Amityville Murders

Date: November 13, 1974 • Location: Amityville, United States

Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family in Amityville, New York, events that later inspired the book The Amityville Horror and a subsequent media franchise.

On November 13, 1974, six members of the DeFeo family were murdered in their home in Amityville, New York, United States. The sole surviving family member, 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr., first claimed that his parents and four siblings were targeted in a contract killing by the American Mafia before confessing that he had committed the murders. DeFeo was found guilty of six counts of second degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life. The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror.