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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 17:07:28 GMT -5
You make total sense. Thanks for sharing that!
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 0:09:32 GMT -5
(The following text was composed for the two classes presented by Carl L. Johnson and Keith E. Johnson during the Paranormal Conference held at Penn. State University on October 25th & 26th, 2003, which they attended representing, and accompanied by fellow members of, 'The Atlantic Paranormal Society.')
Para-normal: As defined for our purposes, repeatedly witnessed and documented phenomena which is apart from the natural order of cause and effect, action and reaction, as is presently understood or speculated upon by standardized, scientific observation of the properties of physical matter and energy.
Paranormal research and investigation has revealed there to be three, basic categories of hauntings, or non-corporeal infestations. The first of these we may descriptively refer to as an "intellegent" or a "human" type of haunting. In these manifestations, the entity or entities encountered seem to possess human personalities and emotions, albeit in a limited scope. They may at times appear visually in human forms, and are responsive to changes in external conditions such as the activities of the occupants of a household, the presence of investigators, or the rearranging of furnishings in a setting, all of which suggest their formerly having existed as living, cognitive beings. These are what we call, presently lacking more applicable, scientific termonology, spirits or ghosts. Invariably they seem to be attached to particular sites, vicinities or dwelling places, usually though not exclusively houses. Disembodied voices from these spirit beings are sometimes registered on audio recording devices: spool or cassette tape recorders or digital recorders. This is known as 'Electronic Voice Phenomenon' and is abbreviated to 'E.V.P.' We sometimes find unexplained distortions imprinted on photographic film exposed at the site of a suspected haunting, which were initially not perceived by the photographer. The most frequent of these photographic anomalies is the appearance of "orbs"/"globules." These are spherical forms that are seen either singularly or in multiple images. They can be picked up by both still photographs and by videotape, the latter displaying them in motion. They're generally translucent and whitish, although they can appear in faint hues of red, orange, blue and green. Naturally, a responsible investigator must consider all possible explanations prior to ruling any irregularities to be genuine, paranormal phenomena.
The second category is referred to as a "residual" type of haunting. In such a case, a scene from the past (recent or remote; it could proceed from any previous time frame) seems to be replayed and is witnessed by a living person or persons. Apparently this is an actual form of time-displacement from a former scenario which transpired at that site, and the entites contained within it rarely display any awareness of their present day observers. However, there have been instances reported when these spectres from the past DO seem to briefly notice those who perceive a glimpse of their separated reality, as was the case with an abandoned, 19th century school house on Hornbine Road in the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. {'Ghost File #45' from, 'The New Engalnd Ghost Files' by Charles Turek Robinson.} Claimed "residual" apparitions have also included the historical personages of Ann Bolyne and Katherine Howard, both Queens of Tudor England by the (mis-) fortune of having been wed to King Henry the Eighth and duly beheaded upon his orders, reported to have been sighted numerous times in the famous Tower of London where they'd been imprisoned pending their executions, Marie Antoinette, Queen of late 18th century France (also beheaded) who one hundred years ago was seen sketching on the lawn of her former Paris estate and later recognized from her portrait mounted within, plus fleeting moments from an American Civil War battle, beheld while illuminated by lightening flashes in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! Consider, have there ever been displaced scenes from our future, observed by fully awake subjects? We could speculate that at least some unexplained aerial phenomena - 'U.F.O.'s - may constitute examples of this. It may even be that this is the operative principle involved in what is termed clairvoyance and precognition.
The third category unquestionably is the most debated, as well as the most dreaded. This falls into the realm of a "demonic" or an "inhuman" type of haunting. It is perhaps of other-dimensional origin, and is often possessed (no pun intended) of a quite hostile nature. Anyone who has up close and personally encountered a demonic entity in action never wants the experience repeated; no one I've spoken to, anyway! It often evinces a form of intelligence (initially similar to a "human" type of haunting) in that it may insidiously seem to anticipate the approaches of the person(s) it menaces, including any paranormal investigators who are endeavoring to rid a home of its presence. Endemic to this most unwelcome infestation is a pronounced psychological instability, distress or unresolved conflict on the part of a resident or residents of the household subjected to the demonic assault. Additionally, experience has supported the observation that someone originally had to have invited in the demon, perhaps inadvertantly, either through scrying implements such as a Ouija Board, conducting seances, indisciplined psychic experimentation, performing magic ceremonies or by habitually conversing with unseen presences (imaginary friends?). It should be mentioned here that while some of these devices may at first appear to be utterly harmless and regarded as tools to aid in tapping into one's subconsciousness, the results can be likened to leaving open one's back door in a country setting. Now, you may only have some little squirrels and chipmonks wander into your kitchen, but odds are that eventually you'll find yourself facing down a bear, maybe a small cub, IF YOU'RE LUCKY. And keep in mind, where there's one "bear," others are lurking somewhere closeby!
A sub-category of the "inhuman" type of haunting, reported at least since the dark ages of recorded history, which really isn't a spirit or a demon in the true sense and seems more mischievous in nature than outright malevolent, is the manifestation of a Poltergeist: German for "rattling ghost." As far as has been determined, there is almost always an adolescent girl or boy at the center of this kind of paranormal disturbance. Perhaps the young person is unwittingly generating a flow of chaotic, psychic energies during a phase of their formative period. Whatever the cause, Poltergeist activity commences suddenly and inexplicably. The episodes are brief, often involving the floating or flinging of kitchen utensils, thunderous poundings reverberating in walls and ceilings, heavy furniture moved about or tossed by an unseen force, and (though rarely in these cases) even disembodied voices. These occurances then rapidly subside. The Poltergeist phenomena can persist, recurring at unpredictable intervals, for several months - which is the usual duration - or sometimes two or three years, then these symptoms vanish for good just as mysteriously as they began...to the immeasurable relief of those inflicted with its presence! The Poltergeist has even been known to follow a family to a new residence, so relocating hasn't always solved the problem (as it most often does with the other types of hauntings). Perhaps the Poltergeist collective phenomenon differs sufficiently in its "modus operandi" to merit a distinct classification; would you agree?
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Jul 13, 2007 7:21:52 GMT -5
When dealing with digital, no an external mic is not necessary. The purpose of the mic with analog is to get the mic as far away from the hiss of the tapes and the turning of the motors. Since there are no turning mechanisms in the digital, an external mic, as you said, only gets in the way.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 24, 2007 8:47:02 GMT -5
Sure AJ, use anything on here you would like. We use Cool Edit Pro as well and are very pleased with it. I too, alway save an origional copy of the sound clip for comparison. Great minds think alike!!
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 23:51:01 GMT -5
How To Record EVP (aka Electronic Voice Phenomena)
EVP was discovered by a Swedish doctor in 1959 as he was recording birds singing in the wilderness. When the tapes were played back (reel-to-reel back then) other voices that sounded “human” were heard, but there was no one else in the remote location. From that point, the study of EVP began.
Spirits do not speak through either internal or external microphones on recording devices. Spirits, by some means, magnetically imprint their voice directly onto the analog tape, bypassing the microphone completely. Spirits can also imprint their voices on digital recording devices. It truly is phenomenal…
The Following Devices Can Be Used To Record EVP: Analog (cassette) Recorder with tape -OR- Digital Recorder
External Microphone
NOTE: although an external microphone is used, the only reason is to ensure less noise is recorded while recording and upon playback. Also, without an external microphone, the internal microphone can record the noise of the analog cassette recorder motor, as the gears are being turned in the unit itself.
If you choose to use a digital recorder, there is no motor inside the device. Therefore, it would okay to use the built-in microphone.
Headphones that cover the entire ear (for listening to playback)
Audio editing software (to name a few) Audacity; free download, user-friendly Cool Edit which is now Adobe Audition; purchase, user-friendly
To Record EVP: Using an analog cassette or digital recorder Connect microphone to recorder (if applicable) Set voice activation "OFF" (if set “ON”; beginning & end of sentences are clipped) Set the volume level to the maximum setting for recording Go to the area where you want to capture EVP
Press Record & Begin By Speaking Clearly: State your name, the date, and time, as well as your location, and if there are any other people with you.
Announce that you have a machine that can record their voice and you'd like to speak with them, assure them not to be afraid.
Ask them to try to speak as loudly and clearly as they can.
Other Questions Of Choice: How many are here with me today? What's your name? Why are you here? How did you die? What year did you die? It’s a good idea to be courteous & polite (please & thank you are a must)
The line of questioning should be concise and use the pretense that you know theyre with you, so that they may be more compelled to answer vs. staying quiet. You'll feel silly talking aloud and not getting a reply from a physical world voice, but that's the nature of capturing EVP.
Ensure enough time is left in-between questions so they can answer. If you talk too much, you may talk over their voice and not able to hear them speaking. Dont be surprised if you get more than one voice and don’t be afraid if it doesn’t sound “normal”.
Dont get discouraged if you dont hear EVP the first time, your ears have to get used to listening, and consequently, get more acclimated. Whatever you do; dont erase the tape, and dont reuse the same tape over-and-over again (you may get erosion and sounds may bleed-through). It would be feasible to purchase a magnetic tape eraser to ensure reusing your tape cassettes without the possibility of mistaking previously recorded audio for EVP. You can use both sides of the tape to record EVP.
Dont make the recordings too long, you dont want to sit through endless hours of static, trying to pick-out EVP. It can be very time consuming and straining to sit and listen. Consider recording for 5 minutes; announce that youre going to check the machine for their voice, and that you'll be back to talk with them soon.
While recording and trying to capture EVP, dont whisper, and if you create noise (cough, sneeze, bump into something), note it aloud on the recorder (simply state the creator of the noise and what it was). Same goes for any other noise infractions, ie: planes, phone ringing, someone else speaking, cars, trains, etc. This ensures youve accounted for the noise and that it's not mistaken for EVP.
Listening To Recordings For EVP: The optimal method is by using headphones – the kind that encompass the entire ear. I use noise-canceling headphones and the clarity is unsurpassed.
Indicators You May Have Captured EVP: Loud knocks (knocking) Roaring/Droning static or hum Murmurs, Shrieks, Screams, Whispers Voices not recognized as your own or others around you
Class Ratings For EVP:
Class A: Voices can be heard and understood over a speaker by most people; the average person will hear what you expect them to hear without prompting.
Class B: Voices can be heard over a speaker, but not everyone will agree as to what is heard being said; the average person will hear what you expect them to hear without prompting.
Class C: Voices must usually be heard with the use of headphones and are difficult to understand. The most popular belief is that Class C EVP are not worth listening to, they may not be worthy of posting on a website, but I believe they are well-worth their weight in gold.
Audio Editing Software: Don't over filter and clean-up EVP; the capture will be considered doctored or faked, which you don't want. It's best to save a clip in the filtered form (under wma or mp3), then save the same clip with the filtering so you can compare and listen to the two different versions. Always use the original recording as your base, and save the snippets/portions of audio clips in the other format (wma/mp3).
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 21:13:00 GMT -5
I will admit though, I have seen some very VERY clear images through this practice. The dangers of this is almost like dealing with a Ouija board though, causing a possible portal effect.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 20:35:24 GMT -5
Yeah thats an example of that annoying crap I was telling you about:) The only downside, is that you stare at the image for so long, you cant help but begin to matrix at times.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 17:23:16 GMT -5
One version of ITC that we have tried before is to take a video camera and connect it to a TV so that you can see what you are recording on the screen. Face the camera towards the TV so that you get a strange picture in picture effect. Playback this infinite loop frame by frame and supposidly faces are to emerge. We did it for about 15 minutes and all we got were extreme headaches from the psychadelic images.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 23:49:44 GMT -5
Aka: Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC)
Description: ITC traces its roots to 1901, when a U.S. scientist made a recording of "conjured spirits" while visiting a shaman in Siberia. Communication typically occurs on Windows machines, and has come in the form of simple text messages, Microsoft Word document files and a wide variety of digital image formats, including ".tif," ".jpg" and ".gif." With the popularity of the Web and e-mail, one might think that the spirits would use the Internet as a communication medium but specialists pretend the Internet includes too many "troubled thoughtforms" that disrupt the harmony necessary for ITC contacts to occur.
One form of computer-aided ITC involves spirit teams working closely with a living researcher who has "certain psychic qualities." When successful, spirits are able to turn computers on and leave messages, even planting files on hard drives or floppy discs.
A second form uses the computer as an audio recorder. With background noise, such as a radio tuned between stations, a researcher records himself asking seven or eight questions spaced 30 seconds apart. The recording is then reviewed to see if it picked up spirit voices.
Records: 1000+
Purpose: ITC believers say contacts are possible because teams of spirits are committed to opening channels of communication between both worlds. Such teams, they say, require harmony and cooperation among their living contacts for successful ITC to occur.
Theory: The Matrix ?
Famous Englishman Ken Webster received some 250 spirit messages on his computers in 1984 and 1985. A picture of Hollywood filmmaker Hal Roach appeared on a Luxembourg computer in 1992, the year of his death.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 23:17:02 GMT -5
WHY CLEANSE YOUR HOME…?
Easy...it’s evident that EARTHBOUND SPIRITS EXIST ALL AROUND US – they were people, now souls, who chose to ground themselves to the physical world and not move forward into the light after they crossed over into spirit realm. Every so often these earthbound spirits attract to us and linger (better yet loiter) in our homes. Depending on the type of energy or spirit that has attracted to you, this may lower the energy of living space and manifest in “hauntings” (poltergeist activity, feelings of being watched, physical manifestations of sensing spirit energies, etc).
THESE SOULS NEED TO MOVE FORWARD in order to progress with their spiritual growth on the “other side”, and for reasons unknown to us, moving forward is not easy to do. The reasons unknown could be fear of punishment for past deeds, confusion at the time of death, stubbornness, unaware and no realization death occurred, lack of knowledge of what they need to do, etc. Most are benevolent souls wanting to stay connected to the physical plane, other souls have more malicious intentions keeping themselves in this state of being and grounded to the physical world.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY RELATES TO SCIENCE:
DEFINITION OF PHYSICS is the science of matter and energy and of interactions between the two, grouped in traditional fields such as acoustics, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, as well as in modern extensions including atomic and nuclear physics, cryogenics, solid-state physics, particle physics, and plasma physics.
DEFINITION OF META-PHYSICS is the philosophical study of being and knowing, the branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, substance and attribute, fact and value.
Some scientists and skeptics will readily say that spirit/paranormal activity does not exist since it can not be proven by the techniques available today. Well, for every person who says it does not exist because no one can prove it does - PROVE THAT IT DOES NOT EXIST!
LOWER VIBRATIONAL FREQUENCIES: Grounded spirits operate on a lower vibrational frequency; this lower vibrational frequency is closer to our dimensional realm. Souls who have crossed forward and into the light, spirit guides and guardian angels operate on a higher vibrational frequency which is why we are not always in constant contact or communication with them.
Operating on a lower vibrational frequency may allow you to capture some really great evp, and photographic paranormal anomalies, as well as physical manifestations (things that can be heard, felt, smelt, seen and moved in the physical world that is caused by spirit energy).
Lower energy will manifest best in cool, dark and quiet places (kind of like mold, I guess). The cliché “Like Attracts Like” serves as the best example when dealing with grounded spirits, but there are instances when a negative spirit attracts to a person who is not negative. Another cliché comes to mind “Birds Of A Feather Flock Together”; meaning if one negative spirit attracts to a relatively positive person, is it possible that the one negative spirit, itself, then attracts other negative spirits to it and the person (or host)…? Next thing you know, there are several negative spirits attached to one host – lowering the vibrational frequency in a major way with things running amuck at home.
HIGHER VIBRATIONAL FREQUENCIES: In order to raise the levels of vibrational frequencies you should cleanse the home.
HOW DO YOU COMBAT WITH LOWER vs. HIGHER VIBRATIONAL FREQUENCIES?: By increasing the vibrational frequency and raise the condition of the atmosphere in order to create an environment that is uncomfortable to host any lower negative entity.
LOWER NEGATIVE ENTITIES ATTRACT TO AND RESPOND TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS: If the environment is dark, create more LIGHT. If the environment is quiet, create more SOUND. If the environment is cold, create more WARMTH. If the environment in the air is stale, create more AROMAS. If the environment lacks faith, establish RELIGIOUS CONVICTION AND ARTIFACTS.
CREATE MORE LIGHT BY opening curtains, blinds, drapes, altering interior decor using lighter shades of paint (on bedroom walls or accessories like throw pillows, linens, curtains, towels). Creating more light can also be done by lighting candles. Different color candles have different meanings and effects in order to raise the light and vibrational frequencies in your home.
CREATE MORE SOUND BY playing music of any kind, but to repel negative entities play religious music, classical, nursery rhyme music, anything “uplifting”. Singing bowls are great to use in order to raise the vibrational frequencies anytime, they are made of brass and come with a wooden mallet, but if you don’t have time to play the instrument yourself, different companies sell musical cd’s for this purpose.
CREATE MORE WARMTH BY altering interior decor using lighter, warmer shades of paint (on bedroom walls or accessories like throw pillows, linens, curtains, towels). Different color candles have different meanings and effects in order to raise the warmth and vibrational frequencies in your home.
CREATE MORE AROMAS BY lighting and burning the sage, sweet grass and incense resins on a frequent basis. Creating more aromas can also be done by putting flowers in the house. Different flower types possess different meanings and effects in order to raise the vibrational frequencies in your home.
CREATE MORE RELIGIOUS CONVICTION BY personal faith & belief, prayers & DISPLAY RELIGIOUS ARTIFACTS throughout the home (depending on your religion…use the one’s that would apply to yourself).
PRAYER FOR CLEANSING A HOUSE By Dr. Preston T. Bailey, JR.
Pray this over every room in the house:
"By the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bind every evil spirit that is in this room and command them to flee right now and go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends them. I claim by faith that this room is covered under the blood of Jesus Christ and no evil spirit can enter it."
After going through every room in the house, pray:
"I dedicate and consecrate this home to the Lord Jesus Christ; and Satan has no hold on it.
I surrender everything in this house to the Lord Jesus Christ and claim it under His protection.
I bind every evil spirit that is in this house & command them to flee & to go where the Lord Jesus Christ sends them.
I claim by faith that everything in this house is covered under the blood of Jesus Christ from the top of the roof to the bottom of the footing and everything in between.
I claim by faith that this house is surrounded by a hedge of thorns, a wall of fire, a wall of faith, and covered under the blood of Jesus Christ.
I pray that warring angels would come to protect the four corners of this house and everyone inside.
Thank you for the complete victory we already have in Jesus Christ. AMEN".
