Everyone knows the house. High hopes, Dutch Colonial style, and those iconic quarter-moon windows that look like eyes watching the street. But before the hauntings and the Hollywood movies, there was a real, bloody night in 1974. Honestly, looking at the Amityville horror crime scene photos today is a sobering experience because they strip away the "spooky" ghost story and replace it with the cold reality of a mass murder.
On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. Methodically walked through 112 Ocean Avenue with a .357 Magnum Marlin rifle. He killed his parents and four siblings in their beds. It’s a heavy topic. Most people coming to this story are looking for ghosts, but the crime scene evidence tells a much more human, and arguably more terrifying, story of a family destroyed from within.
The Reality Behind the Lens
When you see the black-and-white images from the Suffolk County Police Department, the first thing that hits you isn't something supernatural. It's the normalcy. You see ruffled blankets, flowered wallpaper, and wood-paneled walls. It looks like any 1970s suburban home.
Then you see the bodies.
The victims—Ronald Sr., Louise, Dawn, Allison, Marc, and John Matthew—were all found facedown in their beds. They were in their pajamas. The photos show no signs of a struggle. This is the detail that fueled a thousand conspiracy theories. How did one man fire eight unsuppressed shots from a high-powered rifle without waking anyone up? The neighbors didn't hear it. The kids didn't jump out of bed.
Basically, the crime scene photos are the anchor to reality in a case that drifted into the "paranormal" very quickly. Police investigators like Gerard Sullivan, who later wrote about the trial, noted that the positioning of the bodies was almost symmetrical. It looked staged. Yet, there was no evidence of sedation. Toxicology reports later confirmed the family hadn't been drugged.
Why the Evidence Doesn't Match the Ghost Stories
The "Horror" part of Amityville usually refers to George and Kathy Lutz, who moved in thirteen months later and fled after 28 days. They claimed the house was a portal to hell. But when you look at the Amityville horror crime scene photos, you don't see portals. You see a family that was broke, a father who was reportedly abusive, and a son who was spiraling into heavy drug use and mental instability.
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There's a famous photo often circulated in paranormal circles of a "ghost boy" on the staircase. It was taken by Gene Campbell in 1976 during an investigation by Ed and Lorraine Warren. Most skeptics, including investigators like Rick Moran, have pointed out that the "ghost" looks suspiciously like Paul Bartz, one of the investigators on-site that night.
Comparing the official 1974 police photos to the 1976 "ghost hunt" photos reveals a massive gap in narrative. The police photos show a cold, clinical ending to six lives. The Lutz photos show a house being turned into a media circus.
Breaking Down the Crime Scene Layout
The geography of the house matters. Ronald DeFeo Jr. started in the master bedroom on the second floor. He shot his parents first. Then he moved to the rooms of his brothers and sisters.
If you look at the floor plans alongside the crime scene images, you'll notice the bedrooms were clustered together. The sound of a .357 Magnum is deafening. It’s about 160 decibels. For context, that's louder than a jet engine taking off. Yet, the Amityville horror crime scene photos show the younger children, Marc and John, still tucked under their covers.
Some people think there was a second shooter. DeFeo himself changed his story dozens of times, sometimes blaming his sister Dawn, sometimes claiming a "shady figure" gave him the gun. The physical evidence, however, was quite singular. The spent casings found at the scene all came from the same weapon.
The Aftermath and the "Red Room"
One of the most sensationalized parts of the house was the "Red Room." In the book and movie, it’s a terrifying secret room behind the shelving in the basement, painted blood red, where the dog would bark incessantly.
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If you look at the actual photos of the basement from the 1974 investigation, the room is there. But it’s not some demonic ritual chamber. It was a small, cramped space under the stairs used for storage. The Lutzes claimed it was a gateway; the police files suggest it was just a poorly finished closet.
It’s easy to get lost in the folklore. You've got the pigs with glowing eyes (Jodie), the green slime, and the swarms of flies. But the 1974 detectives didn't find slime. They found bloodstains and ballistics. They found a family that had been living a very complicated life. Ronald DeFeo Sr. had ties to the mob through his father-in-law, which led some to believe the murders were a professional hit. But the crime scene was too messy for professionals. It was the work of someone close to the victims.
The Morbid Fascination with the Photos
Why do we keep looking for these images? Part of it is the "High Hopes" sign that used to hang outside. It's the ultimate American Dream turned into a nightmare.
The Amityville horror crime scene photos act as a Rorschach test. If you believe in the paranormal, you look for shadows and anomalies. If you're a true crime buff, you look at the angles of the wounds and the lack of defensive marks.
What’s truly interesting is that the house still stands. The address was changed from 112 Ocean Avenue to 108 Ocean Avenue to discourage tourists. The "eye" windows have been replaced with traditional rectangular ones. Owners since the Lutzes, like the Cromartys, have stated repeatedly that nothing "weird" ever happened there. They lived there for ten years and only moved because they were tired of people trespassing on their lawn.
Nuance in the DeFeo Trial
The photos played a huge role in the trial of "Butch" DeFeo. His lawyer, William Weber, tried to go for an insanity defense. He claimed Butch heard voices telling him the family was plotting against him.
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The jury didn't buy it. They saw the photos of the bodies and saw a calculated execution. Butch had cleaned himself up, showered, and gone to work after the murders. He even threw the bloody clothes and the rifle into a storm drain in Brooklyn before "discovering" the bodies later that evening at Henry's Bar.
The sheer volume of evidence found in the home, captured in those grainy photos, made it impossible to argue that this was a spontaneous moment of madness. It was a methodical sweep of the house.
What the Crime Scene Tells Us Today
If you really want to understand the Amityville case, you have to separate the 1974 tragedy from the 1975 haunting. The haunting is a story. The murders are a fact.
- Evidence of One Shooter: While theories about Dawn DeFeo helping persist, the forensic evidence of the time largely pointed to a single person moving through the halls.
- The Silence Mystery: Science still hasn't fully explained why no one woke up. Some suggest the "cushioning" effect of the mattresses or the house's heavy construction, but it remains the most puzzling aspect of the crime scene.
- The Weapon: A .357 Magnum Marlin rifle is a heavy-duty piece of hardware. It’s not something you can easily hide.
We tend to romanticize or "spookify" these events because it makes them easier to digest. It’s easier to believe a demon made him do it than to believe a son could just decide to end his family. The Amityville horror crime scene photos force us to look at the latter.
How to Research This Topic Responsibly
If you are looking into the Amityville case, it is important to cross-reference your sources. Many "documentaries" use reenactment footage that they pass off as real crime scene photos.
- Check the Source: Authentic police photos are usually low-resolution, black and white, and contain evidence markers (letters or numbers next to items).
- Read the Trial Transcripts: Much of the forensic detail is available in the public record from the People v. DeFeo.
- Differentiate the Owners: Remember that the crime happened to the DeFeos. The "ghosts" happened to the Lutzes. Don't conflate the two histories.
- Visit Historical Archives: The Suffolk County Historical Society and local news archives from the Long Island Press are far more reliable than paranormal blogs.
The real "horror" of Amityville wasn't a monster in the walls. It was the tragedy that occurred before the cameras arrived. By looking at the actual evidence, we respect the victims as people rather than just characters in a ghost story. The photos aren't just curiosities; they are the last records of six lives cut short in a house that was supposed to be their sanctuary.
The house is still a private residence. If you ever find yourself in Amityville, remember that people live there now. The best way to engage with this history is through the archives and the documented facts of the case, leaving the current residents in peace.