The Amityville murders

[Crunch Hardtack]

I recently watched a documentary called My Amityville Horror that interviewed the adopted son, Daniel, of George Lutz. The Lutzes as you'll recall was the family that moved into the house in Amityville a year after six family members were murdered by their 23 year old son/brother.  Daniel is in his late 40's now and seems pretty messed up. He hated his stepfather, George, and is happy that George is dead. The documentary is less about what might have or might not have happened in the house but more a psychological profile of a messed up kid grown into an adult. It is interesting but I don't recommend it as a good watch unless you want to delve into the dynamics of the Lutz family. Suffice it to say, Daniel comes across as believing he experienced the haunting mostly as George Lutz described it.

After I watched the documentary I did a little more research on what I had always thought was a money making scheme. One thing stands out above all the rest as paranormal though. Six people got murdered in that house with a .35 Marlin rifle

Here's the ammo:



This is how close the neighbors were:

https://goo.gl/maps/iWayU1reTDk

(the new owners replaced the freaky eye-like windows)

From what I've gathered none of the neighbors heard any shots fired. I read the police did a reenactment, firing the same type of rifle in the same area at 3 am in the morning. People heard it blocks away.

I found that particular point interesting and wouldn't mind hearing others thoughts on the matter.

[albrecht]

I recently watched a documentary called My Amityville Horror that interviewed the adopted son, Daniel, of George Lutz. The Lutzes as you'll recall was the family that moved into the house in Amityville a year after six family members were murdered by their 23 year old son/brother.  Daniel is in his late 40's now and seems pretty messed up. He hated his stepfather, George, and is happy that George is dead. The documentary is less about what might have or might not have happened in the house but more a psychological profile of a messed up kid grown into an adult. It is interesting but I don't recommend it as a good watch unless you want to delve into the dynamics of the Lutz family. Suffice it to say, Daniel comes across as believing he experienced the haunting mostly as George Lutz described it.

After I watched the documentary I did a little more research on what I had always thought was a money making scheme. One thing stands out above all the rest as paranormal though. Six people got murdered in that house with a .35 Marlin rifle

Here's the ammo:



This is how close the neighbors were:

https://goo.gl/maps/iWayU1reTDk

(the new owners replaced the freaky eye-like windows)

From what I've gathered none of the neighbors heard any shots fired. I read the police did a reenactment, firing the same type of rifle in the same area at 3 am in the morning. People heard it blocks away.

I found that particular point interesting and wouldn't mind hearing others thoughts on the matter.

That is interesting. I didn't realize how close the neighbor's houses were also. I knew it wasn't a rural place but thought bigger lots. The police reenactment was done in same room(s) and during same weather and conditions? Was there any loud events going on during the murders? (Storms, parties, fireworks, etc.) I could see ignoring one shot in the middle of the night, a backfire, "what did I hear?," etc. More strange, to me, is why nobody in the DeFeo family would've woken up or moved and "no signs of struggle" or any drugs/sedatives in the victims, after the shootings began. That is a loud gun and even if awoken confused? Lever-Action- so awhile one can shoot it quickly, it still takes a bit more than say a modern semi-auto (and I don't know his training but he was a drug-addled guy that might make it even slower) and in different rooms, so more time to at least move or react? Weird.

[Crunch Hardtack]

That is interesting. I didn't realize how close the neighbor's houses were also. I knew it wasn't a rural place but thought bigger lots. The police reenactment was done in same room(s) and during same weather and conditions? Was there any loud events going on during the murders? (Storms, parties, fireworks, etc.) I could see ignoring one shot in the middle of the night, a backfire, "what did I hear?," etc. More strange, to me, is why nobody in the DeFeo family would've woken up or moved and "no signs of struggle" or any drugs/sedatives in the victims, after the shootings began. That is a loud gun and even if awoken confused? Lever-Action- so awhile one can shoot it quickly, it still takes a bit more than say a modern semi-auto (and I don't know his training but he was a drug-addled guy that might make it even slower) and in different rooms, so more time to at least move or react? Weird.

