Synopsis
Meet the Author
"There's a lot of people out there who know Ronnie didn't commit these crimes on his own…Amityville Horror, sure, there have been many horrors to do with my husband's story"
Tracey Lynn DeFeo
to the author
* The Most Famous Haunting the World Has Ever Known.
* The Most Notorious 'Familicide' in History.
* His Story Has Spawned More than 12 Movies- including 2 Blockbusters and a Further MGM Sequel in the Making- Grossing Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.
* The Enigmatic Mass Murderer Everybody Wants to Interview For the Big Story, but Can't- Except For this Author!
Presenting the Case in Brief
Something changed the course of history for the ordinarily quiet village
community of Amityville, Long Island, New York, in the early morning hours
of November 13, 1974, in the way only a sudden, explosive act of unseen violence
can.
When it was done six were dead – a family named DeFeo. The suspect was
soon in custody and the story of that suspect, the family's only surviving
member and eldest son, Ronald 'Butch' DeFeo Jr, made headlines across the
world. The case seemingly culminated with his conviction, followed by life
imprisonment, for murdering his parents, brothers and sisters with a .35
calibre Marlin rifle.
There is more, of course.
With DeFeo safely in jail and presumably of no further threat to anybody,
the Lutz family now-famously took up residence in the murder house. They
quickly seized upon the bloody stain of what had gone before and ensured
the story was transformed forever from the horrific case of 'familicide'
it was in actuality, to a bewildering litany of ghostly encounters, demonic
infestation, and, progressively more outlandish mayhem.
The Lutzes, with a little help, reached high, and The Amityville Horror,
as it became known, transcended popular culture as the most famous "haunting"
the world has ever known.
Suddenly, the incarcerated Ronald DeFeo Jr was suddently an Internationally-recognized figure of pure evil; the Devil personified, indeed, a man quite literally possessed by demons. Forget the Exorcist, here was a young man who had killed, repeatedly, allegedly at the behest of Beelzebub, a phantom witchcraft practitioner, and if this wasn't enough, the spirit of a long dead Native-American Indian Chief, presumably also with satanic connections if the above unified had so assigned their terrible bidding.
By the time the Lutzes, and Hollywood, were done, the world understood this unfortunate individual to have been influenced by the Forces of Darkness on the night he embarked upon one of the most grisly ram pages in U.S. history. And it made for an exceptional story, terrifying generations. It still does, every time a new movie or sequel or remake appears, with the original Amityville Horror film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as George and Kathleen Lutz, and Rod Steiger playing the part of the unforgettable fly-ravaged priest, grossing more than $86,000,000
Frighteningly entertaining this commercial colossus certainly was and is.
It surely grasped the imagination of the world, and yet is also widely attacked
as being one of the most outrageous hoaxes of all time. With future occupants
of the DeFeo house on Ocean Avenue dismissing the haunting as nonsense, the
general opinion among those with an interest persists that if there ever
was anything supernatural that once dwelt there, it has now long since
departed…
However, the restless ghosts of Amityville continue to stir, because they
are in truth represented by a far more tormented and human agent, a man consigned
to a prison cell for what may very well be the remainder of his days, constantly
denied parole because he will not show the required level of remorse for
the crimes he was convicted six times over for carrying out in cold blood.
But how can he repent when he says, and almost certainly believes, he did
not commit all the crimes? How can he take responsibility for the deaths
of his younger siblings, who perished that night, when he may not in fact
have taken their lives?
Convicted for committing these terrible acts, we have just one man. But was
this the horrible handiwork of him and him alone? Did Ronald DeFeo Jr unaided
really shoot dead all of these people, as duly judged and convicted for so
doing? There is compelling evidence to perhaps suggest otherwise, largely
ignored, indeed, in a number of areas suppressed, for decades.
Following his arrest for murder, a psychologically battered DeFeo suffered much brutality at the hands of his police interrogators. Beaten, tortured physically and mentally, were aspects of his confessions coerced, moulded to suit, and was key evidence in the case against him manipulated to fit the already-decided-upon picture?
There was, in fact, something subterranean at work, involving dubious connections
with organized crime, a shadowy patriarch, threats of trauma and death, certain
prosecutorial tentacles extending beyond the facts; dishonest leverage from
those with vested interests, corruption. The truth of what actually
occurred would not emerge for decades – and only then to be whispered
in confidence – now to finally be told, the first time made public in
this book.
*
Bill of fare
The murders, the mayhem, and the man.
Investigative journalist and author, Steven Morris, is Publisher of the
prestigious New Criminologist online journal, the oldest and most respected
criminology journal in the world. An international authority on serial, spree
and mass murder, organized crime, and the psychology of the criminal mindset,
he is infinitely qualified in taking up the reins of responsibility with
this long overdue and uniquely fascinating book.
His .. To produce the definitive work, a factual account far more terrifying
than anything currently "on record" with this remarkable case.
The Amityville slaughter, the most infamous familicide in the annals of crime
is dealt with here from an incredible perspective – and with the full
cooperation of the subject himself in tandem with his exceptionally loyal,
truth-seeking wife.
Ronald DeFeo Jr has been incarcerated for 33 years. He has spent this inordinate
amount of time holding onto a far more sinister truth than that commonly
perceived.
The author now steps into this mysterious and controversial realm and takes
a much-needed, entirely fresh look at the DeFeo homicides, examining a mass
of newly discovered evidence including that which physically suggests Ronnie's
sister Dawn, one of those murdered that night, may have played a role in
the killings.
At approximately 110,000 words, the author has undertaken an unprecedented
approach to one of the most gruesome and gripping mysteries in the criminal,
and the supernatural, syllabus. Chapter by comprehensive chapter, the reader
is catered for with a full history of events, people, places and deeds,
positively bursting with brand new, sensational, never before made public
revelations.
The book will cover everything to do with the case; the extensive history
of the house, the land on which it was built and moved, the colourful
DeFeo family and its roots, the murders, the alleged haunting (as we know,
the most famous in history), DeFeo's three decades-plus spent in prison,
his intimate relationships, mafia associations, and much more.
*
DeFeo Interview(s)
As part of his extensive research into this work, the author will travel to New York for a televised interview held at Green Haven Correctional Facility with DeFeo Jr – with whom he has corresponded –– and his wife, Tracey, and is currently in the final stages of close negotiations with a highly respected TV production company, and a major broadcaster.
This interview, or interviews, will be absolutely unique, with Ronnie DeFeo,
who trusts the author implicitly, revealing many incredible details about
his life and crimes, his marriages, his family, the often turbulent, sometimes
life-threatening, years he has passed in incarceration, the rampant exploitation
of him, the mob, corruption, his thoughts on the haunting, his marriage to
his adoring wife.
*
The Definitive Amityville
Work
Apart from the vast amount of previously unpublished material on this fascinating
and eminently bankable case, what makes this book particularly exclusive
is that the author has secured the full cooperation of Ronald DeFeo Jr himself,
along with a huge list of people involved in the story, all making themselves
available for interview, many of whom have never before spoken publicly.
This is truly a milestone work, monumental not just in scope, but with so
much previously undocumented and highly salient insider material.
This is the only author privileged with such complete access.
A massive story, never before properly and exhaustively treated, with all the movies and hugely commercially successful written accounts, responsible for making The Amityville Horror and the DeFeo murders infamous, but offering no real explanation as to why and what really happened, and none of it extensively covering Ronnie's montrous notoriety and the effects of this upon his remaining family and friends, his fascinating experiences stemming from his many years in some of New York's toughest jails, his exceptionally acute survival mechanisms.
In interviewing the pivotal players in the case, with an extensive list of
essential contacts at his full disposal, only now can the ultimate book on
the true Amityville Horror, and how this translates within
the context of the ever-financially marketable Amityville legend, be told.
'Ronnie' is an often shocking, painstakingly honed and well-balanced must-read.
A complete and just reference, the author spares no pocket of interest, revealing
all the deeds and misdeeds, the incentives and motivations, of the most crucial
cast of characters in the saga, at once exploding the many myths which surround
the case.