COMMON HOUSE CLEANSING RITUALS AND THE NECESSARY TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS: When cleansing a home of negative energy (spirits) there is a variety of techniques to use. The most common method is to burn certain herbs by placing a small portion on top of a charcoal disk in a fire-proof/heat-resistant bowl, light the charcoal then fan the smoke throughout each room using a quill. Make sure to fan the corners of the rooms and closets to cleanse every bit of space. While smudging, you may recite any type of prayer to influence the strength of the cleansing.
USE COMMON SENSE AND BE CAREFUL WHEN IMPLEMENTING ANY NEW COURSE OF ACTION.
BOWL (fire-proof/heat-resistant): a novice will use an abalone shell to smudge, but the shell retains heat & burns through. There is glass, but it is not heat-resistant either and can cause burn injury. The best bowl I’ve found to use is a large stone mortar. I also crafted my own little mini-smudge pots by taking small aluminum baking dishes, wrapping 2-3 layers of heavy duty tin foil around the dish and leaving enough extra tin foil to scrunch into a handle so that I can hold it very easily.
QUILL OR HAND-HELD FAN: if using a quill, it’s best to get at least 3 feathers and tie the ends together using a rubber band. Using 3 quills will allow greater centrifugal force in fanning out the smoke to all areas of the rooms in the home being cleansed.
CHARCOAL DISKS: these are sold in packets & light up easily with an igniter.
FIRST - Careful burning things inside, don’t burn yourself & don’t burn down your house.
SECOND - Careful cleansing your home, it’s simple, but don’t apply these methods in a threatening manner - this is a peaceful enactment performed with conviction and assertiveness.
THIRD - It’s best to consult with someone in your local area (i.e.: meta-physical store, etc.). And remember; everyone has their own collection of source knowledge & experience. It’s not who is right or wrong – it’s what method applies to the circumstances, your beliefs, what you feel comfortable doing and what has or has not worked for you in the past.
PLANTS AND RESINS USED TO SMUDGE YOUR HOME: Two plants frequently used in smudging are Sage and Sweet Grass.
WHITE SAGE – BURN FIRST IN ORDER TO PURIFY YOURSELF AND/OR THE HOME. White sage is usually sold in the form of small or large pre-tied bundles, and is considered the most powerful (or potent) in ridding negative energy. White sage is burned by taking a bundle, lighting the end and then fan the smoke in smudging ceremonies to drive out bad energy.
SWEET GRASS – BURN SECOND AFTER BAD ENERGY IS DRIVEN-OUT IN ORDER TO ATTRACT GOOD SPIRITS. Sweet grass is usually sold in the form of a long braid swatch, and is said to attract positive spirit protection. It is burned by cutting little bits over a charcoal disk or can be burned like white sage.
OTHER INCENSE RESINS – BURN THESE LAST IN ORDER TO ENHANCE AND MAINTAIN THE FLUID AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE SMUDGING. Smoke from these incenses is said to have the ability to ward-off negative energies, “They” being of spirit form and “Gaseous” in nature are unable to “Breathe-In” the smoke from the incense resins.
QUALITY INCENSES AND RESINS: Don’t use incense sticks, they are made out of artificial materials (i.e.: artificial color, synthetic perfume and fragrances, chemical binders and petroleum by-products). Instead use natural incense that’s scented with real tree sap. Higher quality incense is made out of essential oils, gums and resins.
COPAL incense resin (dried tree sap) Use to cleanse and purify both spiritual and physical items. Copal comes from various species of the “Bursera” tree in Mexico and South America.
DRAGON'S BLOOD incense resin (dried tree sap) Use to strengthen the potency and effects of the other incense resins when banishing negative energy, also cleanses & purifies the space from negative entities. Dragon’s Blood comes from the “Draco” tree in Indonesia.
FRANKINCENSE incense resin (dried tree sap) Use to cleanse & purify a space of negative energies. Frankincense comes from the “Boswellia sacra” plant in Somalia.
MYRRH incense resin (dried tree sap) Usually blended with frankincense because of its similar properties, and generally it’s used for everything the frankincense is used for but has added healing and attraction properties. Myrrh comes from the “Commiphora myrrha” tree in Africa.
SANDALWOOD incense logs or shavings (tree bark) Don’t use sticks, use “Chandan Dhoop by Mysore Sugandhi” which is sandalwood made into a paste, formed into logs, or use sandalwood shavings. Use for calming and purification. Sandalwood comes from the “Santalum” tree in India. “Chandan” means sandalwood in Hindu.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 10:38:43 GMT -5
Received this from Ron "Q" Millione of TAPS regarding a brief synopsis of EVPs. THANKS RON!
Electronic Voice Phenomenon or, more widely known as E.V.P., what is it? E.V.P. is simply the ability to record voices of the dead on audiotape. This phenomenon has been around since the 1920’s and had the interest of the well known scientist Thomas Edison * October 1920 issue of 'Scientific American'* who believed that the use of recording devices or other such apparatus, could very well be the communication link between this world and the other.
These voices are never heard during the recording process, only upon playback is these phenomena heard which makes it an easy target for debunkers, many of which believe that the voices are added to the tracks afterward by the person doing recordings. Many of the results are short phrases, single words, laughs or other human-like vocal sounds. E.V.P. voices are not limited to English speaking occurrences; there have been some recordings of foreign languages as well as animals.
Many believe that these voices are happening due to the electromagnetic energies that comprise a spirit, or the use of “ectoplasm” focused onto the tape, or digital recording media.
The correlation of E.V.P. and Reverse Speech Phenomenon are close. Whereas E.V.P. is the recording of disembodied voices, Reverse Speech is the occurrence of the recording of a person speaking normally and the resulting tape played backwards. The study of Reverse Speech has been around for quite some time. And some believe that the use of this can bring to light the underlying feelings of the speaker. For 20 years researcher David John Oates has been studying this phenomenon, referring to it as a sub-conscious Truth Detector.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 14, 2007 17:24:45 GMT -5
EVPs are always my favorite type of evidence. Especially when you capture it yourself and you know no one was around at the time of the recording.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 10:37:33 GMT -5
Courtesy of GhosttoGhost.org:
The first EVP recordings In 1959, Friedrich Jurgenson, a Swedish birdwatcher, was recording birdsong using a reel to reel recorder. While monitoring one of his recordings, he noticed strangely garbled fragments of seemingly human speech had made their way onto the tape, although he was sure that he had been alone making the recordings. He was so mystified that he started experimenting, successfully recording a huge number of similarly extraneous voices during the next 4 years. While the voices were mostly distorted they seemed to belong to intelligent beings. Most were barely intelligible and almost completely drowned by tape hiss, which was a serious problem with the open reel recorders of the time. By closely listening to the voices, Jürgenson found that they spoke in different languages, often changing to another idiom in mid-sentence. Also, longer phrases often had an improper structure or grammar and, in some cases, the syllables were either stretched or compressed in a way that made it quite hard to comprehend the messages. The strangest aspect of all was the uncanny way the voices seemed to respond to his comments and even to mention his name now and then. Jürgenson began to hold conversations with the strange voices by recording questions and later searching the tape for answers. When he published his findings in 1963, Jürgenson was completely convinced that he knew the origin of the 'tape voices' in his opinion, the tape recorder was acting as a form of electronic communication link to the realm of the dead...
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on May 13, 2007 10:36:48 GMT -5
Courtesy of GhosttoGhost.org
Never do the following:
1. NEVER Trespass: Watch out for any posted warning signs. Always ask for permission before going onto someone else's property. Avoid all areas where access is prohibited. Trespassing will only get you thrown in jail or worse. Be careful.
2. NEVER Litter: Leave the area exactly as you found it. Pick up any trash, containers, and scraps of paper and tape. Wipe off any chalk marks unless the site is a secluded area and you plan on returning.
3. NEVER Go alone: Have at least one partner on ghost hunts. Even if the person doesn't know anything about ghost hunting. This provides a little more safety and also a witness to any strange events that might occur. If you're alone and there's an unforeseen accident or emergency, who will help?
4. NEVER Forget to Carry ID: If the police ever question you about being in a private area, you will need some form of picture identification. Preferably a divers license. They do have the right to ask any citizen for an ID and if you don't have one they also have the right to detain you for questioning.
5. NEVER Forget to tell people where you are: Tell someone where you'll be at and how long you plan on being gone. If you run late in the ghost hunt, call and explain the situation. Never leave friends or loved ones wondering where you are.
6. NEVER Record false equipment readings: Test all of your equipment several times before leaving on an investigation. Replace batteries as needed. Learn to correctly use all of the equipment before even thinking about trying to use them in the field. Remember to take background readings at the site.
7. NEVER Go directly to a site at night: Thoroughly check over the site in the daylight for any dangerous obstacles that may be invisible in the darkness.
8. NEVER Smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs: Don't do anything that will impair your judgment or infect the site's environment. Use common sense.
9. NEVER Wear colognes, after shave, or perfumes: Never wear anything that creates a noticeable odor. The smells may infect other ghost hunter's judgments. The air needs to be clear to detect any abnormal odors. Some outside ghost hunts may require misquote repellants. Use odor free bug sprays. Log their use.
10. NEVER Forget to carry a notebook: Everything needs to be recorded and logged. No detail is too small. Keep lists of events, actions, and times. Record with audio and video if possible.
11. NEVER Forget to wear a watch: This goes along with the Logbook. You can't record times if you don't know what time it is.
12. NEVER Whisper: Always speak clearly, especially if you're recording the ghost hunt. You don't want to later confuse your whispering as something supernatural. If there are ghosts around your voice is not going to scare them off.
