In the pre-dawn hours of November 13, 1974, a home on Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, was the scene of a mass shooting. Forty-three-year-old Louise Marie Brigante DeFeo was found shot and killed as she lay in bed; her husband Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43, and four of their children — Dawn, 18; Allison, 13; Marc, 12; and John, 9 — were also found shot and killed in their beds. Reports indicate Louise and her daughter Allison may have been awake when they were killed. The weapon used was a .35-caliber Marlin rifle and the victims were found lying face down.

The sole survivor was the eldest son, 23-year-old Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr., who returned to a local bar the same evening and alerted patrons that his parents had been shot. He later confessed to killing his entire family, telling investigators Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. At trial, his defense argued insanity; the prosecution’s psychiatrist testified DeFeo had an antisocial personality disorder and was aware of his actions. On November 21, 1975, he was convicted on six counts of second-degree murder and received six consecutive terms of 25 years to life. Anyone with memories of the family or the neighborhood in 1974 is asked to share what they know.