor,
546
00:29:22,108 --> 00:29:24,110
so I think my father had
respect for both lawyers.
547
00:29:25,459 --> 00:29:29,332
Ronnie DeFeo, in my
view, is evil incarnate.
548
00:29:29,463 --> 00:29:30,551
Um...
549
00:29:30,681 --> 00:29:32,074
prosecuted cases for ten years,
550
00:29:32,205 --> 00:29:34,207
and many murderers among them.
551
00:29:34,337 --> 00:29:36,252
There has never been,
in my experience,
552
00:29:36,383 --> 00:29:38,428
and from what I know,
553
00:29:38,559 --> 00:29:41,562
certainly in the
metropolitan New York area,
554
00:29:41,692 --> 00:29:43,782
the history of crime
in recent years,
555
00:29:43,912 --> 00:29:45,827
there has never been
anybody to achieve
556
00:29:45,958 --> 00:29:47,478
the dimensions of
evil as Ronnie DeFeo.
557
00:29:47,568 --> 00:29:51,398
You're talking about eight
expertly-placed bullets
558
00:29:51,528 --> 00:29:54,749
by an individual who has been
described by an optometrist
559
00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:57,056
as being almost legally blind.
560
00:29:57,186 --> 00:29:59,232
About halfway through
his direct examination
561
00:29:59,362 --> 00:30:02,104
his attorney,
Mr. Weber, asked him
562
00:30:02,235 --> 00:30:05,368
point blank, "Ronnie, did
you kill your father?"
563
00:30:05,499 --> 00:30:08,981
And Ronnie answered, "Yes,
sir, I killed them all."
564
00:30:09,111 --> 00:30:11,461
"And I killed them before
they could kill me."
565
00:30:11,592 --> 00:30:14,813
♪
566
00:30:19,556 --> 00:30:24,126
There were two psychiatrists,
both of whom examined DeFeo.
567
00:30:24,257 --> 00:30:27,042
One was for the prosecution,
one was for the defense,
568
00:30:27,173 --> 00:30:30,132
and both psychiatrists
actually testified
569
00:30:30,263 --> 00:30:32,395
that they believed
that Ronald DeFeo
570
00:30:32,526 --> 00:30:34,310
had shot his entire family.
571
00:30:34,441 --> 00:30:37,966
It was just a question of
the psychiatrists' opinions
572
00:30:38,097 --> 00:30:41,317
on to what degree he
understood what he was doing.
573
00:30:41,448 --> 00:30:45,017
The psychiatrist who
testified for the prosecution
574
00:30:45,147 --> 00:30:47,367
was a man named
Dr. Harold Zolan,
575
00:30:47,497 --> 00:30:52,502
and he argued that DeFeo had
an antisocial personality,
576
00:30:52,633 --> 00:30:56,550
and that the fact that he
collected evidence afterwards
577
00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:00,075
and went and threw it in
a storm drain in Brooklyn
578
00:31:00,206 --> 00:31:02,382
was evidence that he
knew perfectly well
579
00:31:02,512 --> 00:31:04,123
what he was doing.
580
00:31:04,253 --> 00:31:07,996
Ronald DeFeo's
psychiatrist, Dr. Schwartz,
581
00:31:08,127 --> 00:31:10,520
argued that he was...
582
00:31:10,651 --> 00:31:13,132
I think he called it
paranoid psychosis.
583
00:31:13,262 --> 00:31:16,570
His argument was that
the murder was actually
584
00:31:16,700 --> 00:31:18,964
triggered by a movie
585
00:31:19,094 --> 00:31:21,227
that Ronald DeFeo was
watching that night,
586
00:31:21,357 --> 00:31:23,490
an old World War II
movie called Castle Keep.
587
00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:26,493
[playing organ]
588
00:31:26,623 --> 00:31:30,453
♪
589
00:31:47,209 --> 00:31:50,604
I believe that he was
so psychotic at the time
590
00:31:50,734 --> 00:31:54,390
of the murders that he was
not criminally responsible.
591
00:31:54,521 --> 00:31:59,395
This is a young man
who, from all we know,
592
00:31:59,526 --> 00:32:02,616
never really learned
to control his emotions
593
00:32:02,746 --> 00:32:04,226
in a reasonable way.
594
00:32:04,357 --> 00:32:07,621
He was filled with
murderous thoughts
595
00:32:07,751 --> 00:32:11,233
and paranoid ideas that
he was meant to be killed.
596
00:32:11,364 --> 00:32:12,644
And there came a
time in his life
597
00:32:12,713 --> 00:32:16,412
when he felt that he
had to kill others,
598
00:32:16,543 --> 00:32:18,545
lest he be killed.
599
00:32:18,675 --> 00:32:20,479
[Thomas] He apparently,
right from the beginning,
600
00:32:20,503 --> 00:32:25,073
decided to employ an
insanity defense upon trial.
601
00:32:25,204 --> 00:32:27,380
And he started a
concerted action
602
00:32:27,510 --> 00:32:32,080
in the jail to appear
that he was insane
603
00:32:32,211 --> 00:32:35,214
and insisted that the
correction officers
604
00:32:35,344 --> 00:32:38,391
write down in the log his
allegedly insane conduct.
605
00:32:41,350 --> 00:32:43,570
Of course, within 15
minutes, they came in
606
00:32:43,700 --> 00:32:47,139
and rendered their six
guilty as charged verdicts.
607
00:32:48,270 --> 00:32:52,448
In your mind, you're trying
to unwind this puzzle.
608
00:32:52,579 --> 00:32:55,103
It didn't make sense. A lot
of it didn't make sense.
609
00:32:55,234 --> 00:32:56,452
[camera shutter clicks]
610
00:33:00,195 --> 00:33:02,284
How does all these people sleep,
611
00:33:03,416 --> 00:33:08,203
one person shot and murdered,
and no one wakes up?
612
00:33:08,334 --> 00:33:10,553
I used to go deer hunting
with that same rifle.
613
00:33:10,684 --> 00:33:13,165
Not the same
rifle... that rifle.
614
00:33:14,427 --> 00:33:15,427
It's loud.
615
00:33:15,471 --> 00:33:18,257
And I believe it only holds six.
616
00:33:19,823 --> 00:33:24,132
So if you fire more than
six, you, as the suspect,
617
00:33:24,263 --> 00:33:26,047
have to reload it.
618
00:33:26,178 --> 00:33:30,008
[rifle chamber clicking]
619
00:33:30,138 --> 00:33:33,185
On the side is where you
put the cartridge in,
620
00:33:33,315 --> 00:33:35,317
and it goes into this tube.
621
00:33:35,448 --> 00:33:38,320
So when you pull the lever down,
622
00:33:38,451 --> 00:33:40,714
it ejects the shell casing.
623
00:33:40,844 --> 00:33:43,064
You close the lever
and raise it up.
624
00:33:43,195 --> 00:33:45,066
Another round goes
into the chamber.
625
00:33:45,197 --> 00:33:48,069
[eerie music]
626
00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:52,639
♪
627
00:33:52,769 --> 00:33:54,554
It's a lever action.
628
00:33:54,684 --> 00:33:56,164
It's not like a
pistol, where you can
629
00:33:56,295 --> 00:33:57,774
just keep pulling the trigger.
630
00:33:57,905 --> 00:34:00,690
You're shooting that
rifle inside of a house.
631
00:34:00,821 --> 00:34:03,606
The echo effect is tremendous.
632
00:34:03,737 --> 00:34:05,347
[gunshot echoing]
633
00:34:05,478 --> 00:34:06,479
No one wakes up.
634
00:34:08,350 --> 00:34:10,570
So what does that tell you?
635
00:34:10,700 --> 00:34:12,485
It wasn't Ron Jr. by himself.
636
00:34:14,748 --> 00:34:16,489
So you're taking time.
637
00:34:16,619 --> 00:34:19,361
It's almost, and I say
almost, inconceivable
638
00:34:19,492 --> 00:34:22,408
that the sounds
wouldn't wake somebody.
639
00:34:22,538 --> 00:34:27,108
However, if somebody was
there to pacify the children
640
00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:28,303
and say, "Go back to sleep"...
641
00:34:28,327 --> 00:34:30,155
"Lie down on your stomach."
642
00:34:30,285 --> 00:34:31,525
"I don't want to
see your face."
643
00:34:34,811 --> 00:34:37,336
It probably happened that way,
that they did go back to sleep
644
00:34:37,466 --> 00:34:39,555
until they, too,
met their demise.
645
00:34:41,340 --> 00:34:44,212
Proving it is a whole
different ball game.
646
00:34:44,343 --> 00:34:47,476
You can't, 'cause it
was never brought up.
647
00:34:47,607 --> 00:34:50,218
Once they made the
arrest, the case was over.
648
00:34:51,611 --> 00:34:54,483
[dark music]
649
00:34:54,614 --> 00:34:58,226
♪
650
00:35:02,491 --> 00:35:04,102
[Hans] Dr. Daniel Schwartz,
651
00:35:04,232 --> 00:35:06,669
what do you feel is
the underlying cause
652
00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,411
that made DeFeo
commit these crimes?
653
00:35:09,542 --> 00:35:12,110
[Daniel] Uh, he grew
up as a violent man
654
00:35:12,240 --> 00:35:13,894
in a house of violence.
655
00:35:14,024 --> 00:35:17,419
Or do you think he
might be the recipient
656
00:35:17,550 --> 00:35:20,727
of some extraordinary
influences in the house?
657
00:35:20,857 --> 00:35:22,424
I don't know.
658
00:35:22,555 --> 00:35:24,557
I have an open mind
about things like this.
659
00:35:24,687 --> 00:35:25,688
I just don't know.
660
00:35:25,819 --> 00:35:27,560
The questions in the DeFeo case
661
00:35:27,690 --> 00:35:30,345
need more than
conventional explanations.