13. NEVER Forget to do research and profiles: To many ghost hunters don't do the proper research before going out into the field. What they are failing to understand is that good research will only help them with the possibilities of seeing a ghost.
14. NEVER Use a car's headlights as a main source of light: Sometimes a car's headlights come in handy for setting up campsites or equipment, but don't use them as a long-term light source. You could drain the battery enough that the car will not start.
15. NEVER Try to bring everything: Don't try to carry along every piece of equipment. Just bring the basics and the equipment that you absolutely need. Getting bogged down will only take your attention away from the ghost hunt.
16. NEVER Forget to bring flashlights: Always have plenty of working flashlights. Everyone should have two flashlights on hand.
17. NEVER Forget extra batteries: Know what kind of batteries each piece of equipment takes and how to change them. Always carry extra sets of batteries.
18. NEVER Forget to take lots of pictures: Take as many photographs as you can. That goes the same for video. You can't have enough of either. Just keep an eye on your film supplies. Don't run out before the ghost hunt is over. Always have emergency rolls of film.
19. NEVER Forget to bring food and drinks: It may sound trivial, but you would be surprised how many ghost-hunts have been ruined or have been cut short because of the lack of snacks.
20. NEVER Go into any physically dangerous location: It may be temping to conduct ghost hunts in old condemned buildings or on the edge of a spooky cliff side, but don't do it. The risk is simply not worth it. Also, never go to any place when the weather conditions are bad. Ghost hunts are meant to be fun and it won't be fun if someone gets hurt, has to go to the hospital, or worse.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Mar 18, 2008 19:54:07 GMT -5
Steve will be in regular contact with you and we will do everything we can to help.
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Jan 11, 2008 20:05:04 GMT -5
HAHA Great story man!
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Nov 15, 2007 0:17:43 GMT -5
Very interesting story. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Oct 16, 2007 9:43:38 GMT -5
(PART 2 Continued)...
We all know the stories very well of what took place there. The activity. If we step back and examine it from a non-biased view point, away from the films and exaggerations, the activity follows the basic pattern of a demonic haunting as established in most case files.
It began very slowly and innocently. Feelings here and there. Minor cold spots. Things abruptly changed however and took a much more sinister note as hordes of flies began to manifest in the sewing room in the dead of winter no matter how many the Lutz's killed.
The youngest Lutz child, Melissa " missy" began to spend more and more time alone, often playing with an invisible friend that she called Jodie. Jodie was first brought to Kathy's attention when one day Missy came downstairs and asked innocently if angels could talk.
Kathy stated, yes, she believed that angels could talk to humor her daughter. Missy just smiled and went back to her room.
Kathy would often be doing laundry or cleaning, walking by the sewing room, where she had forbidden the children to play or by Missy's bedroom, and hear the little girl speaking to someone who wasn't there. At times she would also hum a tune that Kathy did not recognize.
Once incident Kathy vividly recalled was when she walked into her daughter's room one day to see who she was talking to and to her surprise saw the rocking chair opposite Missy rocking and it suddenly ceased the moment Kathy entered the room.
George states that he himself felt an unbearable psychic cold that had him numbed to his bones, that he simply could not get warm. No other family members experienced this. He built fires repeatedly despite the fact that the heating system was working fine and was registering a comfortable 75 degrees.
The boys on the other hand also experienced strange things in the playroom, what was once Ronnie's room. They reported feeling uncomfortable there, and would often take their toys into the foyer or the living room.
The family also began to undergo personality changes. George became sullen and sick, often flying into rages, snapping at the children and Kathy.
Kathy herself became withdrawn and often retreated to the kitchen nook to think and calm herself, and she seemed to find it hard to leave the house, and as soon as she would think about it, she would loose all her energy and abandon the idea, even if it was for a run to the store.
The boys and Missy became rowdy, uncouth and mean spirited, fighting amongst themselves and snapping at their parents. One even that Kathy recalls as totally out of character for herself and the boys, was when Danny and Chris cracked a pane of glass in one of the play room's quarter moon eye windows. She had lashed out at them, whipping them with a wooden spoon.
She later thought back on it and regretted it intensely but could not explain why she did what she did. She stated she felt like she wasn't in control and soon she was fearing for her own safety as well as the children and most of all, George.
Shortly before Christmas, Danny was in one of the upstairs rooms playing and had his hands on the open window sill. The window was not faulty nor was it broken. Without warning or provocation, the window slammed down with terrifying force, crushing the boys hand and fingers.
George and Kathy and Kathy's brother all tried to free his hand but the window would not budge or move a centimeter. In considerable pain, Danny tried to pull free which made it that much worse. Finally, the window released him and they hurried him to the Emergency Room, where upon, they discovered that his hand was strangely flat, cut open but had no broken bones. The doctors, baffled, bandaged his hand up as best they could and sent him home with pain medication, shaking their heads.
Within a few days, Danny's hand returned to its normal shape and size and never left a scar.
The doors and windows in the house would open and close, often with no warning or reason, and George recalls being woke up every morning at 3:15 AM, the established time of the DeFeo's death. Kathy also had a violent nightmare, waking up screaming, " SHE WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD!" refering to Louise DeFeo's first wound, somehting that was never made public.
Of this, Kathy recalled in the dream she WAS Louise DeFeo, and experienced everything the woman had, including vivid dreams of a torrid affair with what she belived to be an artist that had at one time stayed in the home to paint the life size family portraits of the DeFeos.
She also remembered in the dream that she was Louise the night the Mrs. DeFeo had died, recalling the pain as the bullets ripped into her and that was what woke her.
The activity in the house was also getting worse, with the visit of Kathy's aunt, a nun at the time. Her sister entered the house but would not stay, saying she got a terrible feeling of evil and became sick, huridly leaving.
Black muck appeared in the toilets in the bathrooms, stained deep into the porcelain for which there was no explanation and which stuck with a reek so bad that it could be smelt all over the house.
The flies in the sewing room got worse and pools of green ooze would ooze out of the walls and key holes. George described it as like green jello, but with no taste.
Objects would teleport between the floors, most notably a ceramic lion, which Kathy did not like to begin with. She on several occaions saw it move towards her and she finally put it in the sewing room which became like a storage area in the house.
One evening she was alone and she walked into the living room and the lion was suddenly back down in the room with her, standing right in front of her.
Jodie was almost making itself known more and more, and each time it did, it became more menacing. Jodie first made its presence known in Missy's room to Kathy visually for the first time one evening when Kathy was questioning her daugther about Jodie.
Outside the living room windows, she saw a pair of blazing red eyes looking in at them. By that point, Kathy's nerves snapped and she flung a toy chair through the window at the eyes, destroying the glass. They all reported hearing a pig-like sqeal of pain and the eyes vanished.
George went outside to give chase, but found nothing but a set of fresh tracks in the snow that belonged to a cloven hooved animal. The tracks went to the boat house and vanished at the boat house door, which had a notorious knack for not wanting to stay shut.
Of Jodie, Missy stated he appeared to her as a pig, and that he could be as small as he wanted or bigger than the house. She also told her parents of how Jodie told her about the little boys that died in her room and that Jodie had told Missy not to worry, because they would always live there. Forever.
The activity got still worse after the discovery of the red room in the basement which does not appear in the floorplans. It was a small red room hidden behind a pantry shelf.
According to some theories, the red room was built by Mrs. DeFeo as a place to hold plants during the winter to avoid frost, and still others cite the DeFeo's mod connection as the room could have been used as a storagae place for guns and drugs. According to the Cromarty's, who knew the DeFeo's well, Allison and the youngest Cromarty girl would use the red room as a play room.
The attacks on the family worsened, including Kathy's sudden development of large green welts that were hot to the touch and extremely painful, and her disfiguration into an old crone, both of which were temporary.
Finally, on the night of January the 8th, 1976, the Lutz's, recieving no help from the church and having no where else to go, decided to perform their own blessing, by taking a crucifix, moving from room to room, reciting the Lord's Prayer. Half way through this, the house came alive with voices, babbling and shrieking, groaning until all the noises became one voice which stated " WILL YOU STOP?!!"
On January 14th, the activity in the house reached its climax and all hell broke loose. In the wee morning hours, George awoke to hear what sounded like furniture sliding around upstairs. He wasnt far off. The boy's beds were sliding back and forth across the floors, throwing their occupants out. The boys also stated that they could look through the floor and see George.
In his own room, George lay frozen in bed, unable to move as the windows and doors in the house began to slam open and shut in a violent outburst of psychokinetic power. Harry, the Lutz's dog, began to vomit repeatedly, writing on the floor while Kathy was also awake, trying to shield Missy who had by that time been moved out of her room and was made sleep with her parents due to the extreme bouts of cold that over take her room.
George also made a frigthening revelation and stated that during this, he felt something climb onto the bed with them, and that he could feel being stepped on, by something very hery with sharp feet, like cloven hooves. He could see the impressions the feet made on the bed, and on his chest and stomach. He felt its wieght and knew that Jodie was now in the bed with them.
Breaking the paralysis, George finally tore himself up from the bed, grabbed Kathy and Missy and fled from the room. They met Danny and Chris in the hallway who were already running for their lives, screaming that a white cowled figure was chasing them.
Harry the dog was able to get up as well and followed his family down the stairs and to the foyer. Grabbing only what they could carry in clothes, the Lutzs fled 112 Ocean Avenue that morning, fearing for their lives as they were confronted by the terrible white figure towering at the top of the stairs, pointing at them. It was described as wearing a robe and half of its face was blown away, like it had been hit with a shotgun blast.