The reader is placed squarely inside the mind of Ronald DeFeo Jr, will frequently
contemplate this grimly intriguing man's own words, be given a first-hand
glimpse of the enduring and staunch support network provided by his devoted
wife, Tracey, and how the power of the internet has allowed her to keep thousands
of Amityville aficionados factually informed in her quest for truth and justice,
supported in many cases with firm evidence posted directly on her web site.
'Ronnie' is not only for those with a passing interest in the blacker side
of human nature, nor only explosive, much-yearned-for fodder for fans of
true crime literature, tales of the paranormal and genre movies alike, but
a book of genuine interest to those who demand a true story be told
with true dimension, no matter how unpalatable and sobering
this may prove.
It is for those who wish to know what really happened, at the risk of having
one of their favourite and firmly established bogeymen cast in a different
light, and one that now shines on others just as brightly. And, for the first
time ever, the author guides the reader through the lasting symbiosis of
Ronald and Tracey DeFeo, exploring how his life was before he met and married
her, and how it is today, all with unprecedented exclusivity and candour
on the part of the DeFeos themselves.
The author has spent many months relentlessly researching and investigating
for this most fascinating of stories and though a family are slaughtered
and dead, that family's eldest son in prison convicted of murdering them
all, it is a story far from concluded.
Behind all the tales of ghosts and evil, there lies a bleak truth
far more disturbing - never before revealed.
The author finally throws wide the door to the secret world of Ronald DeFeo
Jr. It is assuredly a world where others have not been, nor can go, largely
due to the subject's own notorious iron-clad resistance to potential exploitation
from the steady stream of the unscrupulous he has encountered over the years.
Only now, in placing his complete trust in Steven Morris, will he agree to
tell his full story, the truth as he sees it, and maybe, finally,
the truth as it is.
Having gained Ronnie DeFeo's trust – thanks largely to his doting wife,
without who's cooperation a book of this magnitude could never be written
– the author has secured access to exceptionally raw materials, meticulously
collated from dozens of first hand witnesses and key players ranging from
former police and clergy to family members, friends – and one or two
very discreet private investigators.
This book has it all; an illuminating and carefully crafted background of
the subject, built around extensive interviews with all the major players
still alive today, and deals with sensitivity and compassion where required,
with the indelible love story of Ronnie and Tracey DeFeo and their supreme
mission to educate the world about the truth behind the Amityville legacy.
* And, as if it needed re-enforcing, this is one of the biggest genre stories on the books. A True Crime Publishing dream!
All to be made into a major TV project featuring
the aboved totally exclusive on-camera interview(s) very
soon.
Chapter Outline:
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Green Haven
Chapter 2: November 13, 1974
Chapter 3: Ronald DeFeo Jr – Guest of Suffolk County Police.
Chapter 4: Keep Your Mouth Shut
Chapter 5: New York City Story
Chapter 6: A Pair of Black Hands
Chapter 7: The Court of Judge Stark
Chapter 8: Football with the Chief?
Chapter 9: The House on Ocean Avenue
Chapter 10: Amityville with Several Bottles of Red: The Lutz Phenomenon
Chapter 11: Demonic Power Play
Chapter 12: Dannemora
Chapter 13: Growing up Brooklyn
Chapter 14: A New Home
Chapter 15: Uncle Pete and the Genovese Crime Family
Chapter 16: Showtime
Chapter 17: A Real Amityville Curse
Chapter 18: All Aboard the Gravy Train!
Chapter 19: Armchair Sleuths
Chapter 20: Tracey
Chapter 21: Amityville Truth?
Chapter 22: Babes in the Woods: Surviving the Flames
Chapter 23: Injustices and a Night Dress
Chapter 24: The P.I
Chapter 25: "This Merits Further Investigation"
Chapter 26: Meet Ronnie
Chapter 27: Back in Green Haven
Chapter 28: The World Outside
Chapter: 29: I Love My Husband
Chapter 30: The Parole Question
Epilogue
Reference