662
00:35:30,476 --> 00:35:33,305
Perhaps Ronnie may have
acted under the influence
663
00:35:33,435 --> 00:35:37,091
of unknown forces beyond his
control or understanding.
664
00:35:37,222 --> 00:35:39,702
Six people died on Ocean Avenue.
665
00:35:39,833 --> 00:35:43,097
Was Ronnie, in fact,
the seventh victim?
666
00:35:43,228 --> 00:35:45,621
[beeping]
667
00:35:45,752 --> 00:35:48,842
[suspenseful music]
668
00:35:48,972 --> 00:35:50,670
My name is Hans Holzer.
669
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:52,411
I'm a parapsychologist,
670
00:35:52,541 --> 00:35:55,501
but most people know
me as the Ghost Hunter.
671
00:35:55,631 --> 00:35:59,200
And I'm about to take you along
on a tour of haunted places,
672
00:35:59,331 --> 00:36:02,247
so get set to come
along on my ghost hunt.
673
00:36:02,377 --> 00:36:04,814
And remember, friends,
this isn't fiction.
674
00:36:04,945 --> 00:36:09,471
What you're about to see
and hear is the real thing.
675
00:36:09,602 --> 00:36:11,691
♪
676
00:36:11,821 --> 00:36:13,649
What did you see?
677
00:36:13,780 --> 00:36:16,348
I saw a woman
standing in the aisle.
678
00:36:16,478 --> 00:36:20,613
So I said to her, "Wait,
lady, turn the lights on."
679
00:36:20,743 --> 00:36:22,441
"You'll fall."
680
00:36:22,571 --> 00:36:26,662
And uh, I turned away and was
going to the light switch.
681
00:36:26,793 --> 00:36:29,187
And when I turned to
look at her again,
682
00:36:29,317 --> 00:36:31,624
she disappeared
right into thin air.
683
00:36:31,754 --> 00:36:34,627
I understand you've also
heard some strange noises.
684
00:36:36,585 --> 00:36:37,717
[Alexandra] My father,
685
00:36:37,847 --> 00:36:39,936
famed ghost hunter
Dr. Hans Holzer,
686
00:36:40,067 --> 00:36:42,243
was born in Vienna, Austria.
687
00:36:42,374 --> 00:36:44,506
He became a skeptic
journalist on his own.
688
00:36:44,637 --> 00:36:48,336
I think that we have to
relieve somebody here.
689
00:36:48,467 --> 00:36:50,208
And this is something
from the past?
690
00:36:50,338 --> 00:36:51,513
Oh, yes. Well past.
691
00:36:51,644 --> 00:36:54,168
I mean, not yesterday
or... Or this century.
692
00:36:54,299 --> 00:36:55,299
- Yes, yes.
- Going back.
693
00:36:55,387 --> 00:36:56,997
- Another century.
- Another century.
694
00:36:57,127 --> 00:36:58,496
And you feel it is
still lingering on
695
00:36:58,520 --> 00:36:59,652
here in the atmosphere?
696
00:36:59,782 --> 00:37:01,871
He started to report
697
00:37:02,002 --> 00:37:04,178
on people's experiences
698
00:37:04,309 --> 00:37:06,006
of odd occurrences
and happenings.
699
00:37:06,136 --> 00:37:08,356
The first book he wrote was
called The Ghost Hunter.
700
00:37:09,575 --> 00:37:12,404
When that book became
very successful,
701
00:37:12,534 --> 00:37:14,928
that really was the
pinnacle moment for him,
702
00:37:15,058 --> 00:37:16,886
and that became the work.
703
00:37:17,017 --> 00:37:19,498
He published over 145 titles.
704
00:37:19,628 --> 00:37:26,374
♪
705
00:37:28,855 --> 00:37:33,425
Have you any tangible proof
of having seen a ghost?
706
00:37:33,555 --> 00:37:36,341
I've developed a
photography technique
707
00:37:36,471 --> 00:37:38,517
to take photographs
in haunted houses.
708
00:37:38,647 --> 00:37:40,364
- [interviewer] You got 'em?
- Oh, I sure have 'em.
709
00:37:40,388 --> 00:37:42,105
But I must tell you, my
film has been examined
710
00:37:42,129 --> 00:37:43,565
before and after by experts,
711
00:37:43,696 --> 00:37:46,568
and no artificial
light sources are used.
712
00:37:46,699 --> 00:37:47,850
[interviewer] Where
is the ghost, though?
713
00:37:47,874 --> 00:37:49,373
[Hans] On the left
side, and you can see
714
00:37:49,397 --> 00:37:50,757
what looks like
transparent figures
715
00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:52,357
of hooded monks.
716
00:37:53,706 --> 00:37:55,586
- [scattered laughter]
- [interviewer] Ooh, boy.
717
00:37:55,621 --> 00:37:56,859
I really think this is a subject
718
00:37:56,883 --> 00:37:59,538
that should not
be made light of.