Not stopping, the family got into their van and fled the house, never to return, not even for their possessions.
They thought they had escaped one hell, but they did not know they were soon to be thrown into a new one as the media picked up the story, as well as Steven Kapplan and William Weber, who if you recall, was DeFeo's defence attourney, while Kapplan was a self proclaimed parapsychologist and a vampireologist.
And the entity in the house was not going to give up so easily either. Their nightmare had just begun.
(PART 3, The Escape, The News and Controversy comming soon)
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Oct 16, 2007 9:43:17 GMT -5
PART 2: The Trial, Conviction and Aftermath.
....from the Crime Libary....
Butch did not remain at work for long. He called home several times, and when his father failed to show up, he acted as though he were bored with nothing to do, and left around noon. He called his girlfriend, Sherry Klein, to let her know that he would be home early from work, and that he wanted to stop by and see her. On his way back into Amityville, Butch passed his friend, Bobby Kelske, and the two stopped to talk. Butch proceeded on to Sherry’s house, arriving at about 1:30 p.m. Sherry was 19 years old, a shapely and popular waitress at one of the many bars Butch frequented with his friends. Upon arriving, Butch casually mentioned that he had tried to call home several times, and, although all the cars were in the driveway, there was no response. To demonstrate, he called home from Sherry’s apartment with the same, predictable result.
Acting puzzled but unconcerned, Ronald took Sherry shopping during the afternoon. From the mall in Massapequa, they drove to Bobby’s house. Ronald gave Bobby the same report he had given Sherry, that his family appeared to be home, but that there was no answer when he called on the phone. “There’s something going on over there,” he said. “The cars are all in the driveway and I still can’t get in the house. I called the house twice and nobody answered.” Abruptly shifting gears, Butch asked if Bobby was going out later. Bobby replied that he was going to take a nap, and that if Butch wanted to meet him out, he would be at a local bar called Henry’s around 6:00.
Butch spent the remainder of the afternoon visiting friends, drinking, and taking heroin. He finally arrived at Henry’s after 6, and Bobby followed him in shortly thereafter. Once again, Butch feigned concern over his inability to reach anyone at home. “I’m going to have to go home and break a window to get in,” he told Bobby. “Well, do what you have to do,” his friend replied blithely. Ronald exited the bar on his supposed journey of discovery, only to return within a few minutes in a state of agitation and dismay. “Bob, you gotta help me,” he implored. “Someone shot my mother and father!”
The two friends were joined by a small group of patrons, and they all piled into Butch’s car, with Bobby at the wheel. It had been approximately 15 hours since the murders took place. Within moments after arriving at the house, Bobby Kelske had entered the front door and raced upstairs into the master bedroom. There lay the bodies of Ronald, Sr., and his wife, Louise. He returned outside to find Butch beside himself with ostensible grief and dismay. Joey Yeswit had found the telephone in the kitchen, and was calling the police. Within ten minutes the first policeman was on the scene, Officer Kenneth Geguski. As he arrived, he found a group of men gathered on the DeFeo’s front lawn. Butch was among them, sobbing uncontrollably. “My mother and father are dead,” he said as Geguski approached the group.
The Village of Amityville patrolman entered the house and immediately went upstairs. He first discovered the bodies of Ronald and Louise, as well as those of John and Mark DeFeo. He returned downstairs to phone village headquarters from the kitchen. Ronald was seated at the kitchen table, still crying. As he listened to Geguski’s description, he alerted the officer to the fact that he also had two sisters. Geguski put the receiver down and hurried back upstairs. By this time another village patrolman had arrived, officer Edwin Tyndall. The two of them found Dawn and Allison’s room together. It would take a forensics investigator to locate where the girls had been shot, and what kind of gun had killed them: there was too much blood for the officers to even begin to guess.
In fact, the doors in several of the bedrooms had to be replaced and the walls heavily cleaned and repainted. Even then, that did not wash away the stains.
Shortly after 7:00 p.m., the neighborhood was buzzing with word of what had transpired in the house called High Hopes. The house itself was filled with police personnel, while neighbors and assorted gawkers gathered on the front lawn. Suffolk County detective Gaspar Randazzo was the first to question Butch, the massacre’s sole survivor. They sat together in the DeFeo kitchen, as Randazzo asked Butch who he thought could have done such a thing. “Louis Falini,” Butch replied after a moment’s pause. Falini was a notorious mafia hit man whom Butch claimed held a grudge against his family as a result of an argument between the two of them a few years prior.
The interview continued at the next-door- neighbor’s house, where a temporary police command center had been established. Detective Gerard Gozaloff joined in the process. It was suggested that, if the murders were indeed linked to organized crime, that Butch might still be a target, and that any further questioning should take place at police headquarters. It was here that they were joined by a third detective, Joseph Napolitano. And it was here that Butch gave police his written statement. In it, he claimed to have been home the night before, and that he stayed up until 2:00 a.m. watching the film Castle Keep on television. At 4:00 a.m., he reported walking past the upstairs bathroom, and that his brother’s wheelchair was in front of the door. He also claimed to have heard the toilet flush. Since he couldn’t go back to sleep, he decided to head to work early. He described the rest of his day, leaving work early, visiting with Sherry and Bobby, drinking, and trying to reach his family by telephone. He said that when he finally returned home to check on his family, he entered the house through a kitchen window, and went upstairs where he discovered his parents’ bodies. Upon his discovery, he raced downstairs and back to Henry’s Bar, where he rounded up some men who subsequently alerted the police.
After Butch submitted his signed statement, the detectives continued to question him about his family, about his suggestion that Louis Falini might be the killer. Butch replied that Falini had lived with them for a period of time, and during that time he had helped Butch and his father carve out a hiding space in the basement where Ronald, Sr., kept a stash of gems and cash. His argument with Falini had stemmed from an incident where Falini criticized some work Butch had done at the auto dealership. Butch also voluntarily confessed to being a casual user of heroin, as well as to the fact that he had set one of his father’s boats on fire so that Ronald, Sr., could collect on an insurance claim rather than paying for the motor, which Butch had originally damaged. Around 3:00 a.m. the detectives had finished their questioning, and Butch went to sleep on a cot in a back filing room. Ronald, Jr., gave every appearance of a cooperative witness, and so far the detectives had no reason to hold Butch under suspicion.
That circumstance was beginning to change, however, as investigators continued to examine physical evidence, both at the crime scene and in the police laboratory. A crucial discovery was made around 2:30 a.m., November 15, when Detective John Shirvell was making a last sweep through the DeFeo bedrooms. Rooms where the murders had taken place had been scoured thoroughly, while Ronald’s room had so far been given a cursory once-over. But, upon a second look, Det. Shirvell spotted a pair of rectangular cardboard boxes, both with labels describing their recent contents: Marlin rifles, a .22 and a .35. Shirvell was unaware that a .35-caliber Marlin had been the murder weapon, but snagged the boxes anyway in the event that they may be important evidence. Indeed they were! Shortly after arriving at police headquarters with the new evidence, Shirvell learned exactly what make of weapon had been used in the murders. Subsequent questioning of Bobby Kelske led to the discovery that Butch was a gun fanatic, and that he had staged the robbery of the Brigante Buick receipts.
In short order, the detectives on the case began to seriously consider the possibility that Butch had been playing them, that he may be their suspect, that he at least knew much more about the killings than what he had told them so far. At 8:45 a.m., Detective George Harrison shook Butch awake. “Did you find Falini yet?” DeFeo asked. But Harrison was not there with any such news: he was there to read Butch his rights. DeFeo protested that he had been trying to be cooperative all along, and that it wasn’t necessary to read him his rights. He went so far as to waive his right to counsel, all to prove that he was an innocent witness with nothing to hide.
By this time, Gozaloff and Napolitano were exhausted. Two other officers, Lt. Robert Dunn and Detective Dennis Rafferty, took over. These two meant business. Rafferty re-read Butch his rights, and proceeded to question the suspect about his activities and whereabouts over the prior two days. Rafferty zeroed in on the time of the murders. Butch had written in his statement that he was up as early as 4:00 a.m., and that he heard his brother in the bathroom at that time. “Butch, the whole family was found in bed lying in their bedclothes,” said Rafferty. That indicates to me that it didn’t happen at like one o’clock in the afternoon after you had gone to work.” Rafferty continued to press Butch until he was able to pry him away from his earlier version of when the crime took place, establishing that the crime actually took place between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m.
With this slight fissure, Butch’s crudely constructed story began to crumble. Dunn and Rafferty hammered at the discrepancies between Butch’s stated version of the events and what the physical evidence led police to believe actually happened. Butch was physically linked to the scene once the time of the murders was established. At first, Butch tried desperately to make the best out of a deteriorating situation, trying to lead the detectives to believe that while he had indeed been present in the home during the murders, he had only been in each bedroom after the murders had taken place. But the police weren’t biting.
“Butch, it’s incredible,” said Rafferty. “It’s almost unbelievable. Butch, we know we have a thirty-five-caliber gun box from your room. Every one of the victims has been shot with a thirty-five-caliber. And you’ve seen the whole thing. There has to be more to it. It’s your gun that was used.”
More desperate than ever, Butch continued to lie, even as his lies put him more squarely in the middle of the murders. He told his interrogators that at 3:30 a.m., Louis Falini woke him up and put a revolver to his head. Another man was present in the room, Butch said, but upon further questioning, he could not provide any kind of physical description for the police. According to Butch’s new version of events, Falini and his companion led Butch from room to room, murdering each one of his family members. The police let Butch keep talking, and he eventually implicated himself as he described how he gathered and then discarded evidence from the crime scene. “Wait a minute,” said Rafferty. “Why did you pick up the cartridge if you had nothing to do with it? You didn’t know it was your gun that was used.”