I intentionally left out the part about everyone seeming to be asleep while they were systematically murdered because while not probable there is a chance that they could have been told to lay there like that, that seems pretty unlikely though. I went to amityvillefiles.com which is pretty slow and clunky where they have all the original reports and news articles. Some articles say that Ronald DeFeo drugged his family's dinner. But there weren't any drugs found in the victims. I guess bad journalism has always been around.

To answer your questions about the weather, it was November 13, 1974 and as you can see from this photo the ground is dry so no storms.

[albrecht]

I intentionally left out the part about everyone seeming to be asleep while they were systematically murdered because while not probable there is a chance that they could have been told to lay there like that, that seems pretty unlikely though. I went to amityvillefiles.com which is pretty slow and clunky where they have all the original reports and news articles. Some articles say that Ronald DeFeo drugged his family's dinner. But there weren't any drugs found in the victims. I guess bad journalism has always been around.

To answer your questions about the weather, it was November 13, 1974 and as you can see from this photo the ground is dry so no storms.

Conceivably the tox testing might have missed some stuff or not as robust as is now? It seems strange. Even decades later, like our infamous "yogurt shop murders" here the police and forensics were not good. And back then, with a major shocking crime like that with local PD etc? Actually even TODAY police mess things up and there are scandals and mistakes at crime labs, storage, chain of custody, or lack of testing. (If you recall even the FBI had a yuuge problem with their crime labs.) Back then? When you "got" the suspect with a history of drug abuse and etc? Still it is weird no neighbors heard shots and victims in situ like that??

[ninjashoes]

I hated how in the movie they had those stupid bug/fly things. It kind of ruined the "demonic" element for me.

I don't believe this case to be real but its always fun hearing the stories.

[21st Century Man]

I hated how in the movie they had those stupid bug/fly things. It kind of ruined the "demonic" element for me.

I don't believe this case to be real but its always fun hearing the stories.

Ever hear of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies?   Those flies seemed demonic to me.  I've read other stories  like the one  turned into the film The Conjuring.  There were flies in that one too.  Lots of them.  Not in the movie but the book.

[3OctaveFart]

I have done a lot of reading on this case - the book scared the hell out of me as a kid.

I believe the Lutzes experienced some phenomena but it is hard not to view them as opportunists. They bought a home where multiple murders took place and had to know the place had some bad juju. That they all seem to be on terrible terms after an alleged experience that would unite people seems to indicate to me the payouts have been uneven.

As for the murders themselves, it's plausible DeFeo and his sister executed their family members and then he unexpectedly offed her, in a drug-induced haze.

[MissBorgia]

I have always held with the theory that Dawn ( the eldest girl) was involved. I also think there was a lot of bad juju already in the house, and what ever George Lutz dabbled in, gave it carte blanche

[21st Century Man]

I have done a lot of reading on this case - the book scared the hell out of me as a kid.

I believe the Lutzes experienced some phenomena but it is hard not to view them as opportunists. They bought a home where multiple murders took place and had to know the place had some bad juju. That they all seem to be on terrible terms after an alleged experience that would unite people seems to indicate to me the payouts have been uneven.

As for the murders themselves, it's plausible DeFeo and his sister executed their family members and then he unexpectedly offed her, in a drug-induced haze.

You and me both.  Stories become sensationalized after book and movie contracts has been signed.  I remember reading about the case in 1976 when I was 9, long before the book was published, in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.  The crux of the story seems to be true and I believe, like you, that the sister could have been involved in the murders.  The kids hated George Lutz after everything was said and done but they admit the haunting was real and they still seem to be scarred from it.  They said George made the problem worse because he was involved in the occult.  Who knows.

I still believe the story is true.

[AZZERAE]

I think there was a lot of bad juju in the house