2. THE CASE
The night of November 14, 1974, Ronald DeFeo
Jr. acted on his threat. Using a .35-caliber rifle,
he entered his parents’ bedroom, Sr. Ronald
(43); Louise (42), at around three o'clock in the
morning of that day and shot them both while
they slept.
3. He then entered
his brothers’
bedroom, Marc
(12); and John
DeFeo (9),
shooting them
both in their beds.
4. He ended by
shooting his sisters,
point-blank, in
their bedrooms,
Dawn (18); Allison
DeFeo (13), all the
children were killed
with a single shot.
5. THE TRIAL
Began on October 14, 1975. He and his
defense lawyer mounted an affirmative
defense of insanity, with DeFeo claiming that he
killed his family in self-defense because he heard
voices plotting against him but the psychiatrist
for the prosecution, maintained that although
DeFeo was a drug addict and he had antisocial
personality disorder, was aware of his actions at
the time of the crime.
6. CONVICTION
On November
21, 1975, DeFeo was found
guilty on six counts
of second-degree murder.
On December
4, 1975, Judge Thomas
Stark sentenced Ronald
DeFeo, Jr. to six concurrent
sentences of 25 years
to life.