719
00:37:59,668 --> 00:38:02,367
[Alexandra] My father
was a very serious man.
720
00:38:03,716 --> 00:38:07,023
What happens with
spirit photography,
721
00:38:07,154 --> 00:38:10,375
something is entering your frame
722
00:38:10,505 --> 00:38:12,333
and clogging it up.
723
00:38:12,464 --> 00:38:13,876
[Hans] What is strange
about this picture
724
00:38:13,900 --> 00:38:16,294
is that there seems to
be a triple exposure
725
00:38:16,424 --> 00:38:17,773
when only one was made by me.
726
00:38:17,904 --> 00:38:20,515
[Alexandra] So we know
when there's a murder,
727
00:38:20,646 --> 00:38:22,952
a trapped ghost will
step inside your frame.
728
00:38:23,083 --> 00:38:24,693
For my father, it was important
729
00:38:24,824 --> 00:38:26,826
because there's a
science to everything.
730
00:38:29,611 --> 00:38:32,571
[Erik] Part of our
condition as human beings
731
00:38:32,701 --> 00:38:35,356
is that there are
anomalous experiences,
732
00:38:35,487 --> 00:38:37,029
whether we want to
acknowledge them or not.
733
00:38:37,053 --> 00:38:39,795
They just keep on happening.
734
00:38:40,666 --> 00:38:43,843
And what we see in the '70s,
paranormal investigators,
735
00:38:43,973 --> 00:38:46,628
they all have good technology,
they're recording things.
736
00:38:46,759 --> 00:38:51,851
I was... I was laughing at
a clown in a big red suit.
737
00:38:51,981 --> 00:38:54,984
Uh, he was making me laugh.
738
00:38:55,115 --> 00:38:56,812
He was very jolly.
739
00:38:56,943 --> 00:39:00,642
And uh, he was holding these
three big, red balloons.
740
00:39:00,773 --> 00:39:02,949
They approach it as
a kind of science,
741
00:39:03,079 --> 00:39:05,517
because this idea that you
could connect with something
742
00:39:05,647 --> 00:39:06,953
that would give you messages,
743
00:39:07,083 --> 00:39:10,043
that's pretty fantastical
for a lot of people.
744
00:39:10,173 --> 00:39:13,568
So then they turn to science
to prove the paranormal.
745
00:39:13,699 --> 00:39:15,483
Is it truth or is it a hoax?
746
00:39:15,614 --> 00:39:17,616
Even though it's very
powerful just as a story,
747
00:39:17,746 --> 00:39:21,663
it has to be more than
that, more than just myth.
748
00:39:22,969 --> 00:39:25,711
One might suppose that
in this modern age
749
00:39:25,841 --> 00:39:28,844
dominated by the remarkable
accomplishments of science,
750
00:39:28,975 --> 00:39:31,630
the ancient world of the
occult would be dying out.
751
00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:33,458
Instead, many occult
beliefs and practices
752
00:39:33,588 --> 00:39:34,894
seem to be thriving.
753
00:39:35,024 --> 00:39:37,113
The Committee for the
Scientific Investigation
754
00:39:37,244 --> 00:39:39,159
of Claims of the Paranormal.
755
00:39:39,289 --> 00:39:42,597
It is made up of scientists,
writers, even magicians,
756
00:39:42,728 --> 00:39:44,904
who are worried that too
many people these days
757
00:39:45,034 --> 00:39:46,819
are believing in
too many things.
758
00:39:46,949 --> 00:39:49,561
So if the doorbell rings in
the middle of the night tonight
759
00:39:49,691 --> 00:39:51,824
and a ghost is standing
there, simply refer him
760
00:39:51,954 --> 00:39:54,522
to the local paranormal
chapter and go back to bed.
761
00:39:59,614 --> 00:40:02,051
When I think about the
Amityville murders,
762
00:40:02,182 --> 00:40:04,532
what was so odd about this case
763
00:40:04,663 --> 00:40:07,013
was that nobody heard
the guns go off.
764
00:40:08,841 --> 00:40:10,886
If you go out to Long
Island, you see the houses,
765
00:40:11,017 --> 00:40:12,627
they're kinda close
to each other,
766
00:40:12,758 --> 00:40:14,499
especially on that street.
767
00:40:16,718 --> 00:40:18,503
All the shots went,
so it would have been,
768
00:40:18,633 --> 00:40:20,069
bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,
769
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:21,897
in the middle of the night.
770
00:40:22,028 --> 00:40:24,108
No lights go on in the houses
on either side of them.
771
00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:25,553
Nobody hears anything.
772
00:40:28,164 --> 00:40:31,864
My father read about the
story in The New York Times,
773
00:40:33,735 --> 00:40:35,535
and he wanted to know
what was going on there.
774
00:40:35,650 --> 00:40:37,870
[tense music]
775
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,047
His theory was that in
a moment of possession,
776
00:40:41,177 --> 00:40:44,877
no sound will travel beyond
the walls in that house.