Butch didn’t respond to the question, so the investigators allowed him to talk some more. They had already mined a good deal of evidence implicating Butch, all the while pretending to believe that Falini and his accomplice had taken Butch along on their killing spree while sparing his life alone. Once they had been given a solid description of how the murders took place, Dunn went in for the kill. “They must have made you a piece of it,” he told Butch. “They must have made you shoot at least one of them -- or some of them.” Butch fell for it, and the trap was sprung.
“It didn’t happen that way, did it?” asked Rafferty.
“Give me a minute,” Butch replied, his head in his hands.
“Butch, they were never there, were they? Falini and the other guy were never there.”
“No,” Butch finally confessed. “It all started so fast. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. It went so fast.”
Butch DeFeo’s case came to trial on Tuesday, October 14, 1975, almost one year after the murders took place. The prosecution of DeFeo, the responsibility to see to it that such a man would never be a danger to anyone in the community again, rested with Gerard Sullivan, assistant district attorney with Suffolk County, NY. Despite DeFeo’s confession, despite the fact that he had been able to lead investigators to the exact spot where he had disposed of the evidence, and despite the fact that Butch’s .35-caliber rifle was positively ID’d as the murder weapon, Sullivan took no chances in his approach to prosecuting. During the period of pre-trial interviews and jury selection, Sullivan had studied DeFeo, questioned him, observed how he behaved and interacted with others. He knew that Butch was a pathological liar, that he was evasive.
He had retained well-known area attorney William Weber for his defense; his pattern of behavior before the murders would afford Weber the opportunity to plead innocence by reason of insanity on his client’s behalf. But Sullivan knew that Butch DeFeo was not crazy, was indeed a violent, cold-blooded killer, and he was determined to put him away for good. His opening statement to the jury was crucial, as it would set the stage in his attempt to reveal the truth about DeFeo’s criminal character. He could not afford to take for granted that the jury would see DeFeo as he did, as a sane, methodical murderer.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he said, “each of you will be changed to some degree by this case. You will leave this courtroom after rendering a verdict perhaps a month from now, carrying with you an abiding memory of the horror that occurred in that house at 112 Ocean Avenue in the dead of night eleven months ago.”
“Bear in mind that the evidence establishing and bearing upon how these crimes were carried out is as important to your verdict as the proof bearing upon who carried them out,” he continued, anticipating an insanity defense. “Much of the evidence of ‘How?’ will bear upon the issue of whether you will excuse the defendant for his action by reason of some mental disease or defect. If you will keep your minds open, carefully evaluate and assess all the proofs, I’m confident that at the end of the case you will come back into this courtroom and find Ronald DeFeo, Jr., guilty of six counts of murder in the second degree.”
The question of DeFeo’s mental state at the time of the murders would remain the defining piece of evidence upon which his acquittal or conviction would rest. Prior to the trial, Weber had shrewdly attempted to have the case dismissed outright, alleging that Butch had been refused access to counsel right before the police took his confession. He further contended that the confession itself was obtained under duress, the product of physical abuse on the part of the police. Neither of these claims stood up under scrutiny, however, and Weber was left to defend his client’s actions on the grounds that he was legally insane at the time they took place.
Sullivan was prescient enough to see that a one-dimensional argument that DeFeo was in fact sane and responsible for his actions might not be enough to convince the jury of his guilt. Sullivan called a number of witnesses, including police officers and detectives who had worked the case, and assorted relatives and friends of Butch’s. Through their testimony, he sought to present to the jury a more three-dimensional portrait of the man who was capable of murdering six defenseless family members. But no witness offered him this opportunity more so than DeFeo himself.
Weber called his witness and led the questioning, predictably leading his client to supply responses that would burnish DeFeo’s claim of insanity. Holding a picture of his mother as she lay slain in her bed, Weber asked his client, “Ronnie, that’s your mother, isn’t it?”
“No, Sir,” Butch responded. “I told you before and I’ll say it again. I never saw this person before in my life. I don’t know who this person is.”
Weber proceeded to show Butch a photo of his father’s body, and asked, “Butch, did you kill your father?”
“Did I kill him? I killed them all. Yes, Sir. I killed them all in self-defense.”
Sullivan wore his straightest poker face, while some members of the jury gasped out loud in response to DeFeo’s courtroom confession. Weber continued unfazed, asking why Butch had done such a thing.
“As far as I’m concerned, if I didn’t kill my family, they were going to kill me. And as far as I’m concerned, what I did was self-defense and there was nothing wrong with it. When I got a gun in my hand, there’s no doubt in my mind who I am. I am God.”
With those words, Ronnie DeFeo sealed his fate. He also continued during the trial to exhibit violent outbursts, especially towards the prosecutor, Sullivan.
Sullivan wasted no time in assaulting DeFeo’s testimony during cross-examination. He ridiculed Butch’s seeming inability to remember who his own mother was, he exposed inconsistencies between his testimony and the statement he gave police on the night of the crime.
Most of all, Sullivan pushed DeFeo’s buttons, aggressively set forth to rattle his composure, to enflame his arrogance and hatred. Sullivan wanted the jury to see that, rather than the victim of insanity, Ronnie “Butch” DeFeo, Jr., was a lucid, devious, cold-blooded killer.
His questions began to center around the murders themselves, and DeFeo’s conflicting accounts of his actions that night. Sullivan knew that he would not be able to get a straight accounting from Butch in regard to what had transpired, but he did know that he could goad the murderer into revealing the twisted sense of enjoyment he got from killing his entire family.
“You felt good at the time?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir. I believe it felt very good,” Butch responded.
“Is that because you knew they were dead, because you had given them each two shots?”
“I don’t know why. I can’t answer that honestly.”
“Do you remember being glad?”
“I don’t remember being glad. I remember feeling very good. Good.”
Sullivan’s efforts to this end culminated in his provoking Butch to the point where he actually threatened the prosecutor’s life. “You think I’m playing,” he barked hatefully from the stand. “If I had any sense, which I don’t, I’d come down there and kill you now.”
During his trial, and there is video of this from a newscamera, Ronnie appeared to go into a violent epileptic fit, screaming inhorently and seemingly speaking in tongues.
Most believe this is a ruse, and I cannot totally disagree.
On Wednesday, November 19, 1975, a year and five days since the murders, the presiding judge instructed the jury to gather in the deliberation chamber, and return to the court with a verdict for Ronald “Butch” DeFeo, Jr.
After reviewing transcripts of DeFeo’s testimony, however, the vote came back at a unanimous 12-0. On Friday, November 21, 1975, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder. Two weeks later he was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison on all six counts. He remains incarcerated with the New York State Department of Corrections today in Greenhaven Penitentury.
He was up for parole in 2001. It was denied.
The Haunting: The Lutzes
In late 1975, George and Kathy Lutz were in the market for a new home, currently living in Deer Park, Long Island.
George and Kathy had recently married, and George was now the stepfather to Kathy's three children from a previous marriage. It was late December and they were looking for homes in the 90,000 dollar range and were not having much luck until on whim, they decided to give Amityville a look.
In fact, a listing in the local realtors paper caught their attention.
EXCLUSIVE AMITYVILLE AREA -- 6 bedroom Dutch Colonial, spacious and gracious, living room, formal dining room, enclosed porch, 3-1/2 baths, finished basement, 2-car garage, heated swimming pool and large boathouse. Asking $80,000
As a surveyor, George was highly suspect of the house and figured it had to be falling apart for such a low asking price. Despite his reservations, he and his wife Kathy drove to Amityville to meet with Edith Evans, the realtor who had posted the listing.
Eagerly, Edith took the couple to 112 Ocean Avenue and stated she wished to show them how the " other half " of Amityville lives. Upon arriving at the property, George was shocked. The house was in near perfect condition, with only minor work needed.
The house itself and the othe buildings on the lot were in great shape, not only that, but it had everything the Lutz's could ask for and more. After giving the Lutz's a tour of the home, showing them everything the house had to offer, including all of the left over furniture and appliaces the DeFeo's had left behind, she then openly told them about the murders the year before and asked if it would influence their decision.
George and Kathy spoke with their children and as a family, they made the decision to buy the house and try to turn it into a home, something the DeFeo's never got the chance to do and try to give 112 Ocean Avenue a new life.
...from Jay Anson's " The Amityville Horror":
During the remainder of November and the early weeks of December, the Lutzes spent their evenings laying out plans for minor modifications to be made in the new house. George's surveying experience enabled him to rough out suitable layouts for the changes.
He and Kathy decided one of the bedrooms on the third floor would be for their two boys, Christopher aged seven, and Daniel, nine. The other upstairs bedroom they gave to their children as a playroom. Melissa, "Missy," the five-year-old girl, would sleep on the second floor, across the hall from the master bedroom. There would also be a sewing room and a big dressing room for George and Kathy on the same floor. Chris, Danny, and Missy were well pleased with their room assignments.
Downstairs, on the main floor, the Lutzes had a slight problem. They didn't own any dining room furniture. They finally decided that before the closing, George would tell the broker they'd like to purchase the dining room set left in storage by the DeFeos, along with a girl's bedroom set for Missy, a TV chair and Ronald DeFeo's bedroom furniture. These things and other furnishings left in the house, like the DeFeo's bed, were not included in the purchase price. George paid out an additional $400 for these items. He also got for free seven air-conditioners, two washers, two dryers, and a new refrigerator and a freezer......
