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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Tag Archives: amityville horror

Amityville Horror Murderer Dies

16 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in amityville horror, Crimes, Hoaxes, Not Haunted, True Crime

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amityville horror, ronald butch defeo

1. Undated photograph of the DeFeo family. 1. The exterior of the infamous house. 3. Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr. in handcuffs.

Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr. is dead at the age of 69. On November 13, 1974, DeFeo murdered his parents and 4 siblings. One of his defense theories was that he was possessed at the time. The Court did not entertain the idea. Instead, DeFeo was sentenced to serve 25 years to life. On February 2nd, he was transported to the Albany Medical Center, and his death was reported on March 15.

The combination of a horrible crime coupled with the farfetched defense theory spawned one of horror movie genres most successful and lucrative franchises. However, it was build upon a hoax. (See my blog from 2014: https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2014/03/19/amityville-horror-hoax/)

Prison officials nor the hospital provided a cause of death stating that one would be released only to immediate family. We may never know how he died. Honestly, I’m okay with that. Let’s focus on the victims instead.

Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Curiosities, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Hoaxes, Museums, Paranormal, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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amityville horror, mysteries at the museum, paranormal paparazzi, Travel Channel, traveling museum of the paranormal & occult

Amityville

Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum returned last month with new episodes. The February 9th episode titled “Amityville Haunting, Ghost Army, and Fugitive Golfer” highlighted a piece of wood from the infamous Amityville Horror house. The demonic possession story was a hoax (see previous 2014 article at https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2014/03/19/amityville-horror-hoax/); however, it doesn’t mean that this piece of wood doesn’t give off bad vibes. It means there may be another story, based on facts, that should be considered.

Interest in Amityville has not ebbed since the 1977 publication of the book, The Amityville Horror. The movie franchise alone has grossed over $170 million dollars. Add TV adaptations and books, and that’s one healthy moneymaker. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the book’s publication. Expect more media coverage.

TheAmityvilleHorrorCover

Given the interest in Amityville, the house makes the requisite rounds on paranormal shows. This is not the first, probably not the last either, time that Travel Channel has showcased the Amityville house. Paranormal Paparazzi (2012) incorporated the house in 3 segments in 2 episodes. One was particularly insightful. Kathy Lutz’s son and George’s step-son Christopher Quaratino claimed that George practiced black witchcraft in the home, causing the paranormal activity to spike. Needless to say, expect more books and versions to emerge.

Greg Newkirk, director of the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, appeared on the Mysteries at the Museum episode discussing the plank. Greg and Dana Matthews co-founded the website Week in Weird, www.weekinweird.com, in 2007. Both Greg and Dana contribute articles, and postings are weekly. The articles are thought-provoking and quirky, while remaining true to the blog format: concise. The site has advertisements, a source of revenue; however, they don’t disrupt the reading of the articles. They’ve segued their site into 3 entities: Week in Weird (@WeekinWeird), Planet Weird (@WeirdHQ), and The Traveling Museum of the Paranormal & Occult (@theparamuseum). In 2013, they created the traveling museum to take their stories and artifacts on the road. They’ve collected artifacts from past paranormal investigations and allow the public to handle them. The museum is the modern-day version of curiosity cabinets which featured oddities and bizarre items and peaked in interest during the Victorian era. Visit http://paramuseum.com/ for 2017 dates and more information.

While it is easy to fall back on popular tales, the paranormal world has so much more to be explored. The Amityville plank is a reminder that the original story was made-up and exaggerated for profit. Instead of focusing on the heinous murders and concocting reasons for a demonic possession, readers should question whether George exploited the murders while practicing black magic. He didn’t move into a haunted house; however, he may have created the negative energy by dabbling in something beyond his comprehension.

Amityville Horror = HOAX

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Conspiracy Theories, Famous Locations, Famous People, Hoaxes, Live Paranormal, Radio Show

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112 ocean avenue, amityville horror, archer paranormal radio, hoax, ronald butch defeo

Crowd Outside 112 Ocean Avenue

Crowd Outside 112 Ocean Avenue

Amityville Horror = HOAX

Amityville was a hoax. There. I said it. I only wished that potential clients believed it and would stop trying to equate their experiences with those of the Lutzes.

Coroner Removes Dead DeFeo Family

Coroner Removes Dead DeFeo Family

The Amityville Horror story was promulgated to solidify the defense for Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr. Mr. DeFeo was accused of slaughtering his family on November 13, 1974. Suspicion quickly turned to DeFeo, who was 24 years old at the time. The motive was simple: life insurance money. DeFeo’s defense attorney William Weber concocted the demonic possession defense in an effort to prove DeFeo was insane. It backfired. However, it propelled George and Kathy Lutz into the international spotlight—thanks to writer Jay Anson.

Newspaper Story

Newspaper Story

Melvin Harris aptly explains the plot in his non-fiction book Investigating the Unexplained. I’ll hit the high notes:

  • Long Island Press interviewed George Lutz for an article published on January 17, 1976.
  • The article detailed “tame” subjective experiences.
  • Good Housekeeping published an article in April 1977.
  • That article claimed a Roman Catholic priest warned the family about a bedroom.
  • The article also stated that Kathy’s aunt, a former nun, berated George for over 3 hours.
  • Jay Anson’s book was published in 1977 declaring “A True Story.”
  • The movie based on the book opened in 1979.
  • Paranormal investigators deemed the incident uninteresting and declined to investigate.
  • Police Sgt. Cammorato later denied visiting the house, contrary to what George stated.
  • Father Pecorara also denied entering the home.

George’s original story morphed into a tall tale of demons and levitations. Little has been corroborated. Even less has been authenticated. The real victims are the house at 112 Ocean Avenue and the subsequent owners, who successful settled a lawsuit related to these events.

I’m amazed at the number of people who contact Archer Paranormal Investigations (www.archer-pi.com) and report similar occurrences. It is almost as if there is a checklist for demonic possession. Black flies? Yep, by the hundreds. Glowing eyes in the windows? Yes, looks like a pig. Or a boar. Or maybe even a hog. Clergy warn you about the house? How did you know? Just after we had it blessed.

The point is: Don’t believe the hype. Most of the stories are just that—stories. However, there is a small percentage of cases that are real. Every case is different. Treat them that way.

Tune in this Thursday, March 20 on Archer Paranormal Radio on www.liveparanormal.com as we discuss Conspiracy Theories.

Movie Poster for The Amityville Horror

Movie Poster for The Amityville Horror

 

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The Haunted Librarian

Gainesville, Florida

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