777
00:40:45,007 --> 00:40:47,923
♪
778
00:41:03,199 --> 00:41:05,071
[static droning]
779
00:41:07,290 --> 00:41:10,729
[muffled gunshots]
780
00:41:15,255 --> 00:41:18,650
[muffled gunshots]
781
00:41:20,173 --> 00:41:25,047
♪
782
00:41:30,270 --> 00:41:34,709
He was given access not once
but twice to Ronald DeFeo.
783
00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,756
He wanted to talk to
the murderer himself.
784
00:41:40,149 --> 00:41:43,718
[Hans] I want you
to relax, Ronald.
785
00:41:43,849 --> 00:41:45,590
Close your eyes and
listen to my voice
786
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:48,593
coming to you from a distance.
787
00:41:48,723 --> 00:41:50,551
I want you to go
back in time now.
788
00:41:50,682 --> 00:41:52,205
[tape scrolling]
789
00:41:52,335 --> 00:41:55,600
[distorted voices]
790
00:41:59,168 --> 00:42:02,171
You are just 20 years old.
791
00:42:02,302 --> 00:42:05,784
Now, when you first moved
into 112 Ocean Avenue
792
00:42:05,914 --> 00:42:09,570
in Amityville, did you
feel anything at all
793
00:42:09,701 --> 00:42:11,572
about the atmosphere
in the house?
794
00:42:11,703 --> 00:42:13,922
[Ronnie] Well, when I
first moved in, you know,
795
00:42:14,053 --> 00:42:16,751
you start hearing noises and
different things at night.
796
00:42:16,882 --> 00:42:19,188
[Hans] What did you hear?
797
00:42:19,319 --> 00:42:20,905
[Ronnie] You thought that
somebody might have been
798
00:42:20,929 --> 00:42:23,018
walking around, pipes banging.
799
00:42:23,149 --> 00:42:25,020
All these, you know,
strange noises, you know.
800
00:42:25,151 --> 00:42:28,023
[Hans] Did you tell
anyone about it?
801
00:42:28,154 --> 00:42:29,784
[Ronnie] Yeah, they were
up walking around too,
802
00:42:29,808 --> 00:42:31,113
the members of my family.
803
00:42:31,244 --> 00:42:32,874
Everybody thought there
was somebody in there.
804
00:42:32,898 --> 00:42:34,092
[Hans] And they didn't
see anything either?
805
00:42:34,116 --> 00:42:35,683
[Ronnie] No.
806
00:42:35,814 --> 00:42:37,642
Once in a while
you'd hear screaming,
807
00:42:37,772 --> 00:42:39,818
but there wasn't
nobody screaming.
808
00:42:39,948 --> 00:42:42,821
[Hans] Did you ever see any
object move by themselves?
809
00:42:44,039 --> 00:42:45,606
[Ronnie] I never
saw anything move,
810
00:42:45,737 --> 00:42:47,042
but there was things moved.
811
00:42:47,173 --> 00:42:49,001
Who moved them, to
this day, I don't know.
812
00:42:49,131 --> 00:42:50,872
[Hans] Did your
family members report
813
00:42:51,003 --> 00:42:53,179
anything unusual
to you in that way?
814
00:42:53,309 --> 00:42:55,573
[Ronnie] I recall my mother
or somebody at one time
815
00:42:55,703 --> 00:42:57,313
said they saw something.
816
00:42:57,444 --> 00:42:59,185
[Hans] She said she saw a ghost?
817
00:42:59,315 --> 00:43:01,666
[Ronnie] No, that they felt
the devil was in the house.
818
00:43:03,450 --> 00:43:06,845
[Gloria] None of the neighbors
associated with them.
819
00:43:06,975 --> 00:43:10,675
They saw some crazy behavior.
820
00:43:10,805 --> 00:43:15,984
Mr. DeFeo said he had a
hotline to St. Joseph.
821
00:43:16,898 --> 00:43:21,773
The neighbors told me after,
he would run out in his shorts
822
00:43:21,903 --> 00:43:24,210
and pray in front of the statue.
823
00:43:24,340 --> 00:43:26,299
Who knows? I don't know.
824
00:43:26,429 --> 00:43:29,302
[tense music]
825
00:43:29,432 --> 00:43:32,392
♪
826
00:43:32,522 --> 00:43:36,744
One time, we had
dinner at his house.
827
00:43:36,875 --> 00:43:41,314
Mr. DeFeo asked us
if we knew which side
828
00:43:41,444 --> 00:43:44,230
Jesus was stabbed on.
829
00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:46,362
None of us could answer.
830
00:43:46,493 --> 00:43:48,756
And he said, well, he knows
831
00:43:48,887 --> 00:43:51,803
because he was at
the crucifixion.
832
00:43:51,933 --> 00:43:54,893
[eerie choral music]
833
00:43:55,023 --> 00:43:58,766
♪
834
00:44:08,950 --> 00:44:10,343
Nobody was drugged.
835
00:44:10,473 --> 00:44:11,953
Nobody heard any shots.
836
00:44:12,084 --> 00:44:14,913
And to this day, all
the clever lawyers
837
00:44:15,043 --> 00:44:17,916
and all the police officers
have no answer to this,
838
00:44:18,046 --> 00:44:20,788
because they just aren't
qualified to understand it.
839
00:44:29,014 --> 00:44:31,103
[Alexandra] My father's
experiences always were
840
00:44:31,233 --> 00:44:33,409
through the mediums
and/or psychics
841
00:44:33,540 --> 00:44:35,281
that he would work with.
842
00:44:35,411 --> 00:44:38,980
They have the ability
to see, hear, feel,
843
00:44:39,111 --> 00:44:41,853
to receive a lot of information,
844
00:44:41,983 --> 00:44:45,117
which can be very
scary at times.
845
00:44:45,247 --> 00:44:47,685
And it's handed
down by generations.
846
00:44:49,512 --> 00:44:50,775
That's the Holzer method.
847
00:44:50,905 --> 00:44:52,274
That's the combination
of the science
848
00:44:52,298 --> 00:44:54,692
and then the
otherworldly, if you will.
849
00:44:57,172 --> 00:44:59,958
Ethel Johnson-Meyers
was one of the mediums
850
00:45:00,088 --> 00:45:02,351
he liked to work with.
851
00:45:02,482 --> 00:45:04,397
She was actually
formerly an opera singer,
852
00:45:04,527 --> 00:45:06,791
very quiet and frail.
853
00:45:06,921 --> 00:45:08,662
Then her voice just
kind of, you know,
854
00:45:08,793 --> 00:45:10,033
would just drop down an octave.
855
00:45:10,142 --> 00:45:12,884
It's like a male
voice coming through.
856
00:45:13,014 --> 00:45:14,973
She's like... [voice
deepens] "I'm feeling."
857
00:45:17,018 --> 00:45:18,977
He brought Ethel to
the house in Amityville
858
00:45:19,107 --> 00:45:21,806
at 112 Ocean Avenue,
859
00:45:21,936 --> 00:45:24,809
and they started doing
a tour of the house.
860
00:45:28,073 --> 00:45:30,423
How my father described it was,
861
00:45:30,553 --> 00:45:32,730
even when they were driving
up towards the house,
862
00:45:32,860 --> 00:45:36,211
she immediately felt a
very strong presence there.
863
00:45:36,342 --> 00:45:38,823
They started to take
the Polaroid photos.
864
00:45:38,953 --> 00:45:41,303
[projector whirring]
865
00:45:45,003 --> 00:45:48,354
And something is entering frame
866
00:45:48,484 --> 00:45:51,009
and clogging it up.
867
00:45:51,139 --> 00:45:53,054
There's other Polaroid shots
868
00:45:53,185 --> 00:45:55,927
where you'll see
the bullet holes.
869
00:45:56,057 --> 00:46:00,453
Around the bullet hole is what
we call, like, a halo glow,
870
00:46:00,583 --> 00:46:05,327
which is this residual energy
that's surrounding them,
871
00:46:05,458 --> 00:46:08,374
and what my father believed was,
872
00:46:08,504 --> 00:46:11,812
your spirit energy is
manifesting, showing you,
873
00:46:11,943 --> 00:46:13,379
in this moment,
we're still here.
874
00:46:13,509 --> 00:46:15,947
There's no botching
it. There's no fakery.
875
00:46:17,296 --> 00:46:19,341
It's... it's heartbreaking,
'cause we know
876
00:46:19,472 --> 00:46:21,213
what those bullets did.
877
00:46:23,084 --> 00:46:25,043
Ethel went into a trance,
878
00:46:26,087 --> 00:46:29,047
so she allows whoever
or whatever is there
879
00:46:29,177 --> 00:46:30,918
to take over her body.
880
00:46:32,137 --> 00:46:34,356
Her throat would close up
and she would be choking,
881
00:46:34,487 --> 00:46:36,445
because, you know,
the spirit was trying
882
00:46:36,576 --> 00:46:38,230
to enter her to communicate.
883
00:47:28,367 --> 00:47:30,456
My father really started to pull
884
00:47:30,586 --> 00:47:33,328
a picture of an angry man
885
00:47:33,459 --> 00:47:36,418
from the past who
had certain beliefs
886
00:47:36,549 --> 00:47:38,986
and structures that this
was their land they live on.
887
00:47:39,117 --> 00:47:40,945
That was very specific,
888
00:47:41,075 --> 00:47:43,512
because we were now
getting some information
889
00:47:43,643 --> 00:47:44,949
as to why he was there.
890
00:47:45,079 --> 00:47:47,908
[eerie music]
891
00:47:48,039 --> 00:47:55,133
♪
892
00:48:09,147 --> 00:48:10,515
[Alexandra] Could he
have possibly influenced
893
00:48:10,539 --> 00:48:14,848
somebody like Ronald DeFeo
out of anger and spite?
894
00:48:14,979 --> 00:48:17,198
And um, my father believed so.
895
00:48:20,332 --> 00:48:23,465
The only, uh, story I've ever
heard about any Indian being
896
00:48:23,596 --> 00:48:25,946
buried in that area
was south of the house
897
00:48:26,077 --> 00:48:27,600
that you're discussing,
898
00:48:27,730 --> 00:48:30,211
and it was reporting
899
00:48:30,342 --> 00:48:31,909
that they had
discovered the skeleton
900
00:48:32,039 --> 00:48:33,649
of an Indian chief.
901
00:48:33,780 --> 00:48:36,087
Um, indicated that was a chief
902
00:48:36,217 --> 00:48:38,002
because he was in a
standing position.
903
00:48:38,132 --> 00:48:40,004
[Hans] And what happened
to the skeleton?
904
00:48:40,134 --> 00:48:42,267
[Seth] I don't know.
905
00:48:42,397 --> 00:48:45,357
There's a lot to be said
about bad happenings on land.
906
00:48:45,487 --> 00:48:49,100
So we have a home or a barn
and things keep happening,
907
00:48:49,230 --> 00:48:50,729
somebody keeps dying,
or there's a murder,
908
00:48:50,753 --> 00:48:52,277
or death is all around us.
909
00:48:52,407 --> 00:48:54,235
There's something
negative going on there.
910
00:48:54,366 --> 00:48:57,238
And I refer to it like
a vortex or a portal
911
00:48:57,369 --> 00:48:59,980
of negative energies that
are coming in and out
912
00:49:00,111 --> 00:49:01,547
and wreaking havoc in that area.
913
00:49:01,677 --> 00:49:04,506
♪
914
00:49:07,727 --> 00:49:11,078
[birds squawking]
915
00:49:17,650 --> 00:49:19,541
[Hans] I discovered around
the turn of the century,
916
00:49:19,565 --> 00:49:23,438
around 1900, a skeleton of
an Indian chief on a horse
917
00:49:23,569 --> 00:49:27,268
had partially been exposed
during a rainstorm.
918
00:49:27,399 --> 00:49:31,055
And the skeleton's head
had been broken off
919
00:49:31,185 --> 00:49:33,144
by a youngster who then
played football with it,
920
00:49:33,274 --> 00:49:36,712
and that is when all
the trouble started.
921
00:49:36,843 --> 00:49:39,977
He felt that the environment
922
00:49:40,107 --> 00:49:43,023
that Ronnie DeFeo
was growing up in,
923
00:49:43,154 --> 00:49:44,285
they move into this house,
924
00:49:44,416 --> 00:49:46,548
the abuse that was going on,
925
00:49:46,679 --> 00:49:50,030
it made them prime
suspects to be taken over
926
00:49:50,161 --> 00:49:53,033
by this angry Indian chief.
927
00:49:56,123 --> 00:49:59,170
The area developed
over the years.
928
00:49:59,300 --> 00:50:01,694
You know, 100 years
later, it's a booming
929
00:50:01,824 --> 00:50:03,565
boating, fishing town.
930
00:50:03,696 --> 00:50:06,003
[ominous music]
931
00:50:07,700 --> 00:50:09,397
You know, if you put
in the negative energy
932
00:50:09,528 --> 00:50:12,748
of such a dysfunctional family
like the DeFeos, for instance,
933
00:50:12,879 --> 00:50:14,315
yes, these things can happen.
934
00:50:14,446 --> 00:50:17,057
But it's from an... Almost
like an ancient energy,
935
00:50:17,188 --> 00:50:18,450
if you will.
936
00:50:18,580 --> 00:50:20,321
Like an ancient evil.
937
00:50:27,676 --> 00:50:29,069
[eerie voices echoing]
938
00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:31,134
[Alexandra] To me, I look
at it more like a murder.
939
00:50:31,158 --> 00:50:33,117
And then the aftermath is
940
00:50:33,247 --> 00:50:34,727
the lingering energies
that were there
941
00:50:34,857 --> 00:50:37,512
and whoever stayed around,
942
00:50:39,210 --> 00:50:40,428
unfortunately.
943
00:50:43,388 --> 00:50:45,825
[Paula] There was a
moment there in the '70s,
944
00:50:45,955 --> 00:50:48,828
early to mid '70s, where
there was an awareness
945
00:50:48,958 --> 00:50:50,612
of Native American culture.
946
00:50:52,353 --> 00:50:54,529
I remember when a group
of Indigenous people went
947
00:50:54,660 --> 00:50:57,663
and they occupied Alcatraz
claiming, you know,
948
00:50:57,793 --> 00:50:58,793
"This is our territory."
949
00:50:58,838 --> 00:51:00,622
No, we're here to stay.
950
00:51:00,753 --> 00:51:02,581
We're, uh... We're
with that conviction.
951
00:51:02,711 --> 00:51:03,973
We're gonna stick with it.