Here is another important point. You read correctly. The Lutz's purchased the DeFeo furniture, including the beds, that they died on. The matresses were obviously gone, but the bed frames were still viable. Now most of us in our line of work believe or hold to the idea that residual hauntings occur, especially in places where tradgedy has befallen or powerful emotions have left an impression.
The beds were made of wood, and obviously wood is like a sponge, it sucks up water and probably did the same with the violent emotions and bloodshed that night when the DeFeo's died.
A few weeks later, once the chores of moving were completed and the family was settled in, the Lutz's asked an old family friend, Father Ray Pecororo to come and bless the house on the advice of some friends that were uneasy about the violent history of the building.
Father Ray arrived that same evening and began his blessing. He began on the first floors, encountering no resistence, or indeed any manifestations at all. He proceded to the second floor and entered what kathy had called the sewing room.
Here is where another interesting facet of the Amityville Horror mythos occured.
While blessing this room, Father Ray noted that it became extremely cold, far colder than normal, bone-chilling. He also noticed a staggering stench and heard a deep voice growl, "GET OUT." Before he could move, he heard the voice again, and something, what he later described as an open palm, struck him across the face. Stunned, and a little unnerved, the priest finished his blessing as quick as he could and left the house, but not before giving the Lutz's a warning:
Stay out of the sewing room and do not use it. He didnt feel it was safe.
Many has said the priest never experienced such a thing, but he kept insisting that he did, and during a trial later after the Lutz's fled, wherein the Cromarty's sued the Lutz's for invasion of privacy due to all the gawkers and trespassers that came to look at the house after the book was published, Father Ray stated under oath, that he DID experience those things but could not substain what later happened. He also testified to his own experiences away from the house.
From that day, the Lutz's days at 112 Ocean Avenue were numbered
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Post by Brad-LaSpirits on Oct 16, 2007 9:42:37 GMT -5
Below is the actual transcript from the 911 call made from 112 Ocean Avenue on November 15th, 1974:
Operator: This is Suffolk County Police. May I help you?" Man: "We have a shooting here. Uh, DeFeo." Operator: "Sir, what is your name?" Man: "Joey Yeswit." Operator: "Can you spell that?" Man: "Yeah. Y-E-S W I T." Operator: "Y-E-S . . Man: "Y-E-S-W-I-T." Operator: ". . . W-I-T. Your phone number?" Man: "I don't even know if it's here. There's, uh, I don't have a phone number here." Operator: "Okay, where you calling from?" Man: "It's in Amityville. Call up the Amityville Police, and it's right off, uh . . .Ocean Avenue in Amityville." Operator: "Austin?" Man: "Ocean Avenue. What the ... ?" Operator: "Ocean ... Avenue? Offa where?" Man: "It's right off Merrick Road. Ocean Avenue." Operator: "Merrick Road. What's ... what's the problem, Sir?" Man: "It's a shooting!" Operator: "There's a shooting. Anybody hurt?" Man: "Hah?" Operator: "Anybody hurt?" Man: "Yeah, it's uh, uh -- everybody's dead." Operator: "Whattaya mean, everybody's dead?" Man: "I don't know what happened. Kid come running in the bar. He says everybody in the family was killed, and we came down here." Operator: "Hold on a second, Sir." (Police Officer now takes over call) Police Officer: "Hello." Man: "Hello." Police Officer: "What's your name?" Man: "My name is Joe Yeswit." Police Officer: "George Edwards?" Man: "Joe Yeswit." Police Officer: "How do you spell it?" Man: "What? I just ... How many times do I have to tell you? Y-E-S-W-I-T." Police Officer: "Where're you at?" Man: "I'm on Ocean Avenue. Police Officer: "What number?" Man: "I don't have a number here. There's no number on the phone. " Police Officer: "What number on the house?" Man: "I don't even know that." Police Officer: "Where're you at? Ocean Avenue and what?" Man: "In Amityville. Call up the Amityville Police and have someone come down here. They know the family." Police Officer: "Amityville." Man: "Yeah, Amityville." Police Officer: "Okay. Now, tell me what's wrong." Man: "I don't know. Guy come running in the bar. Guy come running in the bar and said there -- his mother and father are shot. We ran down to his house and everybody in the house is shot. I don't know how long, you know. So, uh . . ." Police Officer: "Uh, what's the add ... what's the address of the house?" Man: "Uh, hold on. Let me go look up the number. All right. Hold on. One-twelve Ocean Avenue, Amityville." Police Officer: "Is that Amityville or North Amityville?" Man: "Amityville. Right on ... south of Merrick Road." Police Officer: "Is it right in the village limits?" Man: "It's in the village limits, yeah." Police Officer: "Eh, okay, what's your phone number?" Man: "I don't even have one. There's no number on the phone. " Police Officer: "All right, where're you calling from? Public phone?" Man: "No, I'm calling right from the house, because I don't see a number on the phone." Police Officer: "You're at the house itself?" Man: "Yeah." Police Officer: "How many bodies are there?" Man: "I think, uh, I don't know -- uh, I think they said four." Police Officer: "There's four?" Man: "Yeah." Police Officer: "All right, you stay right there at the house, and I'll call the Amityville Village P.D., and they'll come down."
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: A CASE STUDY
Thus the Amityville Horror gets its first spotlight in a tragic loss of life and dark family secrets. With that being said, we will now move on to the first exhibit in the study, The History of 112 Ocean Avenue and the DeFeo Murders.
Long before any whiteman ever set foot in what would later become Amityville, the Mantucket Indians and the Shinnecock tribes inhabited the area.
The Mantucket Indians believed in light and dark spirits and they had a strong folklore of such creatures, both good and bad. For many years they lived, worked and died in the area now called Amityville.
The Indians also had a very strange practice that was core to their religious beliefs and how they handled "possessed" people in their tribe. Possession at the time meant anyone with a mental illness, social disorder, mental retardation, certain sicknesses and anyone who betrayed the tribe or especially for enemies.
The practice involved taking the "possessed" person and lashing them, naked to a tree, at which point they would be left to die of exposure, dehydration and starvation. No one in the tribe was permitted to help them, tend to them or even acknowledge their presence.
Many people met their deaths this way and the plot of land on Ocean Avenue was used for just such a purpose. The Indians also believed that the area of and around Ocean Avenue was a "power spot" a place where the Earth's energies are wild and untamed, often thought to be a gateway to the Spirit Realm.
After these people died they were buried on the plot of land, face down, one hand down and palm up on their right side, the other bent up and on their head. The were buried face down to make them forever face the abode of the "Dark Brother" they were sent to join.
This method of burial also served another purpose. To prevent the dead from reawakening and digging their way out of their graves. If they did awaken, they would only dig themselves deeper.
The Amityville Historical Society claims that the land was not ever used for a burial site, however the Mantucket tribes in recent years have come forward and admitted that yes, the area very well could have been a burial site at one time but the graves could now be submerged in the Amityville River due to the shifting of the water tables and that there was a high chance of this being the case.
To this day, no one has mounted any type of archaeological survey to confirm or deny this.
..From: "The Night the DeFeo's Died" by Rick Osuna...
John Ketcham: A Shadowy Figure:
In the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror, we are introduced to a new facet of the legend, John Ketcham, a man supposedly exhiled from Salem during the Witch Trials for practicing witchcraft.
In the late 1600s, Amityville was part of Huntington Township. A check of the historical society located in Huntington, a town approximately 13 miles from Amityville, revealed that there were several John Ketchams in the area. Because records of this time period are sketchy at best, there was no clear proof that any Ketcham ever resided on or near the property.
There is no clear proof to state the contrary either.
The most definitive proof against any John Ketcham's being a witch came from the Ketcham family's own extensive research into their genealogy. After careful investigation, they have been able to determine there never was a witch named John Ketcham.
According to the legend, John Ketcham's body is buried on the north eastern corner of the property, where his cabin supposedly once stood where he continued to worship Satan until his death. To this day, no search has been mounted for his body.
The Modern History of the Infamous House
According to deeds and information compiled by the Amityville Historical Society, the Ocean Avenue property had once been farmland belonging to the Irelands, one of Amityville's most prominent and influential families. On January 14, 1924, Annie Ireland sold the property to John and Catherine Moynahan.
The Moynahan's were living in the medium sized home that occupied the Ocean Avenue lot, and reportedly they also experienced paranormal activity, and it was one of the reasons the house was moved off of the property, and the Moynahan's continued to live there until their six member family grew too large and they needed a bigger home.
In 1925, Amityville builder Jesse Perdy constructed the large Dutch Colonial with its distinctive quarter-moon "eye" windows, that still stands there today. While their new home was being built, the Moynahans relocated to the old house down the street. When the house was finished, the family of six moved back in and once again enjoyed life by the Amityville Creek.
When John and Catherine Moynahan died, their daughter, Eileen Fitzgerald, moved in with her own family. She lived there until October 17, 1960, when John and Mary Riley bought the house. Because of marital problems, the Rileys divorced and sold the house to the DeFeos on June 28, 1965.
The DeFeos: A Troubled Family:
...from The Crime Library....
Ronald DeFeo, Sr., had attained a trophy-size piece of the American dream when he purchased the house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, Long Island. Having been born and raised in Brooklyn, Ronald had worked hard in his father-in-law’s Brooklyn Buick dealership, and after many years began to reap rich benefits. Money was no longer a concern when he finally made the decision to leave the City and move to Long Island. The home he chose was a classic piece of Americana, two stories plus an attic, several rooms, and a boathouse on the Amityville River. There was plenty of room for him, his wife Louise; and four children. A signpost in the front yard read “High Hopes,” a testament to what the new home had symbolized for the DeFeos.
It was not to be.
Beneath the veneer of success and happiness, Ronald was a hot-tempered man, given to bouts of rage and violence. There were stormy fights between him and Louise, and he loomed before his children as a demanding authority figure. As the eldest child, Ronald, Jr., bore the brunt of his father’s temper and expectations. As a young boy, Ronald, Jr., or Butch as he would come to be called, was overweight and sullen, the victim of schoolyard taunts and unpopular with other children. His father encouraged him to stick up for himself, but while his advice pertained to the treatment of schoolyard bullies, it apparently did not apply to how young Ronald was treated at home. Ronald, Sr., had no tolerance for backtalk and disobedience, keeping his eldest son on a short leash, and refusing to let him stand up for himself the way he was commanded to at school.
At the trial a family member once remarked that prior to the move to 112 Ocean Avenue, he had been over at a family function and witnessed Ronald Sr strike Butch so hard across the face as to send him flying backward, hitting his head on the wall.
The DeFeo's would live at 112 Ocean Avenue for a little under 10 years.
As Butch matured into adolescence, he gained in size and strength, and was no longer a sitting duck for his father’s abuse. Shouting matches often degenerated into boxing matches, as father and son came to blows with little provocation. While Ronald, Sr. was not highly skilled in the art of interpersonal relations, he was astute enough to realize that his son’s bouts of temper and violent behavior were highly irregular, even in relation to his own. He and his wife arranged for their son to visit a psychiatrist, but to no avail as Butch simply employed a passive-aggressive stance with his therapist, and rejected any notion that he himself needed help.
In the absence of any other solution, the DeFeos employed a time-honored strategy for placating unruly children: they started buying Butch anything he wanted and giving him money. At the age of 14, his father presented him with a $14,000 speedboat to cruise the Amityville River. Whenever Butch wanted money, all he had to do was ask, and if he wasn’t in the mood to ask, he simply took it.
By the age of 17, Butch was forced to leave the parochial school he was attending. By this time he had begun using serious drugs such as heroin and LSD and had also started dabbling in petty thievery schemes. His violent behavior was becoming increasingly psychotic as well, and was not confined to outbursts within his home. One afternoon while out on a hunting trip with some friends, he pointed his loaded rifle at a member of their party, a young man he had known for years. He watched with a stony expression as the young man’s face turned white. He fled, and Butch calmly lowered his gun. When they caught up with their friend later that afternoon, Butch asked him why he had left so soon.
At the age of 18, Butch was given a job at his grandfather’s Buick dealership. By his own account it was a gravy job, where little was expected of him. Regardless of whether or not he showed up for work, he received a cash allowance from his father at the end of each week. This he used for his car (which his parents had also purchased), for alcohol, and for drugs such as speed and heroin. Altercations with his father were growing ever more frequent and correspondingly more violent.
In the weeks before the slayings, relations between Butch DeFeo and his father had reached the breaking point. Butch, apparently dissatisfied with the money he “earned” from his father, had devised a scheme to further defraud his family. Two weeks before the slayings, Butch was sent on an errand by one of the staff at the Buick dealership, given the responsibility of depositing $1,800 in cash and $20,000 in checks in the bank. Instead, Butch arranged to be “robbed” on his way to the bank by an acquaintance, with whom he later split the loot....
He was not prosecuted for the crime.
In the DeFeo home, things were degenerating fast. In fact, the violence and abuse has escalated to near epic proportions. One incident involved a family dinner, during which Louise DeFeo, Ronnie's mother, was downstairs doing laundry while upstairs, Dawn and Allison were fighting. Ronnie sat the kitchen table while his father was growing angrier by the second.
The argument escalated and Louise leaped into the fray demanding the stop fighting before going back to her laundry. Finally, DeFeo Sr. snapped.
The children were still fighting and Louise was still trying to keep them quiet as she came up the stairs with a basket of clothes. Ronald DeFeo Sr had enough and jumped up from the table, met his wife at the basement door, and punched her square in the face. He watched she she rolled down the stairs and slammed the door, remarking " Now we will have some peace."
The fights continued, the violence escalated ever further, and DeFeo Sr turned to religion to try to quiet what he thought were demons and devils tearing his family apart. He filled the lawn with religious icons and statues.
When asked about this by his neighbors, he merely said " I've got a devil on my back".
Ronnie Jr often ran away from the house, only to be drug back by his father each time he did. Ronnie remarked that he felt better away from the house and each time it got harder to leave.
A few month's before the murders, something changed inside the house again, this time with a dark supernatural overtone. DeFeo Sr went so far as to go to a local rectory and request a priest to come to the house to exorcise what he thought was the Devil.
A priest was sent out and an exorcism was attempted. During the exorcism, violent psychokinetic activity disrupted the ritual and nearly tore apart the house itself. The rectory when questioned by the History Channel about this, declined to confirm or deny that an exorcism had been preformed.
As it turns out, this is standard Vatican procedure.
One evening, a fight broke out between Mr. and Mrs. DeFeo. In order to settle the matter, Butch grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun from his room, loaded a shell into the chamber, and charged downstairs to the scene of the altercation. Without hesitating or calling out to break up the fight, Butch pointed the barrel of the gun at his father’s face, yelling, “Leave that woman alone. I’m going to kill you, you fat fuck! This is it.”
Butch pulled the trigger, but the gun mysteriously did not go off. Ronald, Sr. froze in place and watched in grim amazement as his own son lowered the gun and simply walked out of the room with casual indifference to the fact that he had almost killed his father in cold blood. That fight was over, but Butch’s actions foreshadowed the violence he would soon unleash not only upon his father, but his entire family.
In the early morning hours of Thursday, November 14, 1974, stray house pets and the odd car were the only signs of life as families and neighbors slumbered. But hatred and savagery were brewing beneath the seeming calm at 112 Ocean Avenue. The entire DeFeo family had gone to bed, with the exception of Ronnie.
He sat in his room with the famous "eye windows" watching a black and white film called "Castle Keep", a war film during which the last fifteen minutes is nothing but pure carnage. At trial, Ronnie stated he could hear his family talking about him, whispering, planning against him, and below the whispering voices, he stated he could hear a deeper one, a stronger one, telling him what to do.
He claimed also that he had always heard the voices inside 112 Ocean Avenue.
Finally he could take it no more and he said that at that moment, a pair of black hands materialized and handed the Marlin 30.06 rifle. Standing up and racking the slide, Ronnie stood up and went to his parents bedroom on the second floor.
He pushed open the bedroom door and waited at the foot of the bed and watched them sleep. He then raised the rifle and opened fire at point blank range, killing his father instantly, the first of 8 fatal shots. The first shot tore into DeFeo Sr's back, destroying his kidney and exiting through his chest. Ronnie fired again, this time the bullet lodged in DeFeo's Sr's neck, burying itself in his spine.
Without hesitation, he turned the rifle on his mother, shooting her in the head. He fired again, this time the bullet shattered her ribcage and collapsed her right lung.
Ronnie moved on then, and went across the hall, to his brother's room, Mark and John.
Here is a good place to mention something rather odd... A 30.06 rifle makes an extremely loud CRACK and there is no forensic evidence of a silencer nor was one every found. The cracking retort of the gun had to have echoed through the house, yet no one in the family woke up or tried to flee. The nieghbors, situated no more than 50 feet across from the house on either side do not report hearing the shots and only recall hearing Shaggy, the DeFeo's dog, howling and barking.
During the autopsies, no drugs were found in their bodies and there is no evidence that DeFeo Jr had an acomplice. These are the most puzzling aspects of the murders and which to this day have not been solved, despite a million conspiracy theories....
He entered the bedroom the two boys shared and stood between their two beds. Standing directly above his two helpless brothers, Ronnie fired one shot into each of the boys as they lay sleeping. The bullets tore through their small bodies, ravaging their internal organs, suffing out their lives instantly. Mark lay motionless, while John, whose spinal cord had been severed by his brother’s heartless attack, twitched spasmodically for a few moments after the shooting according to reports.
Not stopping, Ronnie moved on his sister's room, where Allison and Dawn lay, unaware that they were about to meet their end.
Ronnie came into the room and there is some evidence to suggest that Allison may have stirred awake at the last instant, at which point Ronnie put the rifle in her face and pulled the trigger.
He then turned to Dawn, the oldest girl and fired his last round point blank into her face, literally destroying and taking off half of her skull.
He had started at approximately 3:00 AM and the murders took only 15 minutes, with the last member of the family dying at 3:15 AM.
Having completed the task he had set out to do, he now turned his attention to cleaning himself up and establishing an alibi to throw the inevitable police investigation off the trail.
Ronnie calmly showered, trimmed his beard, and dressed in his jeans and work boots. He then collected his bloodied clothing and the rifle, wrapped them up in a pillowcase, and headed out to his car. He threw the evidence into the car, and took off into the pre-dawn hours before sunrise.
Ronnie drove from the suburbs into Brooklyn, and disposed of the pillowcase and its contents by casting them into a storm drain. He then returned to Long Island, and reported to work at his grandfather’s Buick dealership, business as usual. It was 6:00 a.m.
(Part 2-The Aftermath: Ronnie's Trial and Conviction and The Haunting: The Lutz's Story
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