952
00:51:04,104 --> 00:51:06,280
And there was, like, this
moment of acknowledging
953
00:51:06,411 --> 00:51:08,717
what had happened to
the Indigenous people,
954
00:51:08,848 --> 00:51:10,197
particularly on Long Island.
955
00:51:10,328 --> 00:51:12,460
[rhythmic drumming]
956
00:51:12,591 --> 00:51:15,550
They were killed off,
run off the land.
957
00:51:17,683 --> 00:51:20,338
All of Long Island is
an Indian burial ground.
958
00:51:22,383 --> 00:51:24,690
But I just felt that any
of this sort of awareness
959
00:51:24,820 --> 00:51:27,432
gave somebody the idea,
"Oh, Indian burial ground."
960
00:51:27,562 --> 00:51:29,390
"You know, that
could be a story."
961
00:51:29,521 --> 00:51:31,523
"That's creepy too,"
and that's something
962
00:51:31,653 --> 00:51:33,655
that got thrown into the
mix when they were talking
963
00:51:33,786 --> 00:51:37,659
about all the possible reasons
why the house was haunted.
964
00:51:41,837 --> 00:51:44,623
My father had some big pair
of balls, I gotta tell you.
965
00:51:44,753 --> 00:51:46,581
He didn't care. He
said what he said
966
00:51:46,712 --> 00:51:48,690
because it was the truth,
and people don't like people
967
00:51:48,714 --> 00:51:50,194
that speak the truth.
968
00:51:50,324 --> 00:51:53,197
My husband said, "Do you
wanna buy the house?"
969
00:51:53,327 --> 00:51:57,462
A boathouse, a pool...
It was, like, $55,000.
970
00:51:57,592 --> 00:52:00,508
I said, "With all those
people murdered? No."
971
00:52:00,639 --> 00:52:04,121
I don't wanna live in that
house with those memories.
972
00:52:06,688 --> 00:52:07,926
[Paula] I wouldn't
wanna live there,
973
00:52:07,950 --> 00:52:09,150
you know, after what happened.
974
00:52:09,256 --> 00:52:10,475
And that was my feeling too.
975
00:52:10,605 --> 00:52:12,390
Like, who would
want to live there?
976
00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:16,307
And then kinda you forgot
about it until we heard the...
977
00:52:16,437 --> 00:52:20,615
The story about the...
The Lutz family moving in.
978
00:52:20,746 --> 00:52:26,317
Ronnie had just been
convicted when the story broke
979
00:52:26,447 --> 00:52:28,493
with George and Kathy Lutz
980
00:52:28,623 --> 00:52:32,627
moving into and out of
the house in 28 days.
981
00:52:34,586 --> 00:52:36,631
Everybody started
calling William Weber.
982
00:52:36,762 --> 00:52:39,460
Mr. Weber says, "Listen,
these people named
983
00:52:39,591 --> 00:52:41,375
the Lutzes bought your house."
984
00:52:41,506 --> 00:52:43,725
"You do know them
through somebody else."
985
00:52:43,856 --> 00:52:45,336
I said, "Oh, yeah?"
986
00:52:45,466 --> 00:52:48,556
"And, uh, we can use
them to make money."
987
00:52:48,687 --> 00:52:50,099
I said, "What are
you talking about?"
988
00:52:50,123 --> 00:52:52,604
And that's how the haunted
house nonsense started.
989
00:52:53,822 --> 00:52:58,305
[singer] ♪ La, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la ♪
990
00:52:58,436 --> 00:53:01,874
♪ La, la, la, la,
la La, la, la ♪
991
00:53:02,004 --> 00:53:05,747
♪ I thought a little
'Bout you last night ♪
992
00:53:05,878 --> 00:53:09,664
♪ I thought a little
'Bout you yesterday ♪
993
00:53:09,795 --> 00:53:13,625
♪ I think a little
'Bout you every day ♪
994
00:53:13,755 --> 00:53:17,368
♪ And it works out all right
995
00:53:17,498 --> 00:53:21,459
♪ La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la ♪
996
00:53:21,589 --> 00:53:25,332
♪ La, la, la, la,
la La, la, la ♪
997
00:53:25,463 --> 00:53:29,336
♪ La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la ♪
998
00:53:29,467 --> 00:53:32,948
♪ La, la, la, la,
la La, la, la ♪
999
00:53:33,079 --> 00:53:36,822
♪ I had a little bit
Too much to drink ♪
1000
00:53:36,952 --> 00:53:40,782
♪ When I woke up It
really made me think ♪
1001
00:53:40,913 --> 00:53:44,656
♪ It seems you're in
Everything I say ♪
1002
00:53:44,786 --> 00:53:48,616
♪ And I think that's okay
1003
00:53:48,747 --> 00:53:52,533
♪ And I want you to stay
1004
00:53:52,664 --> 00:53:55,797
♪ And I think you're okay
1005
00:53:55,928 --> 00:53:58,583
[eerie music